Advice for woman traveling solo to Morocco

Hi Brenda, I have traveled in Morocco solo and had no problems. I would recommend cutting down Rabat to one night and fitting in 2 nights in Essaouira (from Marrakech). High-end bus service is excellent and has better liaisons than the train (although the train is very good between Casa and Marrakech). Meknes can be cut to 2, but Fès maintained to 3 definitely. The riads offer the best value, IMO, although the prices can be quite steep for some - shop around. You have a nice itinerary planned out. Try to lodge centrally enough to get by on foot as much as possible... negotiating the taxis can be a pain and always keep the correct change available. I can't comment on getting by only with English, as I spoke French. However, in Casa, neither French nor English was spoken by my taxi driver and we settled on very poor Spanish as our common language. It seems that many Moroccans speak Spanish because they often enough end up working for a stint there. As a solo woman, you will be wooed and complimented, especially in Marrakech, for two reasons: it seems that middle-aged European women have created a market for gigolos there, and, you represent an easy entry into Canada through marriage. Other than that little bit of unwanted attention, I only encountered respect. DO NOT MISS the opportunity for a hammam experience - it is divine!! The only place that I can clearly remember to recommend is Riad Zahra in Essaouira - the owner is a Canadian married to a Moroccan and both speak English. None of the others particularly stood out.

Thank you Diane! I'll take your advice.

I'm male, so obviously can only offer some third person observations, but have been to Morocco a few times. I agree, you should expect some extra attention - if you've been to Italy and other places in Europe, it will be like that, with the extra hooks that Diane mentioned. Why must you fly in and out of the same city? Using air miles does not dictate that. Investigate flying in to one city and out of another, or consider flying open jaws with a combination of one city in Morocco and another in Europe, connecting the two with a cheap flight on a discount carrier (there are lots). Regarding your itinerary...I see no reason whatsoever to spend a day in Casablanca. It's an ordinary, dull city, with only one sight, a large but modern mosque. I'd skip it and spend the time elsewhere. There's no Ricks American Cafe or any other attractions. I'd also give Rabat a pass, not much to see there. Marrakesh, Fes and Meknes are the places to spend your time. These are all well connected by a good rail system. I'd actually question the value of going to Essaouira. It's a popular beach vacation spot for Europeans, and quite overrun with northern europeans on cheap package tours. The old quarter of the city is certainly charming, but I'd trade the time there for a visit across the High Atlas mountains to some of the good stuff further south. By all means try to get to Ait Benhaddou (Google it). If you can get further, the Todra Gorge is impressive, and the Grand Ergs (sand seas) of the real Sahara start a bit further south. However, transport out there is not easy, and I wouldn't consider going in the summer. I agree, don't miss the hammam experience! Just be sure it's an authentic hammam (one used by locals) rather than one that has been manufactured for tourists.

Just to chime in, though I went to Agadir alone with my 2 kids, I never experienced any kind of extra attention what so ever.
Perhaps it is because it was Agadir, but the Moslem men in Morocco are not the same as Italians, nor the same as Tunesians or any other country. They are respectful of women and don't play grabbies with you. I would not worry about this aspect of your trip.

Thank you everyone for the input. I will certainly reconsider my itinerary to get the most authentic experience possible. I like the idea of venturing into the south and spending more time around Meknes and Fes. Just a few more questions: Are ATM's available to acquire currency and do you have any suggestions regarding money issues? Thoughts on lodging? I hope to stay at English speaking riads, guesthouses or the like, as they are more interesting than hotels. Finally, since I speak only English, how much of a language barrier should I anticipate? I'm a little wary of trying to buy bus or train tickets if there is no English display. Thank you so much for your input. I really appreciate it.

ATMs are very plentiful in Marrakesh, and to some extent in Fes and Meknes. Marrakesh and Fes get a lot of European tourists - more than you probably expect. The old imperial cities are amazing, and are definitely stuck in time in many ways, but they are certainly well visited by Europeans, so you will easily find all the services you would expect in any other major tourist destination. As far as money is concerned, traveling there is just like traveling in a European city. Use a money belt. I like to stay at historic riads. I've stayed in a few that were like sleeping in the Alhambra, but they can get quite spendy. I felt that was worth the expense, but only you can decide that. There are accommodations available at any price point. Check out reviews on the (always annoying but still useful) trip advisor. As for language, any medium to high end places will speak at least some English. If you can manage even a little bad French, that will go a long way. In anyplace that deals with tourists in Marrakesh or Fes, you will have no problem with English only. The further you go from the big cities, or the smaller the shop/service/whatever, the more French will come in handy. Train tickets will be easy, bus may be a bit more challenging, but you can get by with the name of the place and numbers written down. Remember: although Morocco is certainly "exotic" for us, it also gets a lot of English speaking tourists. You will probably be surprised at how much easier it is to travel there than you might think (however, don't take that completely for granted once you get away from the major tourist areas).

I must disagree with the opinion that Essaouira should be a skip. I found it charming! I had the best meals and the best local hamman experience there. I loved walking along the beach for as far as I wanted and coming across the remains of an old fort, just sticking out of the sand, like a real sandcastle ruin... I also very much enjoyed the artist community that Essaouira has attracted. I found it to be a very laid-back, easy going spot for a couple days away from more "heavy" sightseeing spots, like Marrakech. BTW, in Marrakech, do not miss the Majorelle gardens!