Granada instead of Tangier?

Short answer: Fat chance. Maybe if you blindfolded her, jerked the thing off in parts of Granada, then repeated the same trick in Seville, Cordova, and Toledo, the little bit of architecture might fox her for a couple of minutes. I've seen neither movie, but bet that they featured the souks and bazaars and all that happens in them. There is no comparison. As for the implied questions: money comes out of ATMs, languague is not a problem, and Tangier stinks. Make it Fez or Marakech or skip it. Transportation is transportation. If she's never been out of the U.S., Morocco might make her catatonic. Go by yourselves next time when you can spend a couple of weeks and really enjoy yourselves.

Agree. There's no comparison. How much time do you have? If you're going to Morocco you should spend more than a night or two, which is enough for Granada. If you go to Marrakesh forget the ferry and fly. After Marrakesh you could then take the bus to Essaoiura, which is as much Mediterranean as Moroccan. Personally, I thought Fes was a better destination than Marrakesh, but I guess they didn't make a movie about it. ATMs work in Morocco, too. Do you speak Spanish? Because if not you'll meet something of a language barrier in Spain. And a lot of people in Morocco speak French.

Thanks for the quick responses, first of all! No, I do not speak Spanish or French. I can squeak by a bit with Spanish, though. So I will not bother with Granada, then. I will stick with the original plan of Madrid and Toledo, and then decide whether I have the guts to fly to Marrakesh for a few nights and then on to Italy or I will chicken out and get our "exotic fix" via a Greek Isle such as Mykonos. We are doing a whirlwind European vacation. This will be me and my husband's sixth trip to Europe and we love Mexico, but my mom is high-heel loving and rather high-maintenance but in a fun way, if that makes sense.

It's a pity to skip Granada, the Alhambra is easily my favorite sight in Spain. It's even better now you can visit the main palace in the evening. If you go to Marrakesh, practice saying no. You'll need it in the medina.

GRANADA! i didnt go to Marrakesh, we went to Fes instead, but keep in mind if the seas are too rough, no boats will sail & you could run the risk of either a)not getting to go to Morocco or, like us, b) being stranded 11 hours waiting @ the ferry port trying for any boat big & brave enough to cross back to Spain from Tangiers. Granada is charming and friendly, and the Alhambra is fascinating! :)

Please don't think you have to forgo Granada just because you don't speak Spanish. There are tourists who flood Granada from all over the world who don't speak Spanish – and they do just fine. I agree with Ed – Tangiers stinks. I liked Fez much better... but Tangiers was a must pass-through for us, as we took the ferry across from Spain. Based on your comments that your mom is a "high-heel loving and rather high-maintenance" woman - AND she wants to go to Morocco because she liked what she saw on Sex in the City 2... well... she will be in for a surprise (read "shock"). Almost NOTHING represented in the Sex in the City movie reflects Marrakesh/Fez. Sorry. Unless, of course, your mom wants to pay BIG bucks, then she'll get the movie-like ideal hotel with the type of amenities the SATC & Orange County "girls" got to enjoy... but the streets are the streets, and I don't care how much money you pay to be esconded away in your little fancy hideaway... The walls of flies, sour dead-animal smells, other kinds of shocking smells, donkey & cat poop scatterings, the heat, the masses of people, etc. are there for you to experience as you walk around. The movie shows some kind of palatial, Aladdin wonderland that is not representative of Marrakesh – let alone Fez, Tangiers, etc. And your mom can forget wearing her high heels in these places as she walks around – unless she doesn't mind ruining her heels on donkey caca and uneven, dirty, hilly, super-busy ancient streets. (Having said that – the experience of walking through the medieval labyrinth that is Fez - for me - is an experience I will always remember).

Having been to Marrakesh and Granada a few times each (and thoroughly enjoyed them both), I would urge you to not take your mom to Morocco, based on what little you have told us here about her. It would surely be a disaster. Go to Granada, it's worth it, and there's little in the way of hassle or difficulty - but can't say the same of Morocco. Trust me - if your mom thinks Morocco is going to be ANYTHING like either that movie or that TV show (or anything REMOTELY like it), she is in for one heckuva eye-opening experience (and not a good one, I suspect). Honestly, we're talking about a different planet. Save Morocco for some other time when mom isn't along and you're feeling adventurous. Really.

Hold on here. Mom is an adult, right? We're making assumptions about her travel skills and interests in different cultures just because of the movie reference and the fact that she hasn't traveled to Mexico or the Caribbean. I've been to Mexico once in my life on a business trip and ditto for my Caribbean experience. There are tons of other people with the same level of experience that are up for visits to new cultures that are more exotic than Europe. No physical concerns have been mentioned, right? I think that Mom needs to do a bit of her own research and figure out if she will enjoy Marrakech or if she's being swayed by Hollywood fantasy. One place to start might be Jackie Steves' visit to Morocco when she was a student. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/beyond/jackie_journal.htm There are a series of articles in the New York Times travel section including one from last December on 36 Hours in Marrakech. http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/africa/morocco/overview.html Even the Frugal Traveler has been there. Ask her to browse the TripAdvisor forum for Marrakech and see what types of questions are posted and what answers are given. Encourage her to ask her own questions. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g293734-i9196-Marrakech.html Cont.

Cont.
We don't know your mom, but the question was can you sell your mom on Granada as a Marrakech replacement and the answers seems to be know. So, is there a new question(s)? Is it that you need convincing that you will be safe there? That it will be difficult because of the language differences? That you don't want to change money a second time? That you think it will take too long to get there? Or are you worried that her experience will be negative? Now that you know that it isn't a replacement maybe these are the questions you need to ask yourself and the Helpline. Pam

We just got back from Spain a couple of weeks ago. We decided to stay out of Morroco after we talked to some friends that came back and told us how the women in their tour group were hassled/threatened in Tangier, and after we found out about the bombings of tourist sites in North Morroco. We loved Granada.

Thanks, everyone, for your very helpful insight and suggestions! I printed this and gave it to my mother who has decided she would rather save Morocco for another trip. But first time trip to Europe she says she wants to keep it a little less hectic or possibly overwhelming. People tend to fall into two main categories when it comes to travel, IMO: those who like to research and plan and those who absolutely do not. My mom does not enjoy planning and researching for trips. She loves travel but prefers to just tag along and enjoy the ride. Luckily, I LOVE planning and researching! The only downside of that is the planner feels guilty if things don't work out. This is why this website and all of you are such an invaluable tool! So we will go to Granada and enjoy the "exotic" and slightly Arabian feel of the city and take in an Arab bath experience and maybe a tea house. That will be a nice "tease" for our likely future trip to Morocco.