Morocco Trip and Travel to London from Morocco

Richard, I just got back from Lisbon, Spain and Tangier, Morocco. I can't directly answer your question but I can highly recommend that you hire a guide for Tangier if you visit. I've been to numerous countries in Europe but Morocco was a different experience. I would have not felt comfortable unless I had a guide. Mike

We spent 10 wonderful days in Morocco in October, arriving on ferry from Tarifa to Tanger City. We were in Marbella the 7 days prior. I am not sure how you would make your way to the ferry. From Lisbon there are flights through Madrid on Iberia to both Casablanca and Marrakech or nonstop from Lisbon either on Air Maroc or TAP Portugal to Casablanca and return to LHR. We had a guide/driver meet us at the ferry and he escorted us for the entire 10 days. You can have a guide meet you at either airport and put together an itinerary for the time you have available. Like the OP we felt more comfortable having a guide/driver. The guide enriched our trip and understanding of their country greatly.

I'd respectfully disagree with the other responders. If you're sticking to the well-touisted parts of Morocco (and I don't mean Tangiers, which I regard as akin to a Mexican border-town), you no more need a guide than you would in Rome or Madrid. There are many discount airlines that fly between multiple cities in Morocco and a couple dozen cities across Europe. Not sure about flights direct from Lisbon, but you can fly to Morocco from multiple cities in Spain, and then back to London. Flights are crazy cheap on discount airlines - we paid about $75 from Madrid to Marrakech, and about the same for Fes to Paris. Skip the coastal cities that cater to day-trippers off the ferries. Fly to either Marrakech of Fes - both are great and each has something special that the other doesn't. If all you have are 2 days for Morocco (not counting travel days, I hope), it's pretty simple: find a convenient/cheap city to fly from (Madrid is a good choice - maybe Lisbon, don't know about that). Fly direct to your choice (probably Marrakech, you'll find more options there than Fes). Spend a couple days, then fly back direct to London. I bet you can find flights for under $100 each way. Marrakech is great (so is Fes). It's a lot easier to travel there than you think. Remember: Morocco is a very popular, cheap vacation destination for hoards of Europeans (think of Morocco as western Europe's Mexico - the parallels are uncanny: source of low-cost labor, food and culture, undocumented immigrants, a rich history, sun and sand). Extensive tourism infrastructure, plentiful ATMs, low prices, Mohammed's Revenge if you're not careful about what you eat... If you're just there for a couple days, stick to Marrakech. No need for a guide, dont be spooked. Go. Its easy.

Exactly what David said.

Thanks for the input. Any recommendations on housing in Marrekesh?

Hi Richard, Not sure if this is coming too late, but my wife and I just got back from a guided tour in Morocco. We actually traveled from Lisbon down to Tarifa, Spain, and took the ferry to Tanger, where our private tour guide connected with us. While planning the trip, we had contemplated flying from Lisbon to Marrakech. TAP airlines offered the lowest fares I could find. However, as mentioned above, we abandoned the idea of flying in lieu of taking the ferry from Spain to Morocco. We flew out of Marrakech to Barcelona, Spain, on Vueling Airlines. Not sure if they have a direct/connecting flight to London. While in Marrakech, we stayed at Riad Suliman (which is right next to the medina in Marrakech). The price was very reasonable. The room was clean and provided a private bath/shower within the room. You can view pics of this hotel/riad on booking.com.