Morocco: regions, best time to visit, getting there, train, bus and costs 2026

Morocco suits you if you want to combine old towns with souks, dunes at the edge of the Sahara and beaches on one trip. Nine sites in the country are UNESCO World Heritage, including the medinas of Fez and Marrakesh (as of September 2026).

What is new in 2026 is above all the railway's roadworks timetable, valid since 14 September: the state railway ONCF is building a 430 km high-speed line from Kénitra to Marrakesh.

Marrakesh and the south are less suitable in high summer. In July the average daily high is 37.7 °C in Marrakesh and 38.8 °C in Ouarzazate (1991–2020 normals).

Getting there from Germany

In 2025, 790,810 passengers flew from Germany to Morocco, counted at the 22 main airports with Morocco as the last known destination. That gives rank 31 among 211 foreign destination countries; those who change planes abroad are not counted. They landed mainly in Marrakesh (192,051), Agadir (128,382) and Nador (120,169). The busiest departure airport was Weeze on the Lower Rhine (207,854), ahead of Frankfurt (119,664), Frankfurt-Hahn (104,124) and Cologne/Bonn (83,445). The source is the Federal Statistical Office, year 2025; totals and rank are our own analysis.

Casablanca (CMN): train from 60 DH

Mohammed V airport is in Nouasseur, 30 km outside Casablanca (ONDA, as of October 2025). From Terminal 1 you walk about five minutes along a covered path to the station, signposted “Gare ONCF”. Between 5:30 and 23:00 a train to Casa Voyageurs leaves there every hour, from 60 DH, and children under 12 travel free. A through ticket from the airport costs from 198 DH to Marrakesh and from 203 DH to Fez (as of September 2026). Check the times beforehand; a new timetable has applied since 14 September 2026.

Agadir (AGA): airport bus in 50 minutes

Agadir Al Massira is 25 km outside the city (ONDA, as of October 2025). The Alsa airport bus takes 50 minutes via Inezgane and the hotel zone to the Vallée des Oiseaux interchange. The journey costs 50 DH, and you can pay on board or at the Alsa counter in the airport. Monday to Friday it leaves hourly from 7:00 to 23:00, plus at 0:00, 1:00 and 5:00; on Saturdays the last one leaves at 20:00 (as of September 2026).

Marrakesh (RAK) and Tangier (TNG)

According to ONDA, Marrakesh-Ménara is only 3.5 km from the city centre and Tangier Ibn Battouta 11 km from the city (as of October 2025). Taxis are orange in Marrakesh, blue in Tangier, and red in Casablanca and Agadir (ONMT, as of September 2026).

Regions and destinations at a glance

Driving times according to the tourism office ONMT (as of September 2026), climate 1991–2020, bus according to the CTM timetable for 6 October 2026. Years: inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage; “—”: no drawback documented.

Marrakesh

In Marrakesh, souks and riads lie in the medina, and wide streets and boutiques in the newer districts of Gueliz and Hivernage. Jardin Majorelle is open daily from 8:00 to 18:30, and tickets are only available online (as of September 2026).

The south and the Sahara

The Ouarzazate, Zagora and Tinghir region combines desert edge, green valleys and the Todra Gorge; “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Gladiator” were among the films shot here. Merzouga lies at the Erg Chebbi dune field, one of the starting points into the Sahara.

Fez, Meknès and Volubilis

As the starting point for the Fez medina, the tourism office names the Bab Boujloud gate, where access is easiest. At the beginning of May the city is the venue of the Festival of World Sacred Music. Meknès is 63.8 km away, about 52 minutes by car (as of September 2026). North of Meknès lies Volubilis; according to the tourism office, no Roman excavation site in Morocco is larger.

The north

Tangier lies on two seas: off its coast the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. In the city stand the medina, the kasbah and the former sultan's palace, now a museum. Chefchaouen climbs up a slope in the Rif Mountains with its blue-painted houses and is a starting point for hikes.

Best time to visit

The table shows 1991–2020 normals from the Moroccan weather service Direction de la Météorologie Nationale (DMN), published via the WMO. The Marrakesh station is at 464 m, Agadir-Inezgane at 18 m. Per month: average high and low in °C, rain in mm.

From June to September it is on average 6.4 to 11.0 degrees cooler by day in Agadir than in Marrakesh, and in January 2.0 degrees warmer (our own calculation). For the south and the Sahara, the tourism office and ADAC advise spring and autumn (as of September 2026).

Getting around the country

Train and bus

The Al Boraq express train of the state railway ONCF runs on the Casablanca–Tangier route, with stops at Rabat Agdal and Kénitra. According to the ONCF travel guide (2019) and the tourism office (2026), the whole route takes 2 hours 10 minutes. At Kénitra you have connections to Meknès, Fez and Nador, and at Casa Voyageurs to Marrakesh (as of September 2026).

Long-distance buses are run by CTM, among others; tickets are available at booking.ctm.ma, and outward and return journey together cost 10 per cent less (as of September 2026). Examples for Tuesday, 6 October 2026:

Car and roads

According to ADAC you need a German driving licence; an international one is recommended. Cars may drive 40 km/h in built-up areas, up to 60 where signs allow, 100 outside them and 120 km/h on motorways. Novice drivers in their first year are limited to 90 km/h, and 0.0 per mille applies to everyone (as of September 2026).

Some sections have potholes or drifting sand; according to ADAC, pedestrians or animals can appear on motorways, and at night some cars drive without lights. The motorways are toll roads; the rates are shown in the Autoroutes du Maroc app (as of September 2026).

Money and costs

The national currency is the dirham (DH, ISO code MAD). You may take up to 2,000 DH in notes across the border in both directions; beyond that, import and export remain prohibited (foreign-exchange regulation 2026, limit as in 2024). You change money at banks or at authorised exchange offices; according to ADAC you recognise the latter by a golden plaque.

According to the tourism office, you find cash machines almost everywhere. You pay with Visa or Mastercard in most hotels; at filling stations, in shops and in restaurants this only sometimes works. According to the tourism office, your bank usually charges a 1 per cent fee for card payments. According to ADAC, in markets you hardly get anywhere without cash (as of September 2026).

Until 14 March 2027, guided tours of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca start on Saturdays to Thursdays at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 15:00, and different times apply during Ramadan. You need trousers or a skirt below the knee and a top that covers the shoulders; shorts and sleeveless shirts are not allowed (as of September 2026).

Tourist tax: 2 to 30 DH per person and night

Municipalities add a tax per person and night to tourist overnight stays, which must be shown separately on the bill. Children under 12 are exempt. Law 47-06 sets ranges; each municipality decides the exact rate (as of the 2021 version of the law):

• Guesthouses and luxury hotels: 15 to 30 DH
• 5 stars, hotel clubs and riads: 10 to 25 DH
• 4 stars: 5 to 10 DH
• 3 stars: 3 to 7 DH
• 1 and 2 stars: 2 to 5 DH

Since Law 07-20 of late 2020, the tax also applies if you rent a private apartment via a booking portal.

Practical information

Morocco uses GMT+1, and GMT during Ramadan, with no summer time. In the German winter, outside Ramadan, you have the same time there; during German summer time it is one hour earlier (as of September 2026). The official languages are Arabic and Amazigh; according to the tourism office, almost everyone understands French.

You reach the police on 19, from a mobile phone also on 112, and ambulance and fire brigade on 15 (ADAC). For medical emergencies the tourism office gives the free number 141 (as of September 2026).

According to the IEC, sockets are type C and E, at 50 hertz and 127 or 220 volts (as of August 2026). Europlugs fit without an adapter; for Schuko plugs ADAC recommends a travel adapter. The EU rule “Roam like at home” does not apply in Morocco (as of January 2026).

According to the tourism office, the public holidays still to come in 2026 are on 31 October, 6 November and 18 November.

What applies to entry, safety and health is given by the German Foreign Office.

Who Morocco is not for

• If you cope badly with heat and can only go in July or August: Marrakesh then averages 37.7 and 37.4 °C by day (1991–2020 normals).
• If you want to take a lot of trains in 2026/27: A roadworks timetable has applied since 14 September 2026.
• If you want to combine desert and Fez in a few days: The CTM bus Fez–Rissani takes 9 h 20 min (timetable for 6 October 2026).
• If you only want to pay by card: In markets you hardly get anywhere without cash, according to ADAC.
• If you want to drive in a relaxed way: ADAC warns of potholes, animals on motorways and cars without lights at night.
• If you are looking for beach weather in the north in winter: Tangier gets an average of 116.9 mm of rain in November and 114.3 mm in December (1991–2020 normals).