Morocco - 9-18 Feb review: Mark Van Houten TD. Our 10th Tauck tour and clearly one of top 3. TD was great - very informative and accommodating. Best tour in terms of culinary, cultural and historical aspects. February is definitely the best time to visit. Loved the multiple side trip options. Local guides were fantastic. Lots of walking on uneven surfaces (cobblestones and many steps of varying heights). Comfortable, sturdy walking shoes a must. Accommodations outstanding. Ranking of cities visited: 1- Marrakesh; 2- Fes; 3- Meknes; 4- Casablanca; 5- Rabat. Trip favorites: Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca; dinner in Berber tent in desert; culinary school in Marrakesh; and Medina in Marrakesh. Only disappointment- not getting to Tangier. Is we were to do this again, we’d go on our own either before or after the tour. Highly recommend this tour. Sensory overload!
@Mennis - I agree about Tangier. There's a high speed train link between Tangier and either Casablanca or Rabat (or maybe both). Just a couple of hours to get there. It could be a pre-tour option, maybe for a couple of days. You might even be able to do a quick one day excursion there. There's a city known as the blue city (I'm going from memory here) just outside Tangier.
The blue city is Chefchaouen. We did the Tauck Morocco tour but did not go to the Tangier area. We loved Essaouira. We thought it was a little rushed to go there, come back for the final dinner, and then get transported to the airport in Casablanca the next morning. An overnight in Essaouira would have been preferable.
This is the information we just received from the tour company we are using
Currency & Banking
The currency used in Morocco is the Dirham, which is divided into 100 centimes. The
denominations of dirham notes come in Dr 20, 50, 100 and 200. There are coins are in denominations
of 1, 2, 5 (these have become very rare) and 10, 20 and 50 centimes as well as Dr 1.
The various banks in Morocco accept all major currencies and credit cards. Generally , banks are most
widely available in the larger cities.
Most places will not accept credit card payments for anything under 50USD. American Express
is NOT widely used.
Best way to obtain money is by using your debit card at the ATMs. There are many ATMs
throughout the country and your guide will make stops for this.
A friend recent returned from Morocco and traded about $25 worth of Dirham with my husband yesterday. All meals are included on our tour, so I guess this might be souvenir money and I hope I can resist those as we have plans to downsize. I do love pottery though.
Just returned from Magic of Morocco Feb 23-March 4. A really wonderful trip!! Mark van Houten was a stellar TD.
We got $100 worth of dirham ( also referred to as “MAD”) out of an ATM the first day and barely touched it. VISA is taken almost everywhere and we did not encounter any minimums ( although cash is always preferred in those situations no matter where you go.)
One exception: Local currency is needed in form of pocket change to tip all restroom attendants. This is not really optional.
However, in true Tauck, ‘we think of everything for our guests,’ fashion, Tour Director Mark provided a stack of such coins for each traveler on our very first time out which 100% solved that
When we were there in Nov. 2021, we had a few dinners on our own. One memorable dinner was at Nur in the Fes Medina, where we were led by foot from the gates to the restaurant by a "guide". Our TD told us about it and booked a table. Not a place you could find on your own. A really special meal with many courses in a unique setting. We were told that the internet was poor that deep into the souk, so the credit cards wouldn't work. We got cash from an atm prior to going. I think this was the only local cash we needed (except for the restrooms, which our TD provided).
Comments
My wife and I are joining that tour
Please post reviews. Wife and I take this trip in Oct.
@wildcat03 - I did a blog of our trip to Morocco. Might give you an idea of what you'll see. https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2022-1Morocco-01.htm
Thx u Mike. Will look at it.
Morocco - 9-18 Feb review: Mark Van Houten TD. Our 10th Tauck tour and clearly one of top 3. TD was great - very informative and accommodating. Best tour in terms of culinary, cultural and historical aspects. February is definitely the best time to visit. Loved the multiple side trip options. Local guides were fantastic. Lots of walking on uneven surfaces (cobblestones and many steps of varying heights). Comfortable, sturdy walking shoes a must. Accommodations outstanding. Ranking of cities visited: 1- Marrakesh; 2- Fes; 3- Meknes; 4- Casablanca; 5- Rabat. Trip favorites: Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca; dinner in Berber tent in desert; culinary school in Marrakesh; and Medina in Marrakesh. Only disappointment- not getting to Tangier. Is we were to do this again, we’d go on our own either before or after the tour. Highly recommend this tour. Sensory overload!
@Mennis - I agree about Tangier. There's a high speed train link between Tangier and either Casablanca or Rabat (or maybe both). Just a couple of hours to get there. It could be a pre-tour option, maybe for a couple of days. You might even be able to do a quick one day excursion there. There's a city known as the blue city (I'm going from memory here) just outside Tangier.
The blue city is Chefchaouen. We did the Tauck Morocco tour but did not go to the Tangier area. We loved Essaouira. We thought it was a little rushed to go there, come back for the final dinner, and then get transported to the airport in Casablanca the next morning. An overnight in Essaouira would have been preferable.
On my Morocco tour with another company I spent three nights in Essaouira, and it was magical!
My upcoming tour not with Tauck, we have two nights there.
Watch out for the seagulls in Essaouira!
I know it’s lucky to get pooped on 😂😂😂
Do you know if US currency is used in Morocco or do you need to exchange for Dirham? If so, can you exchange at hotels?
This is the information we just received from the tour company we are using
Currency & Banking
The currency used in Morocco is the Dirham, which is divided into 100 centimes. The
denominations of dirham notes come in Dr 20, 50, 100 and 200. There are coins are in denominations
of 1, 2, 5 (these have become very rare) and 10, 20 and 50 centimes as well as Dr 1.
The various banks in Morocco accept all major currencies and credit cards. Generally , banks are most
widely available in the larger cities.
Most places will not accept credit card payments for anything under 50USD. American Express
is NOT widely used.
Best way to obtain money is by using your debit card at the ATMs. There are many ATMs
throughout the country and your guide will make stops for this.
British -- then I'm very lucky!
Thanks British!
A friend recent returned from Morocco and traded about $25 worth of Dirham with my husband yesterday. All meals are included on our tour, so I guess this might be souvenir money and I hope I can resist those as we have plans to downsize. I do love pottery though.
Just returned from Magic of Morocco Feb 23-March 4. A really wonderful trip!! Mark van Houten was a stellar TD.
We got $100 worth of dirham ( also referred to as “MAD”) out of an ATM the first day and barely touched it. VISA is taken almost everywhere and we did not encounter any minimums ( although cash is always preferred in those situations no matter where you go.)
One exception: Local currency is needed in form of pocket change to tip all restroom attendants. This is not really optional.
However, in true Tauck, ‘we think of everything for our guests,’ fashion, Tour Director Mark provided a stack of such coins for each traveler on our very first time out which 100% solved that
AJSinNC: We are considering this trip for your exact time of year. Would you recommend it?
When we were there in Nov. 2021, we had a few dinners on our own. One memorable dinner was at Nur in the Fes Medina, where we were led by foot from the gates to the restaurant by a "guide". Our TD told us about it and booked a table. Not a place you could find on your own. A really special meal with many courses in a unique setting. We were told that the internet was poor that deep into the souk, so the credit cards wouldn't work. We got cash from an atm prior to going. I think this was the only local cash we needed (except for the restrooms, which our TD provided).