24 Hours In Marrakech, Morocco: The Story Behind the Travel Photo
- Nov 9, 2025
- 8 min read
We Took a Quick Trip to the Kingdom of Morocco
USA Citizens: make sure you always check with the US Department of State website before you travel. Everyone else, please check with your country.
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One Spring Break, we toured a little of Portugal and Barcelona. I would like to say that it was on a whim, but the truth is, we planned a quick jaunt to Morocco as well. The catch? It was going to be just a 24 hour trip, just to get a taste of a fascinating country and culture. So, while we were in Spain, we hopped over (by plane, of course) and made a quick trip to Marrakech (also spelled Marrakesh).
Interesting History to Know:
I always wanted to know why Spain and France were both associated with Morocco.
I found out that both countries ruled a few areas before1956, when the Kingdom of Morocco was created (with some backing from the USA). The 1956 sultan was declared King when Morocco became independent, so the country is a unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy. Try saying that 10 times fast.
The official religion is Islam, and although you are free to practice your own religion privately, you are not free to proselytize, it's against the law. Please respect the country's culture and obey the law. Traveling is about exploring and learning.
What We Needed to Know
To make our trip to Morocco, a visa was not needed at the time, so all we had to do was have our flights and someplace to stay. We did these before leaving the US. Always check with your country before planning a trip out of your nation.
Technically on the African continent, Morocco is considered part of North Africa. I kind of. guessed that we wouldn't have too much trouble communicating because we were going to stick to the tourist areas. But in case I got stuck, i found out that many of the signs were in Arabic, English, French and sometimes Spanish. I speak Spanish but I can try to make myself be understood in French if my life depended on it, so I actually used my very bad French a few times in the souks. Now, of course, I would make sure my phone was charged and use a downloaded translation app. But, for the record (yeah, let it be known), I still like to learn a few phrases of a local language when I travel, so the next time I go, I'll get a few Arabic words under my belt. It will give the locals something to laugh at and it helps to break the ice. There's nothing wrong with learning how to say hello, please, thank you and good-bye. If you try to show off and ask how much, you better brush up on your numbers.
How We Got There: For our 24 hours in Morocco, we wanted to arrive early in the morning from Barcelona and leave in late evening the next day, so we used two different airlines that could accommodate our times because the round trips weren't convenient. We almost go an unpleasant surprise when we were leaving Barcelona. Luckily, I had done my research before hand and I paid for a ticket that included my carryon. Now, a few years ago, except for a couple of really low budget airlines, a carryon bag was normally included in the airfare. But this airline definitely had the fine print, so I paid for a carryon. Since we were going to stay only one night (but have two full days to explore), we packed light. For me, that meant I only brought one camera, one lens and my phone to document my fun times. I also pre-paid for my seat so that we could all sit together. Again, now this is considered normal stuff, but years ago, this feature was also a shock. What we almost did not realize was that some planes that only stay on or near the European continent were small. So small, that even if you paid for your carryon, it still might be checked at the gate. But that's ok, because my outgoing airline actually refunded my money and did not charge me for a checked bag. How's that for a nice perk?
Packing light was a great advantage when we were making our way to the riad. Cars and taxis can't go into some streets and they definitely cannot drive through the alleys, which were like a maze. And there are cobblestone streets, so roller bags may not be practical. We were dropped off in the market square, complete with snake charmers and the driver pointed out which way to go. We also had already downloaded the directions and a map of the area, so we guessed correctly which way to go.
Even though our trip was going to be super brief, and even though we only basically had backpacks, our stuff was scanned at the airport before we boarded and on our way out of the airport in Morocco, after we went through immigration. While, we were at the airport, we exchanged some euros for that currency. It was just easier and since our trip was so short, we didn't care about exchange rates. The guy told us that we would have to exchange it back on the way out because at the time, it was illegal to take Moroccan currency out of the country. We used cash the whole time and didn't even bother to try using our credit cards, in fact, we found out that our debit cards wouldn't work.
Where We Stayed:
We chose a riad not far right off the main market, the Jama El f'na Market. We were also near the famous Koutoubia Mosque, which called the faithful to prayer throughout the day. Because we were only staying one night in Morocco, we wanted to be near the action to maximize the time getting to the places we wanted to see. We walked everywhere.
Our riad (ryad) had the traditional open roof garden in the middle, which was really quite nice while we were sipping our Moroccan mint tea. It seemed funny to have hot tea while the temperature outside was hot, but it worked. The tea was refreshing, and we were ale to relax for a little while recuperating from a 4:30 AM flight. Our rooms weren't ready, of course, so the host graciously held our bags. We were glad that we booked in advance, because I don't like to wing it during a busy season.
The host was very nice. After we ate that evening, they helped us to find authentic tagines. In fact, two people in our group got old ones from one of the local restaurants that locals really eat at. How's that for an authentic souvenir? I opted to wait until I got back to the US to buy one. It took me a minute to realize that I hardly had any luggage with me!
What We Did:
Our quick trip was made even quicker by arriving early in the morning, so were able to drop our bags and start exploring right away. We had some things in mind prior to arriving and we were able to get information from our host (places to eat, a paper map, etc).
We visited Le Jardin Marjorelle (you can only get tickets for this garden through them, no one else) and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, which are right next door to each other. Saint Laurent used to own the garden and he is still there in a way: his ashes.
The botanical garden was small, but jam packed with local flora. Technically, we were in the desert, so that was the highlight of the garden. I think every species of cacti were there, so many that when I got home, I had to go to the New York Botanical Garden to match my photos so that I could identify a few of them. Some of the signs at Marjorelle were hidden under the cactus and I certainly wasn't going to reach up under there to find it.
The garden was a great place to kill some time. We bought our tickets to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, but they were timed, so we were able to do the garden first. It's a great tribute
We wandered around through the souks and bargained for a few items (keep your valuables secure as you move through small, tight and crowded areas. Luckily, nothing happened). What did happen is that I learned to bargain. I wasn't very good at it and my friend stepped in to help me out, but I got a small throw rug. I hope it really was made in Morocco. It's so hard to tell these days. You think you're buying an item made in that country and it turns out it's made somewhere else. Frustrating.
We also visited a cooperative owned and operated by women, for some beauty products. The experience was phenomenal. The men were invited, believe it or not. At first they stayed outside. But after while, one of us went down to get them and we all ended up buying something. The women curated the products, so they came from all over. Not only was it a women owned business, but many of the items were mostly natural and organic. It was simply amazing.
And of course, we had to do one really touristy thing, so we dined and danced at one of the restaurants right off the market. It was recommended by our host. Now we know that those in the tourist industry look out for each other, but we had already eaten at two local spots, so we didn't mind doing the tourist thing. And the floor show was fun. The diners get involved and it's hilarious seeing men and women trying to do the dances. Not to mention you have to be in great shape.
Practical Stuff to Know:
We set our times on the phones manually, this way, our phones didn't need a signal for our timetable. I didn't even need to turn the service on because there was WiFi everywhere (but I didn't access my secure information because the WiFi was not secure). We knew in advance that some of our favorite websites might be restricted so I didn't post anything until I got back to Barcelona. I couldn't tell you if any of the social media sites worked or not. At the hotel, I took screenshots of the GPS instructions when we were walking (and those souks are certainly mazes!). My guidebook was downloaded on my phone, too, so that was great.
Drinking alcohol is restricted to certain areas. Ask your host.
All in all, we had a fabulous time and it was quite an adventure to squeeze in while we were in Europe. Next stop, Casablanca!
Happy Travels!
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All photos and videos created and copyrighted by Marcia Crayton, unless otherwise noted.
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