Is Morocco with a child a good idea? If only your child tolerates several hours of car travel, it’s great! Morocco is an interesting, slightly exotic, safe and friendly country.
We were in Morocco on May weekend in 2018. Our daughter was 9 months old at the time. We drove 2,220 kilometers in a rented car.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What to see in Morocco –
- map Morocco in 10 days – day by day itinerary
- Morocco with children – is it a good idea?
- Morocco with children – tips on how to explore
- Where to stay in Morocco – verified accommodations
- When to go to Morocco?
- Morocco by car
- Food in Morocco – what can a child eat
We stayed in Morocco for 10 days. Our route is: Essaouira – Rabat – Chefchaouen – Fez – Sahara (Merzouga) – Ksar Aït Benhaddou – Marrakech.
Morocco with a small child – a road trip in 10 days – a day by day route
DAY 1: Essaouira
After landing at the airport in Marrakech, we picked up the car and drove to Essaouira. We stayed there for three nights, because only then were our friends supposed to arrive, and we were supposed to meet in Rabat.
DAY 2: Essaouira
A day to wander the quaint streets and look for good food.
DAY 3: Rabat
DAY 4: Rabat
DAY 5: Chefchaouen
DAY 6: Chefchaouen
DAY 7: Fez
DAY 8: Fez
DAY 9: Merzouga Sahara
The road to the Sahara from Fez took us most of the day (about 7h + stops). With friends who traveled in a separate car, we made an appointment on the spot. We left early in the morning so as to use Nella’s naps for travel. We reached the place in the late afternoon. We managed to rest and for the sunset we arranged a trip in an off-road car through the dunes.
DAY 10: Marrakech
We left for Marrakesh early in the morning. We spent one night here in a lovely Riad. Unfortunately, the charm of Marrakesh in a riad is over, because the city is noisy and crowded. Walking around the medina is not a pleasure, not only scooters, but also cars go here. We spent most of our stay walking around the pubs.
Morocco with children – is it a good idea?
- Everyone loves children – everywhere, but absolutely everywhere the child aroused admiration. People were accosting us on the street and hotel and restaurant staff was extremely helpful. In almost every restaurant, the staff even grabbed Nella from us to take care of her while we ate.
- Kid-friendly hotels – Every place we visited had a good selection of hotels offering family rooms (which are said to be larger). Besides, in Morocco, for reasons unknown to us, they have very wide beds – parents sleeping with children (like us) will not complain. We always booked a room with an extra bed just in case, but it only came in handy once.
- Sightseeing with a stroller – in most places there is no problem with moving around with a stroller. The sidewalks are flat and even. At the same time, our stroller is a light stroller with small wheels, not an off-road model. Below we describe exactly how the visit to specific places looked like.
- Breastfeeding – Just like in Dubai, it was natural for everyone to breastfeed. Of course, I did it as discreetly as possible with a frisky baby. A scarf to cover is highly recommended.
- Food – if you’re expanding your diet, it’s hard to find a better place. You can buy fruits and vegetables at every step. Everywhere they wanted to give us free food for Nella, only it was not very suitable (for example, cookies or sweet yogurt). If we are expanding the diet using the BLW method, I recommend couscous with vegetables – lots of soft carrots and zucchini.
- Diapers – In larger cities there are supermarkets like Carrefour, but diapers are available in every shop in the medina (old town) in most sizes.
Morocco with a child – tips on how to visit
Essaouira
From here we started our stay in Morocco and felt like in Europe. The town is very touristy, within the old town there are flat, even pavements and there is no motorcycle traffic.
However, the strong winds, supposedly characteristic of Essaouira, are a nuisance. In fact, it was windy all the time during our stay. Often we couldn’t get Nella out of the pram because it was too cold. The rain cover was great for protection from the wind.
Marrakech
We recommend this place to visit with a toddler the least. There are motorcycles in the medina, which not only smell and make noise, but also do not always pay attention to pedestrians.
Walking with the pram was tiring, because all the time you had to watch out for anything from around the corner to drive into the pram or burn the exhaust fumes straight into the child’s face.
Fortunately, Marrakesh is the least interesting place we’ve seen in Morocco. Without regret, you can limit your stay to a minimum.
Fez
Noise, crowding and din can hit Fez. Fortunately, this is only the first impression. The medina is crowded, but there is no motorcycle traffic, there are flat pavements and you can walk with a pram.
Unfortunately, to see the dye-works/tanneries, you have to go to the terrace or the roof of one of the nearby shops. Then the stroller can be left with the beaters at the bottom.
Apparently, the mountain stinks, all visitors are given mint sprigs to kill the smell. This is worth considering if your child is sensitive to smells. I didn’t feel anything, I guess the wind was blowing in the other direction.
Of course, the baby can also wait inside the store, where you can only smell the smell of leather goods. And it will not be exposed to the harsh sun.
Chefchaouen
The only city that is better not to explore with a pram. To quote our colleague, actually the whole town is a staircase.
It’s not that bad, but a stroller is a really bad idea unless you have a kid who can already walk and will be able to get off the stroller every time it needs to be carried or carried.
We switched to a scarf for that day and it worked great. Only in the afternoon it got a bit too hot for a scarf. In addition, it is much more difficult to hide the child from the sun in a sling, so it is necessary to take a hat.
Rabat
The beautiful riverside promenade, quaint kasbah and gardens are perfect for strolling around.
We do not recommend only the unrestored part of the medina (or rather during the restaurant), where there is no pavement – it is very difficult to drive there with a pram on gravel and stones. And there’s really not much to see there.
Ksar Ait Benhaddou
Here, as in Chefchaouen, it is better not to take a pram, because a large part of the village consists of stairs. We left the pram at one of the souvenir sellers, and we put the sleeping Nellka into the baby carrier. Of course, we left a few pennies to the shopkeeper afterwards.
A maximum of two hours is enough to visit the ksar. By the way, note – we passed a lot of such ksars on the way, there was no tourist infrastructure around them like in Ait Benhaddou. But in the photos taken from the road they look no worse
Sahara – Merzouga
You don’t have to ride a camel for hours to see the desert. Luckily! We chose the car option, thanks to which we were not afraid for Nella.
We moved our car seat to the car, and in addition, the driver drove very gently and for Nella it was like a normal car ride.
We went to the desert only in the late afternoon, just before sunset. Thanks to this, it was cooler, there were some clouds in the sky, so there was also a shadow. And when there was no shade, we hid Nella in the shade of the car.
The whole trip lasted about two hours and for the night we returned to the hotel by the dunes. Of course, with slightly larger children, you can be tempted to spend the night in one of the camps in the desert. Most of them are very comfortable and if Nella were a bit older, I wouldn’t have any fears about such a trip. Another thing is that we didn’t really feel like spending the night in the desert, we preferred to relax in a hotel with a swimming pool and a view of the Sahara.
Atlas Mountains – Tizi Ntichka Pass – Dades Gorge
ACCOMODATION IN MOROCCO
Where to sleep in Morocco – our recommendations for a trip with a child
In Morocco, we were lucky to have exceptionally charming accommodation. We booked all through booking.com. All places guaranteed parking, some included breakfast.
Essaouira – Here we rented an apartment with a kitchenette. A beautiful place to start or end your holiday. The view from the window directly on the waves crashing on the rocks compensates for climbing the winding stairs (there is no elevator). Located very close to the medina. LINK TO THE APARTMENT
Marrakesh – We stayed in a climatic riaga, which was an oasis of peace and quiet, which is worth its weight in gold in Marrakech. LINK TO THE RIAD
Rabat – A tiny riad-style hotel. Only a few rooms, very intimate and quiet. It is not available on booking at the moment.
Fez – Absolutely beautifully restored riad, but getting to it was a challenge. Unfortunately, the car had to be left in the parking lot in front of the entrance to the medina. This meant a long trip with luggage. LINK TO THE RIAD
Chefchaouen – It’s not a riad, but a very stylish hostel. Breakfast on the roof overlooking the city is a big plus. We remember this place very fondly. LINK TO THE HOTEL
Ksar Aït Benhaddou – A stylish riad. The pool looked inviting but unfortunately we didn’t have time to use it. LINK TO THE RIAD
Sahara – Merzouga – Hotel overlooking the dunes and camels moving into the desert. Decent kitchen on site. The staff also organizes trips to the desert. Room conditions quite basic, but a very pleasant hotel. LINK TO THE HOTEL
Morocco with a child – when to go
Contrary to popular opinion, Morocco is not hot all year round. If you plan to go to the beach, it is definitely better to aim for the summer months. For sightseeing, I recommend spring or autumn.
We were in May and it was quite hot. Nella and I ran away to the shadows a lot. For adults alone, elephants would not be such a problem then. We definitely do not recommend going to Morocco in the summer season, certainly not with a small child. The heat would be exhausting not only for the toddler but also for the parents, who would have to constantly hide him in the shade and look for cooling.
Morocco by car
We rented a car for our entire stay in Morocco. We took our own car seat for Nella, at that time she was still wearing the so-called “wears”.
We rented a car for our entire stay in Morocco. We took our own car seat for Nella, at that time she was still riding in the so-called “carrier”. When renting a car, it is worth reading the terms of the contract carefully.
In the case of Morocco, it is often required to return a washed car – it is associated with a high probability that the car will be dirty, because there is a lot of dust and sand on the road and it also gets inside.
Roads in Morocco – at least the main ones, between standard attractions – are surprisingly good. Moreover, there is not much traffic. We remember the entire route around Morocco very positively, without unpleasant road situations. And the views are amazing.
What can a child eat in Morocco
Our daughter, from the age of 7-8 months, had an extended diet using the BLW method. It made our trips incredibly easier, because we didn’t have to worry about jars (take them, look for them on the spot?).
In Morocco, she mostly ate soft boiled tajine vegetables. There was also no problem finding pasta. There was also plenty of fruit, so we took rolls and fruit with us on each route.
We took only powdered porridge with us from home, which you mix with hot water – it was an emergency breakfast, for a quick serving before going out.
