Discover Morocco with the Help of Hostelling International – Part 1

Morocco has a coastline stretching from the Atlantic to the Strait of Gibraltar and then to the Mediterranean. It borders Spain to the north (the maritime border in the Strait and land borders with three small exclaves administered by Spain – Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera), Algeria to the east and Mauritania to the south.

Morocco extends from the Atlantic Ocean to mountainous areas and the Sahara Desert. Morocco is just one of the only three countries (together with Spain and France) with both an Atlantic and a Mediterranean coastline.

A major part of the country is mountainous. The Atlas mountain range is located in the central and southern parts of Morocco. The Rif is a mountain range in the northern part of the country. Both regions are inhabited by the indigenous groups of nations called the Berbers. With its 446,550 square metres, Morocco is the fifty-seventh largest country in the world.

Add to this the country’s excellent cuisine, friendly Moroccans and the fact that EU residents as well as many others don’t need a visa (a passport is enough), and there’s almost no reason why you shouldn’t set out on a trip to Morocco.

I’m sure there’ll be questions like: “Can we afford this?” And, of course, I’ve considered that, too!

Morocco and numerous European airports (Vienna, Venice – Treviso etc.) are linked with a number of low-cost airlines, and the cost of a plane ticket is usually lower than transfer to the airport, since well-timed purchase of return tickets with small hand luggage under 50 euros is the rule rather than the exception.

Of course, air transport doesn’t amount to the final costs, so it’s good knowing the costs that await you upon landing in Morocco, so I’ll be touching upon the three things you’re probably the most interested in: inland transport, food and accommodation.

Morocco is a country with very good and affordable train and bus connections and a train or bus ticket from Fez to Casablanca, the distance between the cities being 300km, will cost you somewhere between 7 and 10 euros, but if you purchase an online train ticket early enough, it will cost you around 5 euros. Add to that the fact that Morocco has a high-speed railway (the fastest in all of Africa) along its Atlantic coast with trains reaching over 200kmph, and it’s pretty much self-explanatory. For those of you who are travelling to Morocco in small groups, car rental is easily affordable, as prices start at 10 euros per day (if you book early enough) and petrol costs around 1 euro. Apart from tolled motorways, Morocco also has an extensive network of main and regional roads, and traffic outside city centres is relatively smooth (and very often controlled by police).

Food is an indispensable companion in life as well as during travels. You can take comfort knowing that food in Morocco is diverse and at reasonable prices. Of course, there are also world fast food chains, but with all the excellent local food you probably won’t be visiting those. Prices in restaurants are very reasonable and you can buy a quarter of a chicken for 3 euros, and a full meal with a drink in many restaurants for less than 10 euros.

Now that you know you can afford both the transfer costs as well as the food costs, let’s continue on to accommodation. Thanks to Hostelling International, you can afford accommodation at reasonable prices in Morocco as well, namely in youth hostels where a clean bed and (usually shared) bathroom await you. As in many other countries, hostels in Morocco don’t come with towels and shampoo, so you need to take care of that yourself. Looking at the price of your stay at the hostel, I’d say that’s perfectly reasonable. In Morocco’s economic capital, Casablanca, members of Hostelling International will pay a little over 15 euros (for both guests) for a double room, and a little over 20 euros for a triple room (for three guests). In the country’s oldest city, Fez, a bed will cost you around 8 euros, a double room 18 euros, and a triple room 25 euros. In Marrakesh, beds are available for less than 7 euros and similar prices can be found in other hostels in most major Moroccan cities, such as the capital city of Rabat, the royal city of Meknes, the romantic Essaouira on the Atlantic coast and others.

When all the costs that await you in Morocco are added up, you can see the answer to the question “can we afford this?” as “yes,” since you’ll spend around 300 euros for a ten-day trip around Morocco (plane tickets, 10 overnights. 5 intercity transfers and 20 meals) with careful spending.

Now that you’ve seen that you can afford a trip to Morocco, let’s cut to the point, which is why you should even visit the country, but more about that in the next article.