© LonelyPlanetPublications 142 rocco hassuchcachet.The quite it. answerissimple: there like isnoplaceonearth announces itspresence sculpted seasofsand. inMoroccowith perfectly suchasthese,the hold.Fromrockyfortresses that onehasstumbledintoafairytaletakes turnblood-red withthesettingsunand thesense mud-brickkasbahs colour oftheearth, asyoufollowquietmountaintrailsamidBerbervillagesandfieldsofflowers.for trekking Atlas. Atlas contoursoftheHigh andonintotheextraordinary Middle This islandcustom-built you’ll bebiddenintoenchantingtownsandthemountainsofRif. atmosphere carryawhiffofAfrican magic. Travel eastalongtheMediterranean coastand –and citieswhose names–Essaouira,Casablanca, , ofwonderful the ramparts along Morocco’sAtlantic Coastandyou’llbeaccompaniedbyaseabreeze that massages decadent butsometimescreative presence onMoroccanshores. FromTangier, turnsouth nowhere thissensemore evokes thanTangier, thatfadedposter boyforEurope’s often ate totheastonishingsightsoflandscape. themedinasofFèsandMarrakesh Morocco issensoryoverload atitsmostintoxicating, fromthescentsandsoundsthatperme- Morocco At journey’s end, the solitude of the Sahara isideal forcontemplatingAt whyitisthatMo- journey’send,thesolitudeofSahara Then, suddenly,everything changes. The mountainsfissure intoprecipitous gorges the If it’smountainsyoulove, intothe Moroccohas theminabundance,risingfromtheRif Morocco hasalwaysbeenacrossroadsbetweenAfrica, East,and Europe andtheMiddle

   FAST FACTS         

Visas Time Telephone Seasons Population Money Languages Capital Budget but nopublictransport Borders small villages ATMs include Western Sahara) Area 446,550sqkm(710,000ifyou GMT/UTC 90-day visasissued onentry formost nationalities Throughout thecountryexceptin Dirham(Dh);US$1 = Dh8.5 Rabat US$15toUS$25per day Algeriaclosed;Mauritaniaopen Hot (June toAugust), cold(November Hot(June toFebruary) ,French, Berber Country code 33.2million % 212; international access code % 00

when theheatof Atother summerhaseased. toNovember),lowed byautumn(September May), whenthecountryislush andgreen, fol- Morocco isatitsbestinspring(mid-March to CLIMATE &WHENTOGO lonelyplanet.com ITINERARIES day andgeneral businesshours are reduced. as somerestaurants duringthe andcafésclose consideration calendar) isanotherimportant or Octoberdependingonthe ing September fasting andpurification,which occurs dur- (thetraditionalMuslimmonthof Ramadan cloudy inwinter andearlyspring. areand theRifMountains frequently wetand pared forbitterly Thenorthcoast coldnights. in winter, bepre- headforthesouth,although from November toJuly.Ifyouare travelling Atlas,whereHigh snowcappedpeakspersist summer heatandwinter, particularlyinthe times, don’tunderestimate theextremes of

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS       

soak upthesolitudeof theSahara. richest collectionof andthen Drâa Valley villages. of stunningscenery andisolated Berber Atlas High soundsandsmells. sights, charms of cityreplete amedieval with Fès most dynamiccity. thatisMorocco’s and endlessspectacle 17) r adbc Aia (p6 , de- (p169 ), Asilah pending on your inclination. Save time laid-back or ( p147 ) ( Casablanca tan p169 ), imperial Rabat on your way southcheck out cosmopoli- One Month most clamorous cities. a gear after of the onslaught Morocco’s ( p173 ) isawonderful waytostep down you’ve time, adetourtoartsyEssaouira asmuch timeasyou canspare. If serve imperial (p178), cities intheMoroccan interior thatde- Marrakesh and ( p161) planned. Thenmake forFès abeeline longeryou’ll endupstaying thanyou chilled-out Chefchaouen ( p157 ), where Tetouan ( p156 around ) orthemountains Two Weeks Apart fromtheweather,timing of

co’s coolest and most evocative resort.co’s coolestandmostevocative Essaouira ( p161 intheexotic yourself ) Lose ( p173 inMoroc- bythesea ) Laze ( p185 ) Trek intoaworld deep ( p178 ) Dive intotheclamour FromTangier ( p151 ), headto Follow the itineraryabove, but ( p186 ) Explore Morocco’s MOROCCO ••Highlights Byzantines failed toousttheRomansfrom Africa inAD40.But whereas theVandals and declared autonomyinNorth theendof Berber theRomanemperorCaligula ruly , people, but,fed upwiththepersistently un- Volubilis intoacityof 20,000(mostlyBerber) nous people‘ meaning‘barbarians’. Berbers’, western ‘Mauretania’ andtheindige- of theycalledtheexpanse Moroccoand BC, when theRomansarrived inthe4thcentury appear tohave and arrived around800BC, cousins of theancientEgyptians. Phoenicians nomadswhomay have Eastern distant been Morocco’s first-known were inhabitants Near Berbers orDieTrying:The Free Live HISTORY free todo astheypleased. invade tothe pointwhere were the Berbers harried and hassledanyarmy thatdared to unpopular Moroccansultan. that wouldlater onmanyan putthesqueeze paign of near-constant harassment–a tactic acam- Atlas ultimately through succeeded intheRifand their hometurf, Berbers around Merzouga ( p189 ). Drâa Valley ( p186 dunes ) andthesand Gorge ( p188 ), DadèsGorge ( ( to explore AïtBenhaddou p188 p186 ), the ), Todra Toubkal ( p185 ), andfourorfive days trip fromMarrakesh totrek upJebel you’re inFès.Countonathree-day round also foradetourtoMeknès ( p166 ) while In the1stcenturyAD,Romans builtup As Rome slippedintodecline, theBerbers

     LONELY INDEX PLANET      MUCH? HOW

Grilled brochette Souvenir T-shirt Bottle ofFlag 1L bottledwater 1L petrol Petit-taxi ride Museum admission Pot ofminttea Dorm bed US$1.20 US$3.40toUS$5 US$1.20 US$0.50 toUS$0.70 US$1.20 US$0.60 US$12 US$0.60 US$3.40 toUS$4.50 US$1.20

143 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO 144 0 200 km MOROCCO 0 120 miles MOROCCO S P A I N See Enlargement Algeciras Gibraltar (UK) To To Cádiz Algeciras Gibraltar (UK) Malaga Ceuta () 0 100 km Tetouan To Sète 0 60 miles Tangier (France) Ceuta (Spain) Melilla MEDITERRANEAN Asilah MEDITERRANEAN Chefchaouen (Spain) SEA ATLANTIC Tetouan A T L A N T I C Larache SEA RABAT Saidia R I F OCEAN O C E A N MOUNTAINS Chefchaouen Melilla Meknès Al-Hoceima Casablanca (Spain) El-Jadida Oujda Ouezzane Fès Kenitra Nador Volubilis Ketama Settat Salé Roman R Safi RABAT Ruins IF MOUN INS M Moulay TA I DDLE AT LAS Casablanca Idriss Meknès Taza Taourirt Essaouira Fès Beni Mellal Midelt H IGH Sefrou Guercif Marrakesh AT LA S Bouarfa Asni Er-Rachidia Aït Benhaddou Tinerhir Azrou Ifrane Taghazout Taroudannt Jebel Boudnib Agadir Boumalne Settat Khouribga Toubkal Erfoud (4167m) du Dadès Figuig Rissani Tiznit Taliouine Béchar M I D Ouarzazate Tazzarine Merzouga DLE ATLAS Sidi Ifni Tafraoute

AN Zagora Tata Ziz TI -A Tan Tan TLAS Drâa M'Hamid Plage Canary Islands Goulimime Tarfaya Oued Oued (Spain) Tan Tan GRAND ERG OCCIDENTAL

Laayoune

Smara Tindouf Bou Craa T S E R D E R A H A Tropic of Cancer SA Bir N Moghrein Ain Ben Tili ER ST Dakhla E W A L G E R I A

Reggane lonelyplanet.com To In (200km); M A U R I T A N I A Tamanrasset (600km)

M A L I Gueguarat Nouâdhibou for thePalais ( el-Badi p179 ) inMarrakesh; Fès; theSaadians(1524–1659),responsible madrassas 1465), knownfortheirexquisite mosquesand oubia ( p179 ); theMerenids (1269– (1147–1269), famousforbuildingtheKout- atMarrakesh;built theircapital theAlmohads included theAlmoravids (1062–1147),who rising andfallingIslamicdynasties,which all of Morocco. Thuscommencedacycleof atFès,dominating sid state withitscapital sparked rebellion againsttheeastern Arabs. their ownbrandof IslamicShi’ism, which truetoform,localtribesdeveloped although, tribeshadembraced , nearly allBerber the peoplesof NorthAfrica. Withinacentury, from theArabianPeninsula andoverwhelmed diers of forth theProphetMohammed set halfofIn thesecond the7thcentury,sol- Islamic Morocco lonelyplanet.com widespread of across abroad cross-section and the poor ensured remained that dissent therich the growing gapbetween standing, ing forself-determination. indigenousunsettling Sahrawipeopleagitat- theareasettling withMoroccans whilegreatly Green March intoWestern Saharain1975, withthe350,000-strong phosphate reserves staked itsclaimtothearea anditslucrative the SpanishSahara startedtoboom.Morocco the 1970s.In1973, thephosphate industryin reaucracy, in Moroccowasdeeply debt by heavy borrowingandanever-expanding bu- and suspendingparliamentforadecade. With solidated power bycrackdownsondissent the leaderof thenewnation.Hassan IIcon- heart failure in1961,KingHassan IIbecame France andSpainin1956. successfully negotiated itsindependencefrom V toreturn fromexilein1955,andMorocco and theAllies,FranceallowedMohammed Under increasing pressure fromMoroccans Royal Morocco the Istiqlal(independence)party. political channels of withthedevelopment continued tosimmerawayandmoved into crushed, tribeswasofficially but mountain zone inthenorth.OppositionfromBerber andhanding Spain atoken atRabat capital and theAlawites (1659–present). By 829,localelites anIdris- hadestablished Such grandandpatriotic flourishes notwith- When Mohammed Vdiedsuddenlyof France tookcontrolin1912,makingits (Quranicschools), especiallyin MOROCCO ••Culture your appreciation loudly. dish andfeel free toslurpyourtea and belch your lefthandfirmly outof thecommunal keepyourself trulyprivileged butremember: thefamily.Ifthishappens,consider to meet but they’re justaslikely toinvite youhome Allah’. Thepublicdomainmaybelong tomen, proverb tells thestory–‘Aguestisagiftfrom Away fromthetouristscrum,aMoroccan tomake andtheneed adirham.hospitality traditional, theliberalandconservative, an intoxicating blendof themodernand heartland.Theresult is its traditionalBerber bour; totheeastandlandsof Islam;andto to Europe,theeconomicallydominant neigh- Moroccans casttheireyeinmanydirections – CULTURE and custody. todivorce code protecting women’srights the much-anticipated Mudawanna,alegal languages insomestate schools, and Berber municipalelections,theintroductionofever Foremost are amongthese Morocco’s first- has implemented somepromisingreforms. Years, andthenewparliamentelected in2002 ing reparations to9280victimsof theBlack advancesbyaward- cement humanrights But theCommissionhasnonethelesshelped bombings. after 9/11andthe2003Casablanca spotless –repressive measures were revived stillnotexactly though and theMiddleEast, recordrights isarguably thecleanestinAfrica ‘the BlackYears’. Today,Morocco’shuman wrongs of theeraknown toMoroccansas king, Mohammedthe VIvowedtoright its breath. Inhisfirst publicstatement as Hassan IIdiedin1999andMoroccoheld Morocco Today own reign –afirst foraking. thatoccurred abuses human rights duringhis & ReconciliationCommissiontoinvestigate in 1991,whenHassan IIfoundedtheTruth activistsachieved unprecedentedrights results pressuredown, butsustained fromhuman in 1981prompted government abrutal crack- Moroccan society.Protests againstpricerises ant art of conversation. An inherently social and exuber-Moroccan pastimes – the serious ring inthe midstof perhaps thegreatest of all with sinuous Algerian rai andmobile phones caps,European dancemusiccompetesbaseball cloaks) cover Western suits,turbansjostle with In present-day Morocco, jellabas (flowing

145 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO hall facingMecca. Great examplesincludethe yard, anarcadedporticoandamain prayer rative flourishes. Amosqueconsistsof acourt- andanarrayof mosaics chiselled otherdeco- gildedaccents, detailing, with hand-carved Moroccan religious buildings are adorned Architecture &CRAFTS ARTS cated toCasablanca. andMeknèsSafi, Essaouira have largely relo- communities thatonceinhabited thehistoric ofhigh around300,000in1948.TheJewish community toapproximately 7000 froma has reduced Morocco’soncerobust Jewish as great asWesterners imagine. and thepopularityof isnot fundamentalism Muslims donotfavour such developments themajorityeconomic growth.Thatsaid, of who have enjoyednoneof thebenefitsof presence, especiallyamongtheurbanpoor ismostlydiscouragedtalism butremains a Ahl al-Kteb (People of theBook).Fundamen- and Christiansrespect groupsas these Muslim. Muslimsshare theirrootswithJews 25 years. 2.2%, thepopulationwilldoublealmostevery are under 30years). Withagrowthrate of is mainlyrural(about60%)andyoung(70% most 100%of Morocco’s population, which People descentmake of upal- Arab-Berber PEOPLE pleasure of youreyes… a carpet,very beautifulcarpet,justforthe drinktea, andperhapstion totalk…and buy decision tovisittheircountryasaninvita- mischief, love andwilltake your agoodlaugh people, Moroccanshaveof sense aheightened 146 (traditional courtyard houses; also called(traditional courtyard houses; Art Deco.ometry meets bedescribedas Islamicge-style that might European edificesinadistinctive crossroads tectural features grafted ontowhitewashed inparticular boastslocalarchi- Casablanca major Moroccan citiesare openfor visits. to non-Muslims, the WhileallbutthelatterCasablanca. are closed and thecolossal 9th-century Kairaouine Mosque( p161 ) inFès The street façade of theMoroccan riads religiousAlthough architecture dominates, Emigration toFrance,IsraelandtheUS Ninety-nine percentof Moroccansare OOC • Pol MOROCCO ••People (Jewish quarters) of Fès,Marrakesh,

Hassan IIMosque( p170 ) in madrassas thatbejewel dars) a sublime use ofa sublime use spices andfresh produce. ranean traditions, features Arabic andMediter-Influenced byBerber, FOOD & DRINK 25,000 hectares of forest are year. lostevery pearing, 10%of vertebrates are endangered and one-third of Morocco’secosystems are disap- than 0.05%of Moroccanterritory isprotected, ofthe development newnational parks,less programmes and ernment. Despite plantation sues amongmany facingtheMoroccangov- deforestation are themajor is- environmental sidered endangered. 15% of and11birdspeciesare thetotal) con- has ensured that18mammals(astaggering of inMorocco’swilderness industrialisation sprawling urbanareas andtheencroachment sure ecosystems fromever-more- uponthese ape). Unfortunately, thepres-as theBarbary macaque (also known and sociable Barbary many endemicspecies,including the iconic different ecosystems andprovide for habitat –hostmore anddesert than40 mountain Morocco’s three ecologicalzones–coast, ENVIRONMENT Rose’. for vocalsonSting’s‘Desert rap. ApopularartistisChebMami, famous incorporating elementsof jazz,hip-hopand influences onMoroccancontemporary music, originally fromAlgeria, isoneof thestrongest Gnaoua &WorldMusicFestival ( p192 ). Rai, onthethirdweekend inJuneforthe Essaouira to do. thebestinGnaoua,headto Tosample you intoatranceandthat’sjustwhatit’smeant slaves inMarrakesh maysend andEssaouira, Gnaoua music,which beganamongfreed Joyously bluesywitharhythmyoucan’trefuse, againstrestrictivein Berber traditionalroles. bold Najat Aatabou, whosingsprotest songs the all-female groupB’netMarrakech andthe thebignamesareLately women’s,namely fusion. with themonsometrulyexperimental inspired theRollingStonesandcollaborated Master Musiciansof Jajouka, whofamously folkgroupisthe The mostrenowned Berber Music traditional riads. occupybeautifullyrenovatedguesthouses Many atnight. and coolairtosettle classy topenetratethat allowslight duringtheday Pollution, desertification, overgrazingPollution, desertification, and usuallyconcealsaninnercourtyard lonelyplanet.com style cinnamon, saffron and sugar, encased inlayer andsugar,encased cinnamon, saffron includes poultry(chicken orpigeon), , herbs andspices. freshlentils, chickpeas, onions,tomatoes, make anexcellentchoice areas, incoastal while vegetables, Fishdishesalso isanotherstaple. withtender meatand served steamed semolina slowly inanearthenware dish.,fluffy dish istajine, ameatandvegetable stew cooked day inMorocco. ThemosttypicalMoroccan to bedevoured withfresh local the tries, coffee into andminttea. Followyournose roccan pancakes French anddoughnuts, pas- breakfastlocal twistonaContinental withMo- in Morocco. Sidewalkcafésandkiosksputa lonelyplanet.com imposing administrative buildings exude an brother. and Its elegant tree-lined boulevards frantic pace andgrimyfeel of itseconomic big downthecoast, butlacksthe Casablanca as isjustascosmopolitan waving Rabat Relaxed, well-kept andvery European,flag- pop 1.7million RABAT brands includeStork orFlag. find inthe waterto drinktap inMorocco. easyto Beer’s country’s greatest bargain. It’snotadvisable pecially freshly orange squeezed juice,are the fresh mintandcopioussugar. Fruitjuices,es- gunpowdertea, whisky’, ismadewithChinese and minttea, thelegendary ‘Moroccan with toasted almonds,cinnamonandcream. other variationisa aromatic tracesof orange-flower water. An- includeflakypastries richsweets with nutsand excellent French Local andMoroccansweets. or andredtomatoes onion.Ask foryourcouscous marocaine in Morocco,particularlythetraditional are lentilsand chickpeas. Saladsare ubiquitous fresh fruitandvegetables are widelyavailable, as upon layerof very finepastry. Lunch istraditionallythebiggest mealof the It wouldbeaculinarycrimetoskipbreakfast Café cultureCafé isalive andwellinMorocco concoct Moroccan patisseries For dessert, Vegetarians shouldn’t have anyproblems – souqs

pita breadpita baked inawood-fired oven). jiben isathicksoupmadefromlambstock, sans viande sansviande , where olives you’llfindtangy and (fresh goat’sorcow’smilkcheeses) villes nouvellesvilles made fromdicedgreen peppers, RABAT ••Orientation , bastilla (without meat). khoobz (newtowns)–local aspecialityof Fès, (multilayerpastry) (Moroccan- salade and ATMs alongAve MohammedV. Mohammed V; century palace containing the century palacecontaining period. Thecentrepiece isthegrand17th- laid outbytheFrench during thecolonial home tothe 18th. Thesoutherncornerof thekasbah is built inthe12thcenturyandrestored inthe its wallstheoldest ing theOuedBouRegreg within andcontains des Oudaias cheap andbootlegged DVDs.The shoes with itsrich mixture of spices,carpets,crafts, Marrakesh, itstillpiquesthesenses although dina Dating fromthe17thcentury, walled SIGHTS Net Zerrad h SOS Médecins SAMU duTourisme NationalMarocain Office Main BMCE Bookshop American INFORMATION east of thecentre. around PlAbraham LincolnandAve deFès many hotels, whilemostembassiescluster palm-lined Ave Mohammed V–ishometo Salé. Thecity’smainthoroughfare –thewide, and that separates thetwincitiesof Rabat dina wallstotheOuedBouRegreg, theriver Ville Nouvelle andfollowsthelineof theme- Ave Hassan IIdividesthemedinafrom ORIENTATION fore the project wascompleted. Abandoned at in theIslamic world, buthe diedbe- highest enormous , intending to make itthe Yacoub al-Mansour beganconstructing an ().In1195, theAlmohad sultan mostfamous landmark, Rabat’s 9am-noon&3-5pmOct-Apr) May-Sep, ( that manytravellers growtolike. unhurried, diplomaticandhassle-free charm % 3-6.30pm Mon-Fri) 3-6.30pm Mon-Fri) Agdal; &RueZalaka, El Makhazine Boujaad) Omar, Agdal; perhrUS$0.90; % Towering above theOuedBou Regreg is 24hr) Doctors oncall. 24hr) Doctors 037 673756;[email protected]; cnrRueOued 037 731537;admissionUS$1.20; isn’tapatch onthemedinasof Fèsor

post office ( (Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extèrieur; Ave duCommerceExtèrieur; (Banque Marocaine % 037 737373) Private ambulanceservice. 037 737373)Private ( sits high up on the bluff overlook- uponthebluff sitshigh % h ( Andalusian Gardens % 037 686723;68Blvdal-AmirFal Ould (cnr Rue Soékarno & Ave Mohammed V) &Ave (cnrRueSoékarno MohammedV) 8am-8pm Mon-Fri) BMCEhasbanks 8am-8pm Mon-Fri) 037 202020;housecallUS$35; (cnrRuesMoulayAbdelhafid& mosque h in Rabat, which was inRabat, 8am-midnight) h h .

Musée desOudaia Musée ( 8.30am-noon & h 9am-noon &3-6pm LeTourHassan sunrise-sunset) (ONMT; 147 me-

,

MOROCCO MOROCCO ὄὄ

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Ave Sidi Mohammed Blvd al-Alou 0

Hassan

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Rue Oqbah Ave Kasbah

M Rue Jamaa

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ohammed Zerktouni des Rue

21

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Japanese Embassy Blvd ad-Douster

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Ave Had

ibn Toumerte Rue Soékarno Rue MECHOUAR Train Station 36 NOUVELLE

Rabat Ville Ave Moulay Hassan Moulay Ave 37 Bab al- VILLE Alou ὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇ 14 33 5 6

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Bou Haja Ave de Fès de Ave Bab Mosquée (100m); Medersa (200m) Bab Khebaz To Grande Place 24 23 Covered Restaurant el-Bahia...... Restaurant Dinarjat...... Restaurant delaLibération...... Le Ziryab...... Café Maure...... Oudaya...... Hôtel Yasmine...... Hôtel Splendid...... Hôtel Royal...... Hôtel Dorhmi...... Hôtel Balima...... Souq el-Merzouk...... Souq el-Ghezel...... Musée desOudaia...... Mosque...... Mausoleum ofMohammedV...... Le TourHassan...... (see20) Zerrad Net...... US Embassy...... Tunisian Embassy...... Spanish Embassy...... (see12) Spanish Consulate...... Tourisme(ONMT)...... Office NationalMarocaindu Main PostOffice...... Italian Embassy...... German Embassy...... French Embassy...... French Consulate-General...... French Consulate...... Canadian Embassy...... British Embassy...... BMCI (ATM)...... BMCE (ATM)...... BMCE (ATM)...... Belgian Embassy...... American Bookshop...... Algerian Embassy...... INFORMATION Rowboats toSalé...... Rowboats toRabat...... Petit-Taxi Stand...... Petit TaxiStand...... Local BustoRabat...... Grands Taxisto Salé...... Grands TaxistoRabat...... Grands TaxistoRabat...... Bus Stand(Nos16&28)...... Bus 3toAgdal...... Bus 17&30toCTMStation...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES

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Hassan II Hassan II Hassan Place 42 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 Station 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Train Some MinorRoads A5 D3 D2 D2 E2 B2 D2 E3 D3 D3 D2 D3 G1 G1 A2 A1 F3 A6 E5 E4 E4 D3 F4 D3 B4 D4 B3 B6 F3 D3 D3 D3 E5 E4 E2 E2 G2 D3 G2 E3 F1 G2 D4 D4 C2 E4 Not Shown To Airport(12km); Meknès (140km); Fès (200km) 800 m To Oulja 0.5 miles (2km)

149

4 6 1 3 2 5 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO comfortable. are more mundane, buttheyare tasteful and of thiseleganthotel are allmarble floors, with localbusiness travellers, thepublicareas on traditionalMoroccanstyleand popular s/dUS$40/53; &Mekka; Marinyne Zankat overlooking the parkorstreet. hasabalcony sparkling newbathrooms.Each withpolished-woodfurniturefortable and courtyard. washbasin. aroundapleasant Thehotel isset roomswithoutthemhaveeven ahot-water wooden furniture. are Bathrooms newand big windows,cheerful colours andsimple ceilings, roomswithhigh has spaciousbright US$21/18) with/without bathroomUS$15/12,d surround acentralcourtyard. The simpleroomsare andtidy bright run hotel isthebestof themedinaoptions. very friendlyandkeenly priced,thisfamily- US$9/14, hotshowersUS$1.20) Dorhmi Hôtel SLEEPING ditional )fromfloortoceiling. patternedofby anintensely mosaic grandfather are laidtorest here, surrounded present king’sfather(thelate Hassan II)and Moroccan style,liesopposite thetower. The (admission free; the adjacentmosque. towerstilllordsovercarved theremains of 44m, thebeautifullydesignedandintricately 150 blend of Moroccan styleand Western com- are beautifully decorated with awonderful is arealguesthouse hidden gem. Therooms an alleyway inthemedina, thisgorgeous Rue SidiFateh; r/ste US$153/187) shady terrace facingAve Mohammed V. decent restaurant, andaglorious anightclub warp furniture andfabrics.Thehotel hasa room orbeprepared toputupwiththetime- are slowly beingrenovated. Ask foranewer better daysbuttheroomsherehotels hasseen hammed V;s/dUS$47/61) renovated roomsattheRoyalare very com- Rue Jeddah Ammane;s/dUS$40/45; Rue Jeddah Riad Oudaya Riad Balima Hôtel Splendid Hôtel Hôtel YasmineHôtel Royal Hôtel The coolmarble andleatherfurniture. Thebedrooms AA • Sepn RABAT ••Sleeping Right intheheartof Right town,thishotel h

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% 037 721171;[email protected]; 1 037 702392; www.riadoudaya.com; 46 037 702392;www.riadoudaya.com; ( 037 707755;fax707450;Ave Mo- % The grand dame of Rabat Thegranddameof Rabat Mausoleum of MohammedV Mausoleum 037 722018;fax722100;cnr 037 723283;8RueGhazza;s Immaculately kept, Tucked away down , builtintraditional p ) Thetastefully p zellij ) Strong (tra- bus station depart andarrive, andthe lesschaotic tion the hastwobus stations: Rabat Bus THERE&AWAY GETTING cards, andarelaxed venue forwomen. place towhileaway sometimewritingpost- biscuits delivered onsilver trays.It’saneasy the thinghere, accompaniedbylittlealmond near theAndalusian Gardens.Minttea is to Saléfromthischilled littleopen-aircafé back, relax andjustgazeoutover theestuary menu. Bookinadvance. with localspecialitiessuch as carpets. ThefoodistraditionalMoroccan and bellydancers sashaying acrossthelush fanciful withAndalucian-stylepalace décor attheheartofhouse themedina. It’swildly roccan restaurant ina17th-century isset locals andvisitors alike, thistraditionalMo- mains aroundUS$17,bottlewineUS$9) and fish. on tajine, couscous, the excellentmenuof interesting variations ish contemporary designisalsoreflected in The blendof old-worldcharacter andstyl- magnificent buildingjustoff RuedesConsuls. US$10-16) upstairs inthetraditionalsalon. pavement terrace, intheshadedcourtyardor up heartyMoroccanfare. tositinthe Choose laid-back restaurant hasthelocalslapping an excellentspotforpeople-watching, this Built intotheoutsideof themedinawallsand ered totheeager masses. day whengiantplatters are of thestuff deliv- in traditionalfavourites. Fridayiscouscous cloths), thisbasicrestaurant asteady line does (it’sgotplasticmenusandtable- this road US$3.50) delaLibération Restaurant EATING &DRINKING peal. Meals here are sublime. courtyard belowcomplete theromanticap- the gentle gurgling of inthetiled thefountain openfires,fort. Subtlelighting, balconiesand mains US$4.50-8; classy thanthestringof othereateries along Café Maure Café Dinarjat Restaurant Le Ziryab Restaurant el-Bahia Restaurant

(gare routière; Cheap, cheerful andmarginally more This chic Moroccanrestaurant isina (

% Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( %

(Kasbah desOudaias; (Kasbah h 037 281488). % 037 733636; 10 Zankat Ennajar;mains 037 733636;10Zankat 6am-midnight, to10.30pminwinter) 037 795816)

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pastilla % ( %

(256 Ave MohammedV;mains 037 724239;6RueBelgnaoui; Both are 037 734504;Ave HassanII; ,

where most buses andgrilledmeat Afavourite with h pastilla 9am-5.30pm) mainbus sta-

about 5km onthe CTM Sit

Fès (US$6.50),Meknès (US$4.50)andSalé 7 Other city busstation. blanca (US$3)fromjustoutsidetheinter- 3 Grands taxis Taxis 3½ 8 each oneclearlymarked bydestination. 3 The main 6.50 3 1 1½ 4-5 Tetouan 9 5 Tangier 5 9 4½ 1.70 12 Marrakesh Daily 3.80 Fès Essaouira Duration Casablanca Fare (US$) Destination (hr) CTMCasablanca. hasthefollowingservices: southwest of thecitycentre on theroadto services lonelyplanet.com Shajara; tonon-Muslims, butthe it’sclosed ash- is 500m further northwest along RueRas The Khebaz. opens onto PlBab Bou Haja, onthe southwestern wall, which Themain entrancetothe Rabat. Regreg estuary. backwater onthefarside of theOued Bou Salé isawalledcity andstronglytraditional A few hundred metres andhalfaworldaway, pop 400,000 SALÉ AROUND RABAT will costabout US$1.20. and quick.Aridearoundthecentre of town blue Rabat’s AROUND GETTING daily). eight daily) andMarrakesh (US$12,4½hours, 2½ hours), Tangier (US$10,4½ hours, seven 3½ hours, daily)viaMeknès eight (US$6.40, alsorundailytoFès(US$8, ond-class services (US$3.40).Sec- trainstations to Casa-Port 30minutes 6amand10.30pm every between in thecentre of town.Fromhere trainsrun trainstation Ville Rabat Train the Hôtel Bouregreg. Ave(US$0.40) fromalotoff Hassan IIbehind Salé is best seen on a half-day tripfrom onahalf-day Salé isbestseen gare routière AROUNDRABAT ••Salé petits taxis (shared leave taxis) forCasa-

has13ticket windows, ( grands taxis % are plentiful,cheap 037 736060) Grande Mosquée medina leave for is right is right is Bab isBab

the railwaybridge. 16 (US$0.40)andget after off passingunder ries, the is openasamuseum. cracked downonTangier’s legendary hustlers, itall. up languidlyata bar, having seen Today, Tangier isanageing libertine propped the portviadubiousinternational council. riage Western between powers whocontrolled 20th century,itwashometoashotgun mar- than anyonecares toremember. Forhalfthe Morocco’s facetotheworldformore years More thananyothercity, Tangier hasbeen pop 650,000 TANGIER Morocco’s mostenchanting city. town of Chefchaouen. Furtherinland,Fèsis ofcapital Tetouan, andthesuperblyrelaxing enclaves andMelilla, of Ceuta theoldcolonial hustleofcosmopolitan Tangier, theSpanish coastline concealsattractionsasdiverse asthe ranean, northernMorocco’swildlybeautiful andthecrashing wavestains of theMediter- Bounded bythered cragsof theRifMoun- COAST &THERIF THE MEDITERRANEAN h Salé, the just belowthe person) thatcrosstheOuedBouRegreg from to take oneof thesmallrowboats(US$0.10per textiles, basketwork andjewelleryare sold. interesting stop.Inthenearby madrassa northeast of thecity, whilethe Ville Nouvelle Tangier’s small medina climbsup thehill tothe Orientation the cultural vibeisinfamous. and is vibrant,thepopulation iscosmopolitan you’ll finditalikable, lively place. Thenightlife take itheadonandlearnto handlethehustlers, but thecityisnot altogether hasslefree. Ifyou of sizeandcolour. every duced andsoldhere, includingtajine hunter. Ahugeof selection ceramicsispro- Shaded bytrees andunchanged forcentu- In thevillage of Oulja,3kmsoutheastof The The mostatmosphericwaytoreach Saléis sunrise-sunset) sunrise-sunset) brigade touristique brigade (admission US$1.20; Souq el-Ghezel Complexe dePotiers Complexe mellah is atopspotforthesouvenir . Alternatively, take (WoolMarket), isan h (touristpolice)has 9am-noon &2.30-6pm)

(Potters’ Cooperative; Souq el-Merzouk

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MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO h 4-7pm Sat&Sun) Pasteur; Pharmacy ElYousr Pharmacy postoffice Main service Emergency duTourisme Délégation Régionale Adam Cyber Café BMCE Information provides thetwo. thelinkbetween Socco (officially namedPldu9Avril 1947) The large centralsquare knownastheGrand surrounds ittothewest,southandsoutheast. 152 noon & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri) noon &2.30-6.30pmMon-Fri) 948050; fax039948661;29BlvdPasteur; Stadium Boukhalef Airport(15km) Cap Spartel(14km); Consulate (150m); To Spanish 4 1 3 2 TANGIER Hafa (500m) Place de 9.30am-3.30am) Koweit To Café H EIERNA OS H I • Tnir COAST &THERIF••TangierTHE MEDITERRANEAN (Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extérieur; Blvd duCommerceExtérieur; (Banque Marocaine h To Asilah (88km);

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17 www.legation.org; 8 Rue d’Amerique; admissionfree, donations www.legation.org; 8Rued’Amerique; the style leaving, take astrollaroundtheAndalucian- museum afternoon) 12.30pm &3-5.30pmWed-Mon,closedFri el-Makhzen southeastern gate, tofindthe 17th-century el-Aassa,medina, youenter Bab through the behind stoutwalls.Approaching fromthe The Sights &Activities Dahabi) 946976; 6Rueal-Mansour CrossClinic Red former sultan’s palaceandnowaworthwhile former sultan’s Moussa Pasteur Blvd 10 1

Rue Allal el-Ayoubi In thesouthwestcornerof themedina, 7 Rue du Portugal Old American Legation Museum Legation Museum Old American 4 kasbah kasbah 20 Sultan’s Gardens

ben- 27

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11 32 devoted to Moroccan arts. Before to Moroccanarts.Before devoted 26 21 (

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% Ὀ Ὀ 13 d'Espagne Ave 29

(Clinique duCroissantRouge; 039 932097;admissionUS$1.20; Lafayette

Port Gate Rue Rue 6 . 33

Blvd 18 Tangier Morora TrainStation 2

Main BusStation (1km);

To GrandsTaxis (1km); (3km); Tetouan (57km)

Port Mohammed V Mohammed Rue al-Antaki Rue ὄὄ ὄὄ lonelyplanet.com

30 Ave des FAR des Ave ( % 31 Nations Place 039 935317; des %

h Ave Youssef ben Tachfine ben Youssef Ave 039 , the 9am- Dar ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ

of Tangier from1890to1960. collection of photographs, posters andprints noon-3pm &6-11pm) out HIcardUS$3.40/4.50,hotshowersUS$0.60; Youth Hostel BUDGET Sleeping h admission free, donationsappreciated; .ma; 44RueTouahine; de laFondationLorin Tangier.through international writers andartistswhopassed fascinating collectionof memorabiliafromthe triguing relic of theinternational zone,witha appreciated; Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com

Beach Rue Ibnou Katir Ibnou Rue Housed inaformersynagogue,the Housed 11am-1pm &3.30-7.30pmSun-Fri) Tangier

Ave Louis van Beethoven 14 Bay of 0.3miles 500m 0 0 h

E ( % SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Trasmediterránea Ticket Office...... (see 32) Royal AirMaroc...... Local Busesfor TrainStation...... Limadet Boat Ticket Office...... Ferry Terminal...... Ferry Company TicketOffices...... CTM BusStation...... British Airways...... Regine's...... Morocco Palace...... Caid's Bar...... (see 24) Restaurant PopulaireSaveur...... Marhaba Palace...... Hamadi...... Casa deEspaña...... Café Andalus...... Agadir...... Youth Hostel...... Riad Tanja...... Pension Hollanda...... Hôtel Solazur...... Hôtel Schéhérazade...... Hôtel Rembrandt...... Hôtel Dawliz...... Hôtel Continental...... Old AmericanLegationMuseum..... Musée delaFondationLorin...... Dar el-Makhzen...... Red CrossClinic...... Main PostOffice...... French Consulate...... (ONMT)...... Cyber CaféAdam...... British Consulate...... BMCE...... Belgian Consulate...... (see2) etuate-hra...... B3 Restaurant el-Khorsan...... Délégation RégionaleduTourisme TRANSPORT ENTERTAINMENT DRINKING EATING SLEEPING 10am-1pm &3-5pmMon-Fri) 039 946127; 8 Rue al-Antaki; dmwith/with- 039 946127;8Rueal-Antaki; Justoff Ave d’Espagneand ( % 039 930306;[email protected] isanengaging F THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST &THERIF••Tangier THEMEDITERRANEAN isanin- h 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 B3 B1 B2 C3 C2 B3 D3 C2 B3 A2 E4 C3 B3 C1 C2 C2 B1 C4 C4 B3 C3 C3 D4 C3 B3 C3 C3 D1 D1 C2 B3 C4 C3 8-10am, Musée Musée 4 1 3 2 places onthisstretch of road, theSchéhéra- traditional riadinavery stylish mix. Rooms dina, the Tanja combines modernSpainwith ing décor. Roomshave theexpected facilities alongwaytomakegoes upfortheunexcit- of of the medinaandtheBay Tangier –which offers four-star views comfortsandunbeatable de Hollande;s/dUS$80/103; rooms facingtheoceanare fantastic. Viewsfromthe stairwell. cool, trompel’oeil ard four-star amenitiesandthelobbyhasa able ifnondescriptroomswithall the stand- FAR; s/dUS$73/88; andtelephone. with satellite TV are andcomecomplete plain butcomfortable, zade probablyoffers views.Rooms thebestsea Ave desFAR; s/dUS$61/70; green gardencaféisatranquilspottorelax. ‘marble’ bathroomsstrikinganoddnote. The andmodern,withonlytheplastic comfortable the heartof theVilleNouvelle. Roomsare .ma; BlvdMohammedV;s/dUS$48/64; Rembrandt Hôtel MIDRANGE &TOPEND Sky a Paul Bowlesnovel (scenes of for viewsandimaginingyou’re a character in with bathroomsandTV. The terrace isgreat charming eccentricity,roomsare well-sized, theportwitha in themedina. Overlooking Hôtel isthepickof Continental thebunch Something of aTangerine institution,the .net.ma; 36RueDarel-Baroud;s/dinclbreakfast US$35/45) bles comewithashower. clean whitewashed rooms,allwithsinks;dou- friendly street ashortwalkfromPldeFrance,this lande; s/dUS$12/17; hostels butabittired. go–cleanenough youth hostel isfairvalueasMoroccanyouth toanareaclose withplentyof bars, Tangier’s with myriadpaintings andprints that speak are extremely and decorated comfortable, rUS$90-115; Américain; season. drop byupto20% outsidehigh shops,restaurantsseveral andanATM. Prices (the fridge isanicetouch), whilethehotel has Rembrandt isareliable midrange choice in Hôtel Dawliz Hôtel Solazur Hôtel Schéhérazade Hôtel Continental Hôtel Pension Hollanda Riad TanjaRiad were filmedhere). pension ( % ( a % ( % p ( 039 333538; Rue du Portugal, Escalier 039 333538;RueduPortugal, (guesthouse) hassparkling (guesthouse) % ) 039 333337;www.ledawliz.com;42Rue The Solazuroffers comfort- a 039 940164;fax945286;Ave des ( ( % ) %

039 937870;rembrandt@menara ( Tucked awayinaquiet s pas % ) On theedge of theme- 039 931024;hcontinental@iam 039 937838;139RuedeHol- ) 039 940803;fax940801; Of allthemidrange pas ) The Sheltering The Sheltering Thiscomplex ) The 153

MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO side themedinawalls.Thesurroundingsare Escalier Waller; setmenuUS$17; specials such aslambwithsummerfruits. classic Spanish dishes, withsomewonderful up they come. Snappilydressed waiters serve the occasionaltourist,thisjointis as lively as with Spanishexpats,localbusinessmen and Ouatania; mainsfromUS$7,lunchsetmenuUS$7) abovea level theusual fare. of fresh herbs raisingthesucculenttajines to Meals are goodandhearty,withthe free use ground give thisplaceahintof French bistro. red wineandGallic crooningintheback- unassuming, butthecheckoughly tablecloths, US$3.50-4.50, setmenuUS$5.50) Agadir VILLE NOUVELLE cooked andpresented. pattern,tajine allwell orcouscousplusdessert mealsfollowtheclassicsoup,salad, meal. Set mains fromUS$14) Moroccan meal(the sumptuous, andlive musicaccompaniesyour US$4.50-7) worse forit. soup. Definitely notapalace,butnonethe plates of fish andbrochettes andbowlsof is atinyplace,dishingoutcheap andtasty US$3) Andalus Café MEDINA Eating views over thestraitstoSpain. over thecitywhileterrace offers grand of Tangier’s artisticheritage. Someroomslook 154 could imagine –quaint decoration and rough- menus. It’sasrustic asyou excellent, filling set down the steps from RuedelaLiberté serves tractive andwelcominglittle fish restaurant ence isworthit. and youshoulddress smart,but theambi- dancing later It’snotcheap intheevening. playing of live musicians, andoften traditional well-presented Moroccanclassicstothe soft Tangier’s classier restaurants, thisplace serves mainsaroundUS$15) Hotel, 85RuedelaLiberté; folklore showsthrownintothecostof your decorated intraditionalstyle,andmusic Restaurant Populaire Saveur Populaire Restaurant el-Khorsan Restaurant deEspaña Casa Palace Marhaba Hamadi Very much alocal’splace,theAndalus H EIERNA OS H I • Tnir COAST &THERIF••TangierTHE MEDITERRANEAN ( % A traditionallystyledplacejustout- ( 068 827696;21Ave mains Héritier; duPrince % (7 RueduCommerce;saladUS$0.60,mainsfrom 039 934514; 2 Rue de la Kasbah; mains 039 934514;2RuedelaKasbah; This garden house islovinglyThis gardenhouse ( % ( % 039 947359;11Rueel-Jebha el- pastilla 039 937927; Rue de la Kasbah; 039 937927;RuedelaKasbah; ( % Theinterior isthor- h 039 935885; El-Minzah 039 935885;El-Minzah isgood).

Sat-Thu) ( % 039 336326;2 Thisat- Buzzing Oneof summer whencover charges are typically bia) bus station Cheaper bus companiesoperate fromthe Tetouan 1.70 10 Rabat 9 Meknès 1 20 Marrakesh 1 4½ Fès 11 5 10 Daily Chefchaouen 4 3 Duration 1 Casablanca 14 3 1 4 1.80 Asilah Fare 6 6 4 (US$) 1 Destination 4 4 port gate, offers thefollowingdepartures: The (hr) BUS &Away There Getting traditional décorandmostlyArabic pop. terpretation of experience,with thenightclub lah; services and house, spin abitof fromraitoEuropop everything lar withtrendy youngTangerines, where DJs Dahabi; bar price. US$12, withdrinksthree timesthe normal Women are more thanwelcome. mous who’ve preceded youadornthewalls. Tangier, andphotosof thefamousandinfa- classy relic of thegranddayof international ment’s drinkingholeof choice, thisbarisa US$2.50; backgammon. Come here toenjoytheviewandagameof lingers amongthelocalswhohangouthere. came tosmoke hashish,theindolentairstill where Paul BowlesandtheRollingStones a shadyterrace overlooking thestraitsand Hafa Café &Entertainment Drinking whole experience. Notjustameal, a fruitjuicecocktail. house couscous),allwasheddownwiththe (sweet of istypicallysticky grilledfish. Dessert withsteamingthough, fish soup,andplenty hewn woodencutlery.Thefoodisdelicious Tangier’s clubbingscenepeaksinthe Bar Caid’s Good placesinclude , about 2kmsouth of thecity centre. h CTM busstation CTM h 9pam-4am Mon-Sat) h 11.30pm-3am Mon-Sat) (Ave MohammedTazi;

(gare routière; 10am-midnight) Morocco Palace (El-Minzah, 85 Rue de la Liberté; winefrom 85RuedelaLiberté; (El-Minzah, ( % % , apurely Moroccan in- Longtheestablish- Regine’s Regine’s 039 931172) 039 946928; PlJamia el-Ara- (Rue du Prince MoulayAbdal- (Rue duPrince , alarge clubpopu- h lonelyplanet.com 10am-8pm) (8 Rue al-Mansour (8 Rueal-Mansour , besidethe With main

Distinguishable bytheirultramarinecolour Around Getting US$31/28, withoutcouchette US$24/16). allthewaytoMarrakeshgoes (1st-/2nd-class (withcouchettes) hours); service andanight Meknès (US$9,fourhours) toFès(US$11,five travels via (US$13, 5½hours); amiddayservice gotoCasa-Voyageursservice inCasablanca the centre. Onemorningandoneafternoon 3kmsoutheastofthe swishnewtrainstation Four trainsdepartdailyfromTangier Ville, TRAIN one hour). Fnideq(US$3.40, 30 minutes) and,forCeuta, ouan (US$3.40,onehour),Asilah (US$1.80, tion. Themostcommondestinationsare Tet- Tangier fromalotnexttothemainbussta- You canhail TAXI lonelyplanet.com interest are onthe narrow spitof land linking Most of the hotels, restaurants andoffices of & Information Orientation mix. Iberia n-African origin, givingtheenclave afascinating Berber ter andathirdof the populationare of Rif aquar-is stillrecognisably African.Between other sideof theborder. Nonetheless, Ceuta mosphere provides asharpcontrastto the centre withbars, cafésand Andalucianat- clave since1640.Itsrelaxed, well-kept city aSpanish en- 20-sq-km peninsulahasbeen Jutting outeastinto the Mediterranean, this pop 75,000 CEUTA (SEBTA) EuropefromAfrica.separated dwelling placeforHercules when hemightily Mirage caves hotel. Mythically, these were the the south. Five kilometres alonghere youreach lovely beach Spartel, the Cap rica’s AtlanticCoast.Below Spartel Cap Just 14kmwestof Tangier liesthedramatic AROUND TANGIER c oloured 15km southeastof the city,take acream- From night. US$0.80 toUS$1.20;fares are at 50%higher taxis with ayellowstripedowntheside, Grottes d’Hercule Grottes do standard journeysaroundtownfor do standard grand taxi , thenorthwestern extremity of Af- THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST &THERIF••AroundTangier THEMEDITERRANEAN Boukhalef Airport Airport Boukhalef Plage Robinson grands taxis

(admission US$1.20) intothecentre (US$8). toplacesoutside stretches tothe ( % , next to Le , nexttoLe 039 393720) petits , US$3.20; Very andefficient,withgoodmapsbrochures. friendly ish; Avenida CañoneroDato; Muelle h Ulises is nevertheless a fine,well-appointedUlises ing one short of itsfour-star aspirations, the .com; 15Paseo s/dUS$51/72; de Revellín; showers. and cleanthere are piping-hotcommunal Marilyn pictures. Monroe Theroomsare fresh ted plants,shiny tilefloors andasurfeit of located above ashopping arcade, withpot- Pensión LaBohemia Sleeping beginning of theSpanish CivilWar. rolein Franco’sarmyatthe played apivotal upin1920and an armyunitthatwasset 6pm Sat&Sun) donations appreciated; de laLegión P periodinthe16thcentury. ortuguese Foso deSanFelipe h ( and monuments. in EnglishandSpanish outsidekey buildings menta historyismarked bythe Ceuta’s Sights office Tourist postoffice Main Cyber Ceuta theeuro.and uses isonSpanishtime Also remember thatCeuta % Avenida Martinez Catena. The borderis2kmtothesouthalong terminal are ashortwalktothenorthwest. dominates thecitycentre. Theportandferry foritsgiantcathedral, Africa, unmistakable the peninsulatomainland.ThePlazade budget bracket. discountscantipitinto the and low-season bathroom andfridge. It’s centrallylocated, smallbutspotless rooms;allcomewith bright, hostel hasacosycharmvalue two-star with lín; rUS$38) Calle Camoens; s/dinclbreakfast US$67/106; % Hostal Central Hostal Central The impressive remnants of the The most intriguing museum isthe The mostintriguingmuseum fromoutside Spain,dial To phoneCeuta Ulises Gran Hotel Ulises Gran Hotel 0034 before thenine-digitphonenumber. 8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-2pmSat) 8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm &5-8pm) 956 511770;Avenida GonzálezTablas; admissionfree; , a series of, aseries excellentinformationboards h Acharming andspotlesslittleplace 11am-2pm &5-10pmMon-Sat,5-11pmSun) ( % , dedicated to the Spanish Legion, , dedicated totheSpanishLegion, ( % ( % 606 733566;Paseo deColón;admissionfree, (correos ytelégrafos;PlazadeEspaña; 956 512303;Paseo Colón;perhr ( 956 501401;www.ceuta.es inSpan- h % remain fromtheHispano- ( ( % % 10am-1.30pm & 4-6pm Mon-Fri, 4- 10am-1.30pm &4-6pmMon-Fri, andthewalled 956 516716;www.hostalesceuta 956 510615;16Paseo deRevel- 956 514540; fax956514546;5 h a 9am-3pm Mon-Fri) 9am-3pm Mon-Fri) as ) Thisgood- Ruta Monu- city walls moat of Museo Museo )

Fall-

155 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO Tangier, take a tures toTetouan (US$3.40,40minutes). For next toMoroccanbordercontrolhas depar- stitución (US$0.80).Thelarge 10minutesder) every fromPlazadelaCon- Bus 7runsuptotheMoroccan &Away There Getting chicken/fish andchips variety. a great valuethree-course menuof set the infishtime. dishes,but alsodoes Itspecialises friendly restaurant isoften crowdedatlunch US$13-15, setmenuUS$10; menu) isapopularchoice. three-course location overlooking theyacht harbour. The from US$9) dishes. Spanish andsimpleItalian this restaurant hasagoodrange of seafood, Small, friendlyandpopularwiththelocals, Sánchez Prados;mainsUS$6.50-13; toburgerItalian places. restaurants,if notoutstanding rangingfrom yacht harbourishometoanumberof reliable lado Marinero Village) besidethe (Seamen’s In additiontotheplaceslisted here, thePab- Eating comfortable. Foso deSanFelipe. Roomsare spaciousand cupy converted munitionsstores liningthe a 1970screation, someroomsoc- although four-star hotel onthemainsquare. Itismostly nas parador.es; s/dfromUS$83/115; 15 PlazadeAfrica; lobby gives thewholeplacealift. andtherecentlyviews of thesea, refurbished Roomswithbalconieshaveplace tostay. 156 Hispano-Moorish atmosphere. The neatme- Spanish Protectorate, bequeathing itaunique offrom 1912 to1956,itwas thecapital the Morocco.Rif, oreven Formore than 40years, Tetouan isquite unlike anywhere inthe else pop 320,000 TETOUAN (p195). Algeciras to ferries from here there are dailyhigh-speed several Cañonero Dato) 10 minutes), justsouthof theborder. The La Marina Club Nautico LaMuralla Parador Hotel La Tasca delPedro H EIERNA OS H I • Ttun COAST &THERIF••TetouanTHE MEDITERRANEAN ferry terminal ferry terminal Thissimplefish restaurant hasanice ) Ceuta’s topaddress isthisgrand Ceuta’s iswestof thetown centre and ( % menú deldiá ( grand taxi % 956 514007;1Alférez Bayton;mains 956 514440; Calle Edrisis; setmenu 956 514440;CalleEdrisis; ( % (estación marítima; Calle Muelle (estación marítima;Calle Muelle h 956 510473;3Avenida Alcalde Mon-Sat) to Fnideq(US$0.60, ( % (daily set lunch (dailyset h 956 514940;ceuta@ grand-taxi frontera Thissmart, closed Mon-Sat) (bor- lot p per hrUS$1; the townwall. are andthe shared simple but comfortable, Victoria gives guestsa warmwelcome. Rooms V; s/d/trUS$6/9/14) maids rule thehotel with arodof iron. your bestbehaviour – feisty though chamber- on with showers point.Be isalsoabigselling balconies.Thatroomscome wrought-iron cheapie hassurprisinglybigrooms,many with US$6/8) Bilbao Hotel Sleeping crafts atthe est gate, children learn traditionalartsand 6.30pm Mon-Fri) Ethnographique; admissionUS$1.20; end of themedina, Tetouan’s grandmain square. Attheopposite main gate, er-Rouah, Bab ontoPlHassan II, are themostimpressive) its opensthrough of which the medina The bustlingUnescoWorldHeritage–listed Sights Studios Remote Post office duTourisme Délégation Régionale h ExchangeOffice BMCE Foreign the hillsideanddownintovalley. From acompactcentre thetownsprawlsalong flanked onthenorthsidebyRoyalPalace. thegrandPlaceHassanthe medinaisoff II, Theentranceto cafés, andthebusstation. hotels, banks,mostof therestaurants and Place Hassan II.Aroundhere you’llfindthe Mohammed V,which runswesttothevast el-Mehdi andthepedestrianstretch of Ave The VilleNouvelle iscentred onPlace Moulay &Information Orientation Rif Mountains. backdropofwindows andaspectacular the with itswhitewashed shuttered buildings,high hard againstthemodernSpanishpartof town, dina –aUnescoWorldHeritage site –sits 3-6.30pm Fri) 3-6.30pm Fri) h % sion US$1.20; Hotel Victoria Victoria Hotel Opposite el-Okla,themedina’sold- Bab 10am-2pm &4-8pm) 8.30am-noon &2.30-6.30pmMon-Thu, 8.30-11am& 039 961915;fax961914;30Ave MohammedV; VirtuallyonPl al-Jala, thisreliable (which ishometosome40mosques, h (Pl Moulay el-Mehdi) (Pl Moulayel-Mehdi) h Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( artisanal school artisanal is housed insidethe bastionin ishoused % 24hr) Internetaccess. Grande Mosquée 8am-noon &2.30-5.30pmMon-Thu &Sat). ( Smallbut nicelyformed, the % 039 964114;7Ave MohammedV;s/d ( % 039 711172;13Ave MohammedV; 039 965015; 23Ave Mohammed Musée Marocaine Marocaine Musée h ( % (Pl Moulay el-Mehdi; (Pl Moulayel-Mehdi; and 9.30am-noon &3.30- 039 972721;admis- (ONMT; Saidi Mosque (Musée (Musée

aoaa it (blw) i popular. is (below), Vista Panorama The1st-floorMountains. café,SalondeThé and thebesthave dramaticviewsover theRif lives uptoitsname. Roomsare immaculate, class inthecentre of Tetouan thatmore than from US$4.50; andahandfulofsalad chips. Great value. flowing withvariousfillings,toppedout until breakfast. Baguettes are toover- stuffed for lunch notbehungryagain andyou might US$2; Snack Yousfi Eating na 964969; RueMoulayAbbas;s/dinclbreakfast fromUS$27/36; ahead atbusytimesof year. just aclutch of rooms,soconsiderbooking bathrooms scrubbedspotlesslyclean.Ithas lonelyplanet.com (US$16, 11hours). to Meknès (US$7, five hours) andMarrakesh daily). There are dailynon-CTM departures and Chefchaouen (US$2.30, 1½hours, three (US$9,four tofive hours);two daily) viaRabat hours, (US$12,sixtoseven daily); Casablanca toTangierhas buses (US$1.70, onehour, &RueMoulayAbbas). Sidi Mandri departfromthe All buses &Away There Getting their attention. tograb to dothesame hard, andyou’llneed views over Waiters the RifMountains. work trendiest café,thishotel caféhasquite glorious 964969; HôtelPanorama Vista, Ave MoulayAbbas) couscous andtajines. four-course brochettes, meal–soup,salad, music accompaniestheclassically Moroccan Live petals. folk gurgling androse fountains sumptuous: plushcarpets, palace issuitably are The essential. tour groups,soreservations restaurant inTetouan ispopularwith Spanish setmenuUS$12; Kebir; charge tothebill. 10% service takes advantage of byautomaticallyaddinga it’s alwaysbusy–somethingthemanagement alcohol, coast. As theonlyrestaurant serving is areminder of thetown’sproximity tothe onthemenu abundance of fishandseafood courtyard of thischarming restaurant. The ouan’s topdiningspotisthevine-covered Restaurant Restinga Restinga Restaurant Panorama Vista Hôtel Salon de Thé Panorama Vista Panorama Vista Salon deThé Palace Bouhlal Restaurant h ) This three-star hotel isarare pieceof until midnight) h (Rue YouseffbenTachfine; sandwichesfrom THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST &THERIF••Chefchaouen THEMEDITERRANEAN noon-2.30pm &7-9.30pm) h Fill up on a sandwich hereFill uponasandwich 10am-4pm) (21 Ave MohammedV;fishdishes ( % ( % ( CTM CTM % bus station 039 964970;fax Theonlypalace 039 998797;48Jamaa 039 964970;fax ( % Easily Tet- Easily 039 961688) Tetouan’s (cnr Rue

Massira al-Khadra) al-Khadra) Massira 1pm &3.30-9pm) museum the kasbah’sgardens isamodest tower.thy foritsunusual octagonal Inside the striking admission US$1.20; the red-hued wallsof the el-Hammam Plaza Uta The heartof themedinaisshady,cobbled and anunmistakeably Andalucianflavour. in Moroccowithblindingblue-white hues Chefchaouen’s Sights &Activities Saadoune.net Post office Alhambra Pharmacy Hospital MohammedV Banque Populaire Avenida Martinez Catena. The borderis2kmtothesouthalong terminal are ashort walktothenorthwest. dominates thecitycentre. Theportandferry foritsgiantcathedral, Africa, unmistakable the peninsulatomainland.ThePlazade interest are onthenarrowspitof landlinking Most of thehotels, restaurants of andoffices Information lanes converging square. onadelightful tiled roofs, bluebuildings, andnarrow bright Moroccan andAndalucianinfluencewithred- ofin Morocco,itsoldmedinaisadelight charming travellers. Oneof theprettiest towns Mountains, Chefchaouen haslongbeen beneath thestrikingpeaksof theRifSet pop 45,000 CHEFCHAOUEN bus station. leave fromAve Hassan II,southeastof the Negroand M’diq(US$0.60,20minutes)Cabo 30 minutes), Martil (US$0.50,15minutes), Hotel Mouritania Mouritania Hotel Sleeping and canbe easilyclimbed inoneday. Kelaâ Chefchaouen drawcard,especially are thehighlights. h US$5/8) Grands taxis Trekking isanother intheRifMountains 10am-midnight) (1616m)which towers over thetown For budget value, you’llhave to goa where thephotosof oldChefchaouen (Ave HassanII) Grande Mosquée (Plaza Uta el-Hammam;perhrUS$1.20; (PlazaUta h to Fnideq (for Ceuta; US$3.20, toFnideq(forCeuta; ( medina % (Plaza Uta el-Hammam; (Plaza Uta 9am-1pm &3-6.30pmWed-Mon) (RueMoulayAlibenRachid) 039 986184; 15Rue QadiAlami; s/d , which isdominated by ( % isoneof theloveliest 039 986228;Ave al- kasbah , which isnotewor-

( % ethnographic h 039 986343; Jebel el- Jebel 9.30am-

and 157 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO 158 0 200 m CHEFCHAOUEN 0 0.1 miles To Jebel COAST &THERIF••Chefchaouen THE MEDITERRANEAN Hills A B el-Kelaâ; C D E F ὄὄὄὄὄὄὄὄBab Taza (trekking route) INFORMATION Hills ᝲᝲᝲᝲ Banque Populaire...... 1 C3 1 Hospital Mohammed V...... 2 A3 Pharmacy Alhambra...... 3 B3 Post Office...... 4 B3 Saadoune.net...... 5 D3

ᝲᝲᝲᝲSIGHTS & ACTIVITIES ὄὄὄὄὄὄὄὄ Ethnographic Museum...... 6 D3 ὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇ Grande Mosquée...... 7 D3 SLEEPING Bab Casa Hassan...... 8 D3 ὇὇὇὇὇὇ el-Majarrol ᝲᝲᝲᝲDar Terrae...... 9 D3 Hostal Yasmina...... 10 C3 2 ὇὇὇὇὇὇Cemetery Calle Hotel Marrakesh...... 11 D4 VILLE NOUVELLE Sidi A Autiui Bab Calle el-Ansar Hotel Mouritania...... 12 C3 bdel Hamid ὇὇὇὇὇὇ Calle Soliman el Hauat To Ruined Mosque (2km) ὄὄὄὄὄὄel-Jarr Ave Allal EATING el-Fassi ὇὇὇὇὇὇ La Lampe Magique...... 13 D3 ubi Calle el-Hafian To Tetouan (61km); Blvd Plaza Café-Restaurants...... 14 D3 Ave Moulay Ave Hassan I Tangier (118km) Ab Calle Restaurant al-Azhar...... 15 C4 desa ὇὇὇὇὇὇Ave H Ave Hassan I Ave al-Massira Tunis lam assanI Restaurant Tissemlal...... (see 8) Ave Gazuat Badr 9 Plaza ὇὇὇὇὇὇ Suaki Kenitra Askar Ave Si 3 TRANSPORT di Abdel Hamid Bab Suk Calle ibn Calle Rauachid Calle Bain Calle Grands Taxis to Ouezzane...... 16 B4 Ave Aba Hassan 8 Garnata Rue Moulay Ali Calle Grands Taxis to Tetouan...... 17 A3 2 al-Kh el-Mandri Calle Znika

5 Place Ak Plaza Petits Taxis...... 18 B4 adra al Cherif 13 el-Majzen b Sebanin 3 ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Plaza Petits Taxis...... 19 D3 Ave de Fès Calle A at b 14 i J Hauta 19 Ave Sidi All Cemetery a Plaza ncha 6 Mohammed὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ 10 Plaza Uta V Ave Hassan II ben Ra el-Hammam Kasbah el-Uafi Ave 17 ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Ahmed al- chid 12 1 7 Mouk 4 Rue ZaidaCalle al-Horra al-Ca Ave Sidi wama ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇15 Mar Market Ave Ab iceria 18 Ras el delkrim 11 el-Kat Ave Hassan II ὄὄὄὄὈ tabi 16 lonelyplanet.com

Oued Mar

Calle Bab al Mukaf llun anah Ajdar Calle Y Rasel ben Ya 4 Ave Zerktoui Calle de Cami no Rue Sidi Srifi Driss Av II Rochd e Hassan Ave ibn Ave Moulay Ave Tariq ben Ziad

Ave MohammedTo Bus V Ave Allal ben Abdallah To Ouezzane (70km); Station (500m) Issaguen (110km) ὄὄὄὄ platter (US$6). counter outfront andorder ahuge seafood offer; a better option istocheck outthe fish equal measure. andthelike are allon ing trade, attractingworkers andfamiliesin aroar-from thepostoffice, thisplacedoes their ownbathroomandfireplace, allhid- painted roomsare individuallydecorated with an escapefromtheoutsideworld–cheerfully Hassan I;rinclbreakfast US$28-51) roof terrace offers fineviewsover thevalley. blueroomsinviteBright fresh airinandthe the action,Hotel Marrakesh hassoul. US$16/28, withshowerUS$23/34) in theshowers andagreat roof terrace. andclean, andthere’sbright lotsof hotwater price bracket, thisplacesparkles.Roomsare .com; 12RueZaidaal-Horra;rperpersonUS$7) great too. are helpful,andthebreakfasts (US$1.70)are for hookingupwithothertravellers. Staff and acomfycourtyardlounge that’sideal simple, butthere’s theobligatoryroof terrace long waytobeattheMouritania. Roomsare Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com US$3; best ambiencein town. food –butthe isgoodandtheyhave the breakfasts, tajines soupsandsalads, andsea- Menus are virtually identical–continental or socafé-restaurants onthemainsquare. Chefchaouen oneof istochoose thedozen One of the most populareatingoptionsin fast fromUS$1.70,mainsUS$3; Plaza Café-Restaurants Eating Tissemlalto tryRestaurant (see right ). forelegantloungingandyou’llwant race isset woven Theter- rugs,allstylishlycomfortable. coves, colourfultiled bathroomsandlocally woodendoors, bedstucked into with carved about it.Roomsare individuallydecorated has more thanahintof theArabianNights upmarketestablished choice, thisguesthouse Rue Targui; s/d/trhalfboardfromUS$51/68/85; on request. breakfast spread day,andothermeals every factor. owners TheItalian prepare afantastic corners. Three terraces addtothehideaway den upanddownatumbleof stairs andodd ὄὄὄὄ Dar Terrae Marrakesh Hotel Restaurant al-Azhar Restaurant Hassan Casa Hostal Yasmina h 8am-9pm) ( % ( % 039 987598; [email protected]; Ave039 987598;[email protected]; Tucked inbythesteps down ( 039 986153; www.casahassan.com; 22 039 986153;www.casahassan.com; % ( % 039 883118;yasmina45@hotmail

(Plaza Uta el-Hammam; break-(Plaza Uta (Ave mainsfrom MoulayDriss; 039 987774;Ave HassanII;s/d Dar Terrae feels like Set downhillfrom Set h a THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST &THERIF••Melilla THEMEDITERRANEAN 8am-11pm) Forthe ) Along-

The VilleNouvelle iscentred onPlace Moulay &Information Orientation and quietgardens. Melilla of isadelight modernist architecture quite EuropeannorAfrican. Thecentre of has anatmosphere allof itsown–neither origin,it beingofits inhabitants RifBerber Spain’s Africanempire and withathirdof two enclaves that markthelastvestiges of Melilla of the isthesmallerandlessaffluent pop 65,000 MELILLA hammed V. one hour)leave fromjustbelowPlazaMo- a dayinadvance. atleast yourseat (US$2.30, 1½hours); reserve to Tangier (US$4,three hours) viaTetouan (US$7, fourhours) andoneafternoon bus Chefchaouenpassing through enroute toFès CTM &Away There Getting fresh alocalRifspeciality. salad, goatcheese with afewstandards twists.Don’tpassonthe the bones.ThemenuincludesMoroccan chilly whenafire evening, roars andwarms ble, thisplaceisespeciallywelcomingona enchanting surroundings.Alwayshospita- Hassan isanothersure betforafinemealin set menuUS$7) great cooked –isdelicious. salads ites such aslambtajine withprunesandsome the localflavour. Thefood–featuring favour- brick floors enhance anddarkwoodentables walls bringChefchaouen’s charm inside,while terrace that’sopentothestars. Painted blue a more formaldiningarea, andarooftop ting. Three floors includealaid-back lounge, inagrandset- delicious Moroccanstaples overlooking el-Hammam PlazaUta serves from US$5,setmenuUS$8.50) and uses theeuro.and uses Also remember that Melilla isonSpanish time % cafés and thebusstation. hotels, banks,mostof the restaurants and Place Hassan II.Around here you’llfindthe Mohammed V,which runswesttothevast el-Mehdi andthepedestrian stretch of Ave Grands taxis La LampeMagique etuat Tissemlal Restaurant To phone Melilla fromoutside Spain,dial 0034 before thenine-digitphone number. ( % 039 988769) The restaurant inside the Casa Therestaurant insidetheCasa heading toTetouan heading (US$3.40, has two afternoon buses hastwoafternoon buses ( % ( % 065 406464;RueTargui; mains This magicalplace 039 986153;22RueTargui;

159 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO General Marina; s/dUS$26/51) Marina; General sion Sleeping &Eating the is PlazadeEspaña,withthelovely façadeof modernist city’,after Thehighlight Barcelona. is considered bysometobeSpain’s‘second overlooking thecity. 4-8.30pm Tue-Sat, 10am-2pmSun) Plaza Pedro deEstopiñán;admissionfree; deMelilla Arqueología eHistoria Sun Oct-Mar). 10am-2pm&4.30-8.30pmTue-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun Apr-Sep, US$1.60; water cisterns, Macías) Mediterranean, is la Vieja The mainentrancetothefortress of Sights 160 lilla’s tophotel lookscovered with strange sci- Lobera; rUS$124; balconies. Management isfriendly. bathtubs and ceilinged rooms,with TVs, sion, s/dUS$29/45) deRivera; Primo bathroom. Advance bookingadvised. and are with TV small, butcleanandbright, Parque Hostal Residencia Hostal Residencia Cazaza Cazaza Hostal Residencia The newpartof town,westof thefortress, Parador de Melilla Parador deMelilla double aspoliceinformers. still largely tolerated. That said,never andmistrustalldealers–many travel inpossessionofkif onlyafewIn practice, prosecutionshave occurred, is andthediscreet possessionanduseofkif fortheirlivelihoods.many localsremain dependentonkif realise thatmuch remains tobedonebringthelocalinfrastructure uptoscratchandhence ofdevelopment,tourism assectors althoughspendanytimeintheregion andyou’llquickly Internationalof thisillicitactivity. aidprogrammeshave totarget started ecological andcultural years though,pressure theEUhasleadtoa lessfavourableopinion fromtheUSandparticularly mainstay oftheeconomy,flourishingwithaidablindeyefromauthorities. Inrecent to chat,hashishisfavoured byyounger,more Westernised Riffians. pipeshouldyoustop Whileanoldgoatherderinthemountainsmaybreak out hiskif for export. slang term ‘reefer’. villages grownothingelse. isthesourceofWestern onetheoryclaimsthattheRif Infact, from theArabicwordfor‘pleasure’), andcultivationiswidespread Mountains;some intheRif ( ofkif The smoking Morocco(thewordstems marijuana) isanancienttraditioninnorthern KIF INTHERIF Palacia delaAsamblea overlooks Parque Hernandez. Rooms the Cazaza has eleven smallish,high- haseleven theCazaza H EIERNA OS H I • Mlla COAST &THERIF••Melilla THE MEDITERRANEAN In 2004, the production of kif was technically madeillegalandfarmerscannowbeprosecuted. ofkif In 2004,theproduction The isoneofthemosteconomicallydeprived Rif hasbecomethe areas ofMorocco,andkif Hashish, whichisessentiallycompressed , where you’llfindapairof 15th-century (OldMelilla), which perches over the h Theterrace of thesmall 10am-2pm &5-9.30pmTue-Sat, 10am-2pm pas Aljibes delasPeñuelas Puerta delaMarina Puerta ( % ) From theoutside, Me- 956 684940; Avenida Cándido Adecent-value . Thispopular ( % has fantastic views hasfantastic ( % 956 682143;15Calle 956 684648;6Calle h ( % 10am-1.30pm &

(Calle General (Calle General 952 681339; Museo de Museo (admission Melilla Melilla pen- pen-

kif, isastronger,modern(1960s)invention developedkif, sandwiches fromUS$2; great coffee, pastriesandcooked items. The the park,thisisabusybreakfast spot,with daily ferries toMalaga and Almería. terminal noon Sat) .es; Plazade España; Trasmediterránea 7.30am to11pm. 30minutesborder post(US$0.80) every from Enzar PlazadeEspañaandtheBeni between local bus2(marked ‘Aforos’),which runs To get tocatch totheborder,you’llneed the &Away There Getting there’s area aseating outside. inside cansometimesbeabitsmoky, but the Melillan architect Baeza. Carlos vecería isdecorated inGaudíesquefashionby across Cer- thestreet,than theOnubense La US$1.30; delicacies. (meatball) andotherclassictapas specialityisspicy The house place lookslike bar. tapas thequintessential wood furniture andunpolisheddécor,this 3pm &7pm-midnightMon-Sat) have balconies,withgreat viewsouttosea. with shinyfittingsandlotsof marble. Thebest fi towers. Inside,there are large, grandrooms Ferry and hydrofoil services areFerry operated by andhydrofoil services La Cervecería La Onubense Café Central Café . Tickets are also available atthe h

(estación marítima; 12.30-4pm &8.30pm-midnight) Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com

(5 CallePareja; tapasfromUS$1; (Plaza deEspaña;breakfast fromUS$2.60, (Calle de General O’Donnell;tapasfrom (Calle deGeneral ( h % h 9am-1pm & 5-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am- 9am-1pm & 5-7pmMon-Fri, 956 690902; www.trasmediterranea 7am-1pm &4-10pm) % With its rough-hewn Withitsrough-hewn 956 681633) bollito dePringá . There are Classier Nextto h noon- ferry

Palace) inthecentre; andtheVilleNouvelle, a 10-minute journey(US$0.40). connect theVilleNouvelle withthemedina, French, tothesouthwest.Frequent localbuses the administrative area constructed bythe the Fès el-Jdid(containing BouJeloud)main entranceisBab intheeast; (thecoreparts: Fèsel-Bali of themedina; Fès canbeneatlydividedintothree distinct Orientation –ariotof soundsandsmells. tanneries sights, , crammed withshops,restaurants, workshops, narrow windingalleysandcovered are Its onthesenses. which cantrulybeanassault Nothing quite prepares youforyourfirst visit, Islamiccityintheworld. est livingmedieval The medinaof (OldFès)isthelarg-Fès el-Bali pop 1million FÈS lonelyplanet.com (false guides). The situation has improved(false notorious for its Fès has longbeen Dangers &Annoyances duTourisme National Marocain Office TOURIST INFORMATION Post office postoffice Main POST Société Générale MONEY Night Pharmacy Hôpital Ghassani MEDICAL SERVICES Teleboutique CyberClub London Cyber ACCESSINTERNET Information Mohammed V) Mohammed V) east of the Ville Nouvelle in Dhar Mehraz. east oftheVilleNouvelleinDharMehraz. V; perhrUS$0.80; 8.45am-noon Sat)ImmediatelyoutsideBabBou Jeloud. h & 3-6.30pm Fri) & 3-6.30pm Fri) h p164; US$1.20; Ville Nouvelle; staffed by a doctor andpharmacist. Ville Nouvelle;staffed byadoctor Moulay Youssef; 8.45am-noon &2.45-6pmMon-Thu, 8.45-11amFri, 8.30am-noon &2.30-6.30pm Mon-Thu, 8.30-11.30am % h 055 623460;fax654370; PldelaRésistance; madrassas (Map (Map p162 ; Pldel’Istiqlal)Inthemedina. 10am-10pm) h (Map (Map p162 ; Ave per hr delaLiberté; h Mp p164; (Map (Map (Map p164 ; cnrAve HassanII&Blvd (Map (Map p162 ; Ave desFrançais; Mp p162; (Map THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST &THERIF••Fès THEMEDITERRANEAN 9pm-6am) Located in the north ofthe 9pm-6am) Locatedinthenorth 9am-11pm) andextensive dyepitsand (Map (Map p164 ; BlvdMohammed % % 055 623493;Blvd mellah 055 622777)Located faux guides andRoyal (ONMT; Map (ONMT; Map US$2.30; stored p162; (Map Medersa BouInania. bitaseleganttheartistry ofis every the ship. The the traditionalpatterns of Merenid artisan- admission US$1.20; of themedina, and viewsfromtheroof are alsoimpressive. are amazingly elaborate, and woodcarving Merenids. The of Fès’theological colleges constructed bythe sion US$1.20; 14th-century Pl as-Seffarine. columns fromthegates onTalaa Kebira and endless office withglimpses itsseemingly are forbiddentoenter andwillhave tosuf- up to20,000peopleatprayer. Non-Muslims built inthe12thcentury,itcanaccommodate Built in859byrefugees fromTunisia,andre- Mosque Kairaouine the nextcorner. quitenever knowwhatdiscovery liesaround but thisispartof themedina’scharm: you ing andgetting lostatsomestage acertainty, and hidden credible mazeof twistingalleys,blindturns Within theoldwallsof liesanin- Fèsel-Bali FÈS EL-BALI (OLDFÈS) Sights to themedina. BouJeloud,Bab themainwestern entrance tion andhotels, buttheworst placeisaround sist. Afew hustlers hangabout Fèstrainsta- unemploymentforcesmanytoper-still, high with theintroductionof a fork after about50m; you’ll soon pickup andtake the left northeast of Plas-Seffarine (and smells). Headcity’s most iconicsights Map Crafts; p162 ; the can artsand crafts. an excellentcollection of traditionalMoroc- US$1.20; merchants). Photography isforbidden. wood atthetopof thewallsandceiling In acentury-oldHispano-Moorish palace, ofIf Fèsisthespiritualcapital Morocco,the The The Founded byAbu Saidin 1325 intheheart Located 150meastof BouJeloud, Bab the Museum Dar BathaMuseum h tanneries funduq Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts &Crafts ofWoodenArts Museum Nejjarine h % 8.30am-noon &2.30-6pm Wed-Mon) zellij h 10am-5pm) souqs 035 740580; Pl an-Nejjarine; admission 035 740580;Plan-Nejjarine; % Medersa BouInania Medersa 8am-5pm) h (acaravanserai for travelling base, stuccoworkand cedar base, (Map p162 ) of Fèsare one the zellij, 035 634116;Pldel’Istiqlal; admission (Map p162 ) isitstrueheart. . Navigation canbeconfus- 8.30am-1pm &2.30-5pm) Medersa el-Attarine Medersa isinawonderfullyre-

muqarna is said tobethefinest issaid (Museum of Moroccan Arts & ofMoroccanArts (Museum brigade touristique brigade (plasterwork) Mp p6 admis- p162 ; (Map

displays Mp p162; (Map houses houses 161

; MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO 162 0 500 m FÈS 0 0.3 miles H EIERNA OS H I • Fs COAST &THERIF••Fès THE MEDITERRANEAN A B To Meknès (60km); C D E F ὈRabat (196km) Route Principale No 1 ὆὆὆ Grand Route To Meknès Mechouar & du Oued Fès Tourde ὆὆὆ (60km) Bab Segma Fès 1 See Fès Ville Nouvelle Kasbah Map (p164) Cherarda Bab el-Mahrouk ὆὆὆ Cemetery 29 Bab Bou To Ouezzane (197km); ὆὆὆Cemetery 31 Jeloud ὆὆὆ man ᝲᝲ Chefchaouen (225km); Tetouan (281km) Blvd des Saadiens FÈS ὈὈὈὈSulei Ὀ Ave des Almohades EL-JDID Petit Mechouar ὆὆὆ 20 13 14 Place & Bab Dekkaken Ke Train des 4 Talaa bira Station Blvd des Alaouites lay 3 19 Alaouites 6 Bou 16 17 23 Jeloud 9 Mou Ta Ave Gardens 5 laa 24 hira 10 el-Hayani Seg Fès des FAR 15 21 11 Bab 18 12 Ave des Sports Rue des Mérinides ShariaBab Smarine 2 Ave Mohammed 30 Jebala 25 ὆὆὆7 Place de 2 22 Oued Youssef MELLAH 26 l'Istiqlal 8 27 Ave Lalla Meryem el-Korri ὆὆὆ Bab FÈS EL-BALI ὈὈὈὈBlvd Moulay ὈὈὈὈAve de la Liberté Ibn Danan el-Hadid Ave Abou Abaida ben Jerrah Ave Mohammed Synagogue Ave de la Liberté Tariq ibn Ziad Saoudite Place de la Blvd

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dallah Chefchaouni Blvd Moh ὆὆὆὆Cemetery Bab MohammedBlvd V Ab ὈὈRue Slimane ὈὈὈὈὈDHARὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ el-Ftouh Moulay es-Slaoui MEHRAZ 1 ὆὆὆὆ 3 Jnan Palace Park INFORMATION Blvd Hôpital Ghassani...... 1 C3 ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ Moulay 28 Slimane Place London Cyber...... 2 E2 SLEEPING Hussein de Jordanie Post Office...... 3 E2 Dar Bouânania...... 13 E2 ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ Société Générale...... 4 E2 Dar Roumana...... 14 F2 Hôtel Batha...... 15 E2 SHOPPING ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆To Les Potteries SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Hôtel Erraha...... 16 E2 Les Mystères de Fès...... 25 E2 de Fès (500m); Place Dar Batha Museum...... 5 E2 Hôtel Lamrani...... 17 E2 ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆Taza (120km); ὈὈὈdanie ὈὈὈAtlas Oujda (343km) Blvd Dhar Dar el-Makhzen...... 6 C2 Riad Fés...... 18 E2 TRANSPORT de Jor lonelyplanet.com Jewish Cemetery & Habarim Bus 9 to Ville Nouvelle...... ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆26 E2 Mahres Synagogue...... 7 C2 EATING Grands Taxis to Meknès & Ave du 4 Kairaouine Mosque...... 8 F2 B'sara Stalls...... 19 F2 Rabat...... (see 29)

Ave Hussein Medersa Bou Inania...... 9 E2 Le Kasbah...... 20 E2 Local Bus Stop...... 27 F2 Cimetiere Medersa el-Attarine...... 10 F2 Le Maison Bleue...... 21 E2 Local Bus Stop...... 28 F3 Route de SefrouAve Sidi Brahim Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Médina Café...... 22 E2 Main Bus Station...... 29 E1 Ave ibn el-Khatib Arts & Crafts...... 11 F2 Restaurant Laanibra...... 23 E2 Petits Taxis...... 30 C2 To Airport (15km); To Sefrou (28km); Tanneries...... 12 F2 Restaurant Zohra...... 24 F2 Petits Taxis...... 31 E1 ὈὈὈὈὈὈIfrane (61km) ὈὈὈMidelt (203km) the globe. favourite It’sbecomeanestablished music groupsandartistsfromallcorners of ( Every Junethe Festivals &Events h gogue the fascinating The came arefuge forJews, thuscreating a palace groundsare notopentothepublic. modern restoration, butthe80hectares of p162 ; PldesAlaouites) The entranceto FÈS EL-JDID (NEWFÈS) district. will guideyouintotheheartof theleather the unmistakeable waftof skinanddyethat Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com sunken hot water bathtubs, although canbe the traditionally decorated. Rooms comewith vourite isamix of thereasonably modernwith Pl Batha;s/d inclbreakfast US$37/51; and asmallroof terrace. nicely decorated bedroomsover floors several lovely witha much atraditionalMoroccan house, scene. Wellsignedoff Talaa Kebira, it’svery hotel makes awelcome appearanceonthe style budget accommodation,sothisnew shower US$34/28) be Salem;swith/withoutshowerUS$28/23,d with/without be fantastic. management weren’t sogrumpy,thiswould rooms are cleanwithhotshowers. Ifonlythe Jeloud. Roomsare of agoodsizeandbath- tion, justawayfromthehustleof Bou Bab price tag. the shared bathroomfacilitiesreflect the a lift.As withmanyplacesinthisbracket, a roof terrace. Muralsgive theplaceabitof Jeloud, thischeapie haslarge airyroomsand US$6/9, hotshowersUS$1.20) Erraha Hôtel MEDINA Sleeping on the‘worldmusic’festival circuit. value on theedge of themedina, thisoldfa- hira; rUS$17-23) % During the14thcentury,Fèsel-Jdidbe- Hôtel Batha Hôtel Dar Bouânania Hôtel Lamrani Hôtel 7am-7pm) 055 740535;www.fesfestival.com) mellah

(Map (Map p162 ; admissionfree, donationsappreciated; zellij . and stucco courtyard, a series of andstuccocourtyard, aseries (Map p162 ; p162; (Map ’s southwestcornerishometo Another placewithagreat loca- (Map p162; (Map Fèshaslonglacked anyriad- Jewish Cemetery & Habarim Syna- &Habarim Cemetery Jewish Fès Festival of World Sacred Music Fès Festival Music ofWorldSacred Mp p162; (Map Mp p162; (Map Dar el-Makhzen Dar el-Makhzen isastunningexampleof % % Just outside Bab Bou JustoutsideBab 035 633226; Pl Bou Jeloud; s/d 035 633226;PlBouJeloud; % 035 741077;fax741078; % 035 634411;Talaa Seg- pas 035 637282;21Derb bringstogether (Royal Palace; Map THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST &THE RIF••Fès THEMEDITERRANEAN ) mellah Great . nache. features Theoldersection thebestof the ancientandmodernwithimpressive pa- and there’s asmokier barwithplentyof water satellite TV. Theonsite restaurant isgood, your ablutions. look to charge. Coldshowers meanthatyoushould International member,there’s aUS$0.60sur- are superclean.Ifyou’re notaHostelling and facilities(includingWestern-style toilets) in thecentre of theVille Nouvelle. Tidy rooms the Fèsbranch iswelllooked after andright one of thebetter youthhostels inMorocco, dmUS$5; Serghini; Youth Hostel VILLE NOUVELLE Moroccan. boutique hotel yetremain unmistakeably would notlookoutof place inaParisian traditional décor,whilethenewerquarters pas 5 DerbibnSlimane;r/steinclbreakfast fromUS$203/339; lessons. offers Moroccancookery Cordon Bleuchef) lend ahandinthekitchen astheowner(a or adrinkover get dinner–youmayeven to roof terrace isagorgeous placeforbreakfast modern touches such aswi-fi The throughout. thebuildingbacktolife,brought plussome restoration thepainstaking off processthat all immaculate andsubtlydecorated toshow just take theprize. There are justfive rooms, of might Fès’medina,but thisbeautifulhouse ai Roumane;rUS$79-136; roumana.com; 30DerbelAmer, Zkak ciality. Abutterbean and garlicsoup, leave this Fassi town without sampling spe- Stalls B’sara MEDINA Eating often available. lar withtourgroups andgooddiscountsare are helpful.It’spopu- exceedingly pipes. Staff from US$48/61; mouniafes.ma inFrench; 60BlvdZerktouni; s/dinclbreakfast the pool. derful, coolrefuge fromthecityheat–asis erratic. Thewhitewashed courtyardisawon- nia. Roomsare andtidy,allhave bright you intothemodernandclassyHotel Mou- Dar Roumana Hôtel Mounia Hôtel Fès Riad ) Many riadsclaimtohave thebestviews ) Mp p162; (Map ThelabyrinthineRiadFèsblends

Mp p6 su US$0.40) soup p162; (Map Mp p164; (Map pa h

Mp p164; (Map Mp p162; (Map 8-10am, noon-3pm&6-10pm) (traditional bathhouse) for (traditionalbathhouse) ) % A % zellij 035 741012;www.riadfes.com; 035 624085;18RueAbdeslam % % -tiled lobby guides 035 624838;www.hotel 035 741637;www.dar Youshouldn’t b’sara Easily Easily 163

MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO ploring thecity. a hunkof bread, Delicious withan extradashof olive oiland ing great pottery ladlefulsintorough bowls. cauldrons facingthestreet, andaguyserv- are intheAcherbine area. Lookforthebig themedina –ourfavouritesthroughout outof hole-in-the-wallplaces is served 164 Derb Ain NassBlida; setmenu US$8-10) ticularly good value. Moroccan fare; the four-course menuispar- over themedina. Thefoodisgood standard cupies aprimespot –thetopfloorlooksout hotels BouJeloud, atBab thisrestaurant oc- menu US$8) Rabat (196km) To Meknès(60km); 4 1 3 2 FÈS VILLENOUVELLE Le Kasbah Restaurant Zohra Restaurant

Ave des Almohades Petit Taxis...... Petit Taxis...... Petit Taxis...... Local BusestoMedina...... Local Buses...... Local Buses...... Ensemble Artisanal...... Restaurant Marrakech...... La Médaille...... Youth Hostel...... Hôtel Mounia...... Teleboutique CyberClub...... Tourisme(ONMT)...... Night Pharmacy...... Main PostOffice...... TRANSPORT SHOPPING EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION Office NationalMarocaindu rn ai oMkè aa. A2 Grand TaxistoMeknès&Rabat.. H EIERNA OS H I • Fs COAST &THERIF••Fès THE MEDITERRANEAN On several floors opposite Onseveral thecheap ὈὈὈ ὈὈ AC (Map (Map p162 mains US$4.50,set ; RueSerrajine; Ave M 16

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To CTM Rue Loukili Rue 7 Stadium Ain Lkhail; setmenu US$14-45) Ain Lkhail; for two. while the plates of couscous are big enough with dried figsandapricots isareal winner, Moroccan fare isonoffer –thelamb tajine bite thebestof orafruitjuice,intheevening ing thedayit’sagood placetovisitforaquick manner, withafine attention Dur- to details. renity, decorated inatraditional yetrestrained menus US$8-13; ily welcome. garded foritshomecookingand warm fam- Jeloud, thissmallrestaurant isanoasisof se- Mosque, thissimplelittleplace is wellre- in thebackstreets northof theKairaouine 14 1 Médina Café Médina Café Restaurant Laanibra Restaurant

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035 741009; 61 Ravin Fès el-Bali To lonelyplanet.com food inlovely surroundings. aubergines andpeppers. (eggplants) Delicious tajine withapples andolives, orlamb with its strength, offering such delights as chicken back. But themenu’svariety continuestobe niture, with acushion-strewn atthe salon its charm –red plastered walls and darkfur- rant’s recent makeover hasaddedhugely to mains fromUS$6) Rue Omarel-Mokhtar; Marrakech Restaurant NOUVELLE VILLE Alcohol isserved. are adefinite cutabove mostother places. like –butthepreparation andpresentation tajinesalong traditionallines–salads, andthe menusrun and dancelater Set intheevening). oud player(replaced bylivelier Gnaouasong and romantic,withdiners serenaded by an elegant riadrestaurant. isintimate Thesetting h guests/nonguestsUS$57/62; l’Istiqlal; setmenuincldrinks for dinneronlyinsummer. This placeisopenforlunch year-round, but ers (vegetarians willlove thecooked salads). tofinishifyou’ve loadeduponstart- difficult attention –therich dining areas. Themenushows equalcare and with sidealcoves of formingaseries private craftsmanship you’dexpecttofindinariad, decorated 14th-centurypalace,withallthe La Maison Bleue La Maison support hisfamilywillremain hisnumberonepriorityfortheforeseeablesupport future. no longergethassledbythepolice. He’deventually tofinishschool,butearninghelp like itto tobackpackers. Theline insellingkif moneyisn’tasgoodinFès,buthesaysit’sworth affecting hishealth. (US$4.50) aday.Heleftafter afew months,worryingthatthechemicalsindyepitswere forlessthanDh40 tanneries, butitwasatoughjobforsmallboy,carryingheavywetskins plenty oftimes–andhisday’searningsconfiscated. never several spentanightinjail(unlike ofhis way. OnagooddayhecouldearnDh100(US$12)orso,butthepolicewere aconstantworry.He the patter oftheofficialguides,andpointingoutnamesstreets andfountains alongthe upsomeof could guidetocarpetandhandicraftsshop,inhopeofalittlecommission, picking visiting Fès’medina. hismotherandfamily,hedroppedoutofschooltriedtofindworkwiththe tourists port father diedunexpectedly andhewasthrustintobeingtheheadofhishousehold.Tosup- school andhopedtogouniversity oneday.Anas’worldturnedupsidedownwhenhis Anas is17.Hetheoldestofhisthree brothersandsisters. Untilhewas13didwellat THE LIFEOFA dinner) Anas hasnowmoved toChefchaouen, where he toutsforahandicraftsshopandhascasual atthe When thetouristnumbersdieddowninwinter, Anastriedabriefstintworking manyothersbeforeLike him,AnashungaroundBabBouJeloudtryingtofindtouristshe Reservations are atthis necessary Reservations THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST &THERIF••Fès THEMEDITERRANEAN

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Thisrestau- 035 930876;11 faux guide menu. Take theopportunitytotry influencefeaturedfor theSephardic onthe for qualityandprice. isalwaysadecentplacetogetArtisanal afeel in theVilleNouvelle, thestate-run Ensemble h the maintouristroutes. outthelittleshops off usual, it’sbesttoseek andpricesarequality ishigh, competitive. As oftal Morocco. Thechoice of craftsiswide, capi- theartisanal Fès isandalwayshasbeen Shopping naturally). served, more canteen thanrestaurant (alcohol is preferable, astherear is asmokybarthat’s atthefrontof areanywhere house Seats else. foie cisse dinner) mainsUS$8-10,setmenu US$12-17; al-Kaghat; furniture, pots andtrinkets. to theraftersplace isstuffed withjewellery, joy tobehold. hand painting andlaying out of process, frompot throwingtothepainstaking theentirepottery. Youcansee production in itself, thisisthehomeofin itself, thefamousFassi Ensemble Artisanal Ensemble Artisanal Les Mystères deFès Les Mystères Les Potteries deFès Les Potteries La Médaille 9am-noon &2.30-6.30pm) (liver –youwon’tfind them sausage) ThisFrench-Moroccan placeisunique friends),buthadhisknucklesrapped Mp p164; (Map (lamb sausage) or (lambsausage) (Map (Map p164 ; Ave benAbdullah; Allah

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sau- 165 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO their meters topay withoutanyfuss.Expect so. or minutes), withdepartures half-hour every (US$0.40,25 the airportandtrainstation (No16)between There’s aregular busservice Around Getting (US$11, five hours). toTangier hours)(US$20, eight andonegoes overnight trains.Five trainsgotoMarrakesh Meknès (US$2,one hour),plusthere are two (US$8, 3½hours)4½ hours), and viaRabat (US$11, 7amand5pmtoCasablanca between The TRAIN and fromnearthetrainstation. el-Mahrouk) (outsideBab main busstation (US$6.30)leaveand Rabat frominfrontof the around town.Taxis forMeknès (US$1.60) There are several TAXI station departfrom the Non-CTM buses Tetouan 9 Tangier5 9 2 7 Rabat 6 2 Meknès 3 3 3½ 17 Marrakesh 1 2 9 4 6 Chefchaouen 7.50 7 7 Casablanca 10 5 (US$) Destination Fare CTM runsthefollowingservices: (hr) Daily Duration near PlAtlasinthesouthernVilleNouvelle. for The mainstation BUS &Away There Getting services 166 than itsneighbour, it’salso more laid-back worth getting toknow. Quieter andsmaller looked bytourist itineraries,but Meknès is Morocco’s third imperialcity isoften over- pop 680,000 MEKNÈS BouJeloud.to Bab about US$1.20from thetrainorCTM station Mahrouk. of PlFlorence. twohours Trainsdepart every Ville Nouvelle, a10-minute walknorthwest Drivers of thered Grands taxis train station H EIERNA OS H I • Mkè COAST &THERIF••Meknès THE MEDITERRANEAN Mp p162 ; (Map ( have fare aset of US$14. % % 035 636032) 035 930333) grand-taxi CTM buses CTM petits taxis outside Bab el- outsideBab islocated inthe

( ranksdotted % generally use 035 732992) main bus is Mon-Thu, 8-11.30am &3-6.30pmFri) 524426; Pldel’Istiqlal; Inania opposite theGrandMosque, the capital inthe17thcentury. capital who madeMeknèsnamed forthesultan his des FAR; Maroc Hôtel Hôtel Maroc Sleeping that distinguishes Merenid monuments. 3-6pm) noon &3-6.30pmWed-Mon) ( the 1882 palacethathouses grand you’llcomeacrossthe around totheright, Morocco, impressive gateways in allof monumental city imperial lah of themainsquare, Pl el-Hedim, withthe ofThe heart Meknès’ medina lies tothenorth Sights Night Pharmacy postoffice Main Hôpital MoulayIsmail duTourisme Délégation Régionale Cyber deParis BMCE Information thetwo.shuttle between andurban crowded) localbuses medina totheVilleNouvelle, butregular (and sive hotels. It’sa20-minute walkfromthe andbanks,aswellthemoreoffices expen- arestations intheVilleNouvelle, asare most are southof themedina. TrainandCTM bus elle, where itsnamechanges toAve Hassan II. becomes theprincipalroute of theVilleNouv- east. Ave MoulayIsmailconnectsthem,then west andtheFrench-built VilleNouvelle inthe Fekrane neatlydividestheoldmedinain The valleyof the(usually dry)OuedBou Orientation ofbefitting aone-timecapital thesultanate. ing narrowmedinastreets andgrandbuildings and lesshasslebutstillawashwiththewind- donations appreciated; US$7/14) % Overlooking Plel-HedimOverlooking onthenorthis Moulay Ismail’stombandimperialcity tothewest.Tosouth,MoulayIsmail’s 055 530863;Plel-Hedim; admissionUS$1.20; istypicalof theexquisite interior design (Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extérieur; 98Ave duCommerceExtérieur; (Banque Marocaine

(Rue Najjarine; admissionUS$1.20; (Rue Najjarine; h Mausoleum ofMoulayIsmail Mausoleum Despite itsinauspicious exterior, 10am-1pm &4-7pm) Bab el-Mansour opens up through oneofopens upthrough themost Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( (Zankat Accra;perhrUS$0.90; (Zankat % (Pldel’Istiqlal) (Rue deParis) 035 530075; 7Rue Rouamzine; s/d h h ( % 8.30am-noon &2-6pmSat-Thu) 8.30am-noon &2.30-6.30pm . Deeper inthemedina, . Deeper 035 522805) Off Ave035 522805)Off desFAR. . Followingtheroad Dar Jamaïmuseum (ONMT; h grands taxis Medersa Bou Medersa (admission free, 9am-noon & h % h 9-2am) mel- 9am- 055 ,

lonelyplanet.com ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ 0 300 m ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇MEKNÈS 0 0.2 miles Sharia al-OumaTo Moulay Idriss (28km); Blvd du Zerhoun A B C al-Moutahida Volubilis (33km); D E F ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Tangier (320km) To Tangier Bab Ave Moulay Hafid VILLE Berdaine Rue (287km) ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ al-Andalous NOUVELLE ben Nafi THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST &THERIF••Meknès THEMEDITERRANEAN

1 Rue ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Ave Sidi des Ave Blvd Blvd Circulaire Place ὈὈὈBerdaineὈὈὈὈ Rue de Rabat Circulaire Rue Mansour

὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Abd-Mah Cemetery

Rue Ferhat Hachad Nations al-Amir ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Eddahabi Ave Moulay Abdallah Bab Tizni joub Rue Oued Makhazine Blvd Unies Ave Hassan I ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ MEDINA El-Haboul Blvd Yacoub el-Mansour Blvd el-Haboul Rue de Paris El-Amir Garden Rue Antserapé Rue d'Oujda Circulaire 21 Abdelkader ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ 2 Train Station Bab Oued Ave Hassan II Ave Rue d'Or 26 Rue Ghana a el-Jedid Mohammed10 V n ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈBlvd Allal Rue d'AlgerὈ Rue Genève Bou 3 5 15 Sharia Benghazi 2 17 ὇὇὇ 9 6 ben Abdallah Fekrane Bab Rue Berrima To Fès (60km) Moulay Ismail Ave Idriss II ὇὇὇Cemetery 24 des Rue de Tunis Ain Fouki Rouamzine 19 14 Moulins Ave de la Gare ὇὇὇ 7 Ave Ave Mohammed1 V To Rabat 18 Ave Moulay Youssef Bab Rue ibn Khaldoun Main (138km) el-Mansour Ave de Mellah Train Station OLD Place ὆὆὆὆16 Ave des FAR ὈὈel-HedimὈὈPlaceὈὈὈὈὈBlvd Abderrahmane ben Ὀ 20 Bab MELLAH Lalla 12 Aouda 11 Route 21 Rue Zaïne el-Khemis ὆὆὆὆ Oued Bou Fekrane DAR 25 Koubbat Cemetery as-Sufara` EL-KEBIR 23 ὆὆὆὆ Rue ben Doungh 3 22 8 4 NEW Rue Dar 13 MELLAH Bab὆὆὆὆ Zidane er-Rih To Azrou (67km) ὈὈRue d'Agourrai ὈὈ Royal Golf INFORMATION Course BMCE...... 1 E2 SLEEPING Cyber de Paris...... 2 D2 Hôtel Majestic...... 10 D2 Délégation Régionale du Tourisme Maison d'Hôtes Riad...... 11 B3 (ONMT)...... 3 D2 Maroc Hôtel...... 12 C3 TRANSPORT Royal Palace Hôpital Moulay Ismail...... 4 D3 Palais Didi...... 13 B3 CTM Bus Station...... 19 F2 Main Post Office...... 5 D2 Ryad Bahia...... 14 B2 Grand Taxis...... 20 A3 4 Night Pharmacy...... 6 D2 Grands Taxis for Moulay Idriss...21 C2 EATING Local Buses...... 22 B3 ὈὈ SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Marhaba Restaurant...... 15 E2 Main Bus Station...... 23 A3 Dar Jamaï Museum...... 7 B2 Restaurant Oumnia...... 16 C3 Petit Taxis...... 24 B2

Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail...... 8 B3 Restaurant Zitouna...... 17 B2 Petit Taxis...... 25 A3 167

Medersa Bou Inania...... 9 B2 Snack Stands...... 18 A2 Petits Taxis...... 26 C2 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO marble-tiled courtyard. the northwestcorner of Plel-Hedim isideal in the ture bathtubs intheluxuriousroomsanddeep different anddecked outwithantiquefurni- sumptuous suites andfive romantic rooms,all Meknès’ medina,and easilythelargest. Five the fancyoldersister totheotherriadsin to theplushrugs. tention fromthebathroom fittings todetail, carefully restored anddecorated with fine at- tions toquaint,pretty roomsthathave been restaurant), withstairs leadingoff inalldirec- onto acourtyard(which also hostsagreat from Plel-Hedim. Thealleyentranceopens charming littleriadisjustastone’sthrow Tiberbarine; rinclbreakfast US$57-90; Sekkaya, floor andasmallplunge pool. There’s anexcellentrestaurant ontheground and tastefully decorated intraditionalstyle. There are justsixrooms,each individually century imperialresidence of MoulayIsmail. the ruinsof thePalais Chaacha, Ksar the17th- pas in theprice. ment are helpfulandbreakfast isincluded patio andpanoramicroof terrace. Manage- of character togoaround,plusa peaceful room US$27/20) V; swith/withoutbathroomUS$24/15,dbath- to theambience. terrace andorange-tree-filled courtyardadd and theshared bathroomsare clean.Thegreat quiet, rooms(withsinks)are freshly painted, Maroc Hôtel isabudget gem. Friendlyand 168 should bethis place’s proudmotto. More a US$3; fuls of salad. fillings, all toppedoutwith generous hand- square. There’s awiderange of grilledmeat into anafternoon of people-watching onthe for alunchtime snack,which can easilystretch h Snack stands Eating of rooms(allhave sinks)andthere’s plenty lady carriesherage well.There’s agoodmix .com; 79KsarChaacha;rinclbreakfast US$57-90; el-Kbira; r/steinclbreakfast US$136/170; Marhaba Restaurant Restaurant Marhaba Ryad Bahia Riad d’Hôtes Maison Majestic Hôtel Palais Didi 7am-10pm) H EIERNA OS H I • Aon ens COAST &THERIF••Around Meknès THE MEDITERRANEAN h zellij noon-9pm) ) Meknès’ first riadislocated amid bathrooms, are aroundasleek set Thiscluster of on snack stands Builtinthe1930s,thisgrandold (

( % % (Pl el-Hedim;sandwiches aroundUS$2; 035 558590;www.palaisdidi.com;7Dar 035 554541; www.ryad-bahia.com; Derb 035 554541;www.ryad-bahia.com; ( % ‘Never beaten ‘Never on price’ 035 522035;19Ave Mohammed (23 Ave Mohammed V;tajines ( % 035 530542;www.riad sa a ) Didi is ) This outing willcost around US$34. hire a quickest way toget here fromMeknès isto about 4.5km fromVolubilis. Thesimplestand pilgrimageportant sites, in Morocco. Oneof thecountry’s mostim- Romanruins the largest and best-preserved US$0.60,guidedtour US$14; parking north of Meknès, In themidstof a fertile plainabout33km MEKNÈS AROUND round tripstoVolubilis. Français –thisisalsotheplaceto organise minutes) leave fromopposite theInstitut Grands taxis (US$4.50,90minutes). one hour)andRabat There are regular departures toFès(US$2, el-Khemis. atBab next tothebusstation three daily). hours, daily)andTangier (US$9, five hours, 2½ hours, sixdaily),Marrakesh (US$15,eight (US$5, (US$8, fourhours, sixdaily)viaRabat departures includethe following:Casablanca west of el-Khemis, side Bab themedina. CTM hammed V. liesjustout- Themainbusstation about 300meastof thejunctionwithAve Mo- The &Away There Getting speciality. house the day,with Moroccan dishesare naturallytheorderof lons formore restrained dining.Traditional with Fès. Itsornate covered courtyardisdoneup palace-restaurantsame styleyou’dfindin offersmedina, thisgrandestablishment the Zitouna; setmenufromUS$13) tajines of theday. delicious menu,butit’sarealcourse set winner,with diners awarmwelcome. There’s justathree- the maindragof theMeknès medina,giving restaurant isinsideafamilyhome, justoff mzine; setmenuUS$7.50; from US$1.20.Superb. patties) willfillyouupandstillgive change ira girls. Foodischeap –abowlof andtasty from lunchtime workers togangsof school- canteen thanrestaurant, itpacksineveryone Restaurant Zitouna Restaurant Oumnia Restaurant The principal andaplateful of CTM busstation CTM zellij grand taxi harira, and stucco, with several smallsa- andstucco,withseveral forMoulayIdriss(US$1.20,20 pastilla for the return trip. A half-day forthe return trip. Ahalf-day salads andachoice salads of several Volubilis grand-taxi h ( ( % % ( beingsomethingof a % 7am-10pm) makoda 035 533938; 8 Ain Fouki Roua- 035 533938;8AinFouki 035 522585;Ave desFAR) Intheheartof the

(Ouailili; admissionUS$2.30, Moulay Idriss 055 530281;44Djemma rank isadirtlot h lonelyplanet.com (fried potato (friedpotato This informal 8am-sunset) , isonly har- are is this lovely whitewashed townatitsbest. toappreciateseason theold-worldcharm of increasing popularity,consider visitingoutof galleries liningthenarrowstreets. Given its phisticated introductiontoMorocco,with North AtlanticCoast.It’sanintimate, so- a firmfavourite onthetraveller’s trailof the The bijouresort townof Asilah hasbecome pop 29,500 ASILAH valleys,greento mountain asgreen. from thelong,windsweptbeaches inthesouth beachfront tourbansprawlaroundCasablanca, Coast. It’saregion frompristine thatsweeps towns weave along Morocco’s blustery Atlantic fishing villages, historicportsandfortified Miles of peppered glorioussands withsmall THE ATLANTIC COAST Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com out of season. high Pricesdropby upto20% the rooms inlight. décor istasteful andthegiantwindows bathe a really Thebathrooms are good deal. new,the comfy andwell-equipped, theroomshere are .ma; 20RueibnRouchd; s/dfromUS$34/39) showers sparkle. Thesharedand wellmaintained. toiletsand are fairly Spartan, rooms, though comfortable adorn thelovely entranceandthecompact courtyard. Patterned tiles andpotted plants offers simpleroomsarranged around anopen option, thissmall,immaculately kept hotel hot showersUS$0.60) Sahara Hôtel Sleeping &Eating livethat really uptoitsname. does south of townandisagorgeous, pristinespot views over the ocean. western bastionof therampartsis best for dow guardsandcolourfulmurals.The south- a wanderamidtheornate win- wrought-iron Asilah’s Sights &Activities lined bywhitewashed are houses wellworth inrecentsanitised) years. Thenarrowstreets largely15th century,hasbeen restored (and inthe fortifications builtbythePortuguese s/d US$34/53) Hôtel Azayla Hôtel Hôtel Patio dela Luna Hôtel Paradise Beach medina The onlyaccommodation option

( %

( , surroundedbysturdystone 039 417185;9RueTarfaya; s/dUS$11/14, % , Asilah’s bestbeach, is3km ByfarAsilah’s bestbudget 039 416717;e-elhaddad@menara

( % 039 416074; 12 Pl Zellaka; 039 416074; 12Pl Zellaka; Big, bright, Big,bright, THEATLANTIC COAST ••Asilah in Asilah withanylocalcharacter, thisinti- are thespecialityatthissmallrestaurant op- pop 3.8million CASABLANCA hours). directlytrain goes toMarrakesh (US$20, nine gier (US$1.60,45minutes). Oneovernight Fès (US$9,fourhours) andsixdailytoTan- one toMeknès (US$6.30,three hours) and (US$11,4½hours),hours) andCasablanca leave halfhour. every roughly toTangiernon-CTM buses andCasablanca and Marrakesh (US$2.30,ninehours). Cheaper (US$6, 3½hours), Tangier (US$1.20, onehour) 3½ hours), Fès(US$7,4½hours) viaMeknès (US$7, (US$8,4½hours) via Rabat Casablanca to is 2kmnorthof Asilah. CTM has services where CTM hasaticket office. Thetrainstation isonAveThe tinybusstation delaLiberté, &Away There Getting shrimpandbarnacles. octopus, eels, fresh fromtheportor,more adventurously, posite thebeach. Goforsucculentgrilledfish mainsUS$9) ben el-Mehdi; delicious fishtajine. Forthebestof bothworldstrythe seafood. Moroccan dishesaswelltheubiquitous this restaurant offers achoice of traditional formal andmore variedthanitsneighbours, mainsUS$4.50-9) Hassan benel-Mehdi; andtraditionalMoroccanstaples. seafood of upagoodselection fish, walls. Itserves of thestringof restaurants alongthemedina them,thisisoneoftween themostpopular US$3-6) aroundalovelyset leafypatio. woven blankets andtiledbathrooms,are simple, rusticroomshave woodenfurniture, an unassumingdooronthemaindrag.The behindmate Spanish-runplaceissecluded contrast to Casablanca’s modernist landmark, contrast toCasablanca’s the streets, their rundown façades in sharp Moorish andArtDecobuildings thatline public parksandimposing Hispano- evards, simmeringsocial problems, wide boul- traffic, ing, European-style cityishometoracing intomodernMorocco.insight This sprawl- city of incredible contrasts,offering aunique as Casa, ispopularlyknown, isa Casablanca Casa García Casa delaPlace Restaurant Three trains run daily to Rabat (US$9,3½ Three trainsrundailytoRabat YaliRestaurant Although there’sAlthough be- littletochoose

( % ( % 039 417465;51Ave MoulayHassan Spanish-stylefish dishes 071 043277;Ave HassanII;mains ( % 039 417326;7Ave Moulay Friendly, less

169 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO Rue Chaouia) Regency Hotel; Regency Syndicat d’Initiative duTourisme NationalMarocain Office TOURIST INFORMATION Main postoffice Market Central POST Crédit duMaroc BMCE MONEY Gig@net Fairnet ACCESSINTERNET h SOS Médecins d’AideMédicaleUrgente Service EMERGENCY Information is 30kmsoutheastof town. tion is2kmeastof thecentre andtheairport centre of thecity.Casa-Voyageurs trainsta- are trainstation inthe andCasa-Port station that markstheheartof thecity.TheCTM bus is PldesNationsUnies,alarge junction traffic totheport.Tosouthofclose themedina relatively smallandsitsinthenorthof thecity The medina–theoldestpartof town–is Orientation II mosque. the enormousandincredibly ornate Hassan 170 the mosque you must take a and squares the interior of around it. Tosee commodate afurther 80,000inthecourtyards that holds 25,000worshippers andcan ac- reclaimed It’savastbuilding fromthe sea. aboverises theoceanon arockyoutcrop former king’s60th birthday.Themosque largest mosque,built tocommemorate the medina, Rising above theAtlanticnorthwest of the Sights touni; perhrUS$1.20; med V; US$0.90; % 252525) Private ambulanceservice. 252525) Private Mon-Fri) Mon-Fri) 24hr) Private doctors who make housecalls. whomake doctors 24hr) Private 022 271177;55RueOmarSlaoui;

post office H TATCCAT • aalna THE ATLANTIC COAST ••Casablanca (Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extérieur; Hyatt duCommerceExtérieur; (Banque Marocaine h ( h % ( % Hassan IIMosque 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat,9am-12.30pmSun) 8am-11pm) 022 482631; 25 Rue Zair Mers Sultan;perhr 022 482631;25RueZairMers h 022 484810;140BlvdMohammedZerk- ( % ( (cnrBlvddeParis &Ave HassanII) % 9am-9pm) 022 444444;housecallUS$35; h 022 477255; 48 Blvd Mohammed V) 022 477255;48BlvdMohammedV) ( % 24hr) 022 221524;98BlvdMoham- (cnr BlvdMohammedV& istheworld’sthird- guided tour h (SAMU; 8.30am-4.30pm (ONMT; % ( 022 % 022 Jewish intheIslamicworld. museum of Casa’s ArtDecogems,of this1922hotel has Casa’s wonderful views over thewaterfront. they’ve’80s. However, got large balconies and ofheight fashion butnowlookdangerously rather dark withroomsthat were once the as .ma; Blvddel’OcéanAtlantique, AïnDiab;s/dUS$79/96; plain, bedrooms. areadoor seating butfairly and comfortable, with ’70s retro.crossed There’s alovely out- ofgive itawhiff colonial-eradecadence ironwork andeclectic mixof knick-knacks scale, decorative plaster, spiderywrought- buckets of neo-Moorishcharacter. Thegrand casa.com; 79RueChaouia;s/dUS$70/84; lobby andadedicated PCforguestuse. above average. There’s alsowi-fi access inthe isway beds make themasteal andtheservice new bathroomfittingsandfirm,comfortable out incheerful colours. Fresh flowers, TVs, recently redecorated roomstastefully decked US$42/61/76; 2RueMohammedBelloul;s/d/trinclbreakfast /guynemerhotel; and helpful. ous taste indécor. Management isfriendly with excellent-value roomsandarather dubi- rooms attheGalia,atop-notch budget option andmatchingcurtains bedspreads adornthe Tiled floors, plasticflowers, goldtasselled without showerUS$19/17,dwith/withoutUS$28/25) a lingering smellof dampinwinter. are basicbutwellkept, ceilingsand withhigh centralloungea bright area, theroomshere h el-Bidaoui; dm/d/trinclbreakfast US$5/14/20,sheetsUS$0.60; Youth Hostel Sleeping ine, justwestof PldesNationsUnies. cinema. Take bus9fromPlOuedal-Makhaz- andanewmultiplex coffee shops,nightclubs four-star hotels, upmarket restaurants, bars, side with guideUS$3.40; 994940; 81RueChasseurJulesGros,Oasis;admissionUS$2.30, gardens, the 11am &2pmSat-Thu) 482886; adult/student/childUS$14/7/3.40; Hôtel leLittoral Hôtel Transatlantique Hôtel Galia Hôtel In thetrendy suburbof AïnDiab,thebeach- Hôtel Guynemer Hôtel Set inabeautifulvillasurroundedbylush Set 8-10am &noon-11pm; Blvd delaCorniche ) Thiscavernous, well-kept hotel is pi

Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com (

% Jewish Museum ofCasablanca Museum Jewish ( % 022 220551;fax227677;6PlAhmed h . ) 022 481694;19RueibnBatouta;swith/

Thisfamily-runhotel has29 ( ( % % 10am-5pm Mon-Fri) 10am-5pm Mon-Fri) pi is linedwithbeach clubs, 022 275764;www.geocities.com 022 797373;www.hotel-littoral ( % 022 294551;www.transat ) Clustered around a h ) is Set in one Set

9am, 10am, the only

( % 022

lonelyplanet.com of Casablanca(5km); Beaches (5.5km) Aïn Diab(3km); To Phareel-Hank(2km); 4 6 1 3 2 5 CASABLANCA To JewishMuseum El-Jadida (99km) ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ Ὀ VInternational Airport (30km);

Rue Hassan Souktani Goulmina de Rue Mohammed Fraternité Place dela

Blvd Sidi Rue Jean Jaures Jean Rue SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Hassan IIMosque...... US Consulate...... Spanish Consulate...... Tourisme(ONMT)...... Main PostOffice...... Italian Consulate...... Gig@net...... French Consulate...... Fairnet...... Crédit duMaroc...... British Consulate...... BMCE...... ydctdIiitv...... C5 Syndicat d'Initiative...... Office NationalMarocaindu

Moham Blvd Ziraoui 13 Rue AC

Moussa 7 Blvd de Tiznit

28 Blvd de Bordeaux de Blvd med

ben Nousseir Blvd d'Anfa Blvd Blvd THEATLANTIC COAST •• Casablanca Ligue Arabe Place dela

ben

Mo 30

ulay Youssef ulay 2 ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ Ὀ ὈὈ ὈὈ Blvd Maréchal Fayolle Maréchal Blvd

Blvd Brahim Roudani Ab

Blvd dal

al-Makhazine lah

Place Oued

Blvd Sour Jdid Sour Blvd Rachidi Ligue Arabe Parc dela 6 12 A TLNICOE

Rue d'Alger 12 11 10 13 Ave des el-Alaoui Tahar Blvd 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10

20 Ave Moulay Blvd de Blvd A3 B6 B6 B6 B5 A5 B6 C6 C6 C5 A5 B5

Rue

Forces Stadium

Felix Paris B DRINKING EATING SLEEPING Petit Poucet...... La Bodéga...... Taverne duDauphin...... Restaurant al-Mounia...... Le Rougetdel'Isle...... La PetitePerle...... Café Maure...... Youth Hostel...... Hôtel Transatlantique...... Hôtel Guynemer...... Hôtel Galia...... aéAb...... C5 Café Alba...... Nations Unies

Ὀ Ὀ Armé Ὀ

Rue Max &

Abderrahh Place des MEDINA Rue d'Agadir Rue Hassan I Mohammed V Rue O Ave Hassan II es Royales

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18

Place mar Sultan Mers Ave Sahraoui 9 8

Slaoui 1

Blvd Mohammed Zerktouni (Ave des FAR) Roundabout Mers Sultan

17 29 Blvd Rue Farhat5 Hachad 4

23 RueTata des

Rue Mustapha Rue Prince

Port

Ave Houmane Ave

21 Almohades 19 26 35

ὈὈ Moulay Abdellah Ὀ

15 Rue Hadj Amar Riffi Amar Hadj Rue Rue Essanoibar 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 Blvd Mohammed V Mohammed Blvd Rue Araibi 3 34 Jilali 33

el-Maani C5 C5 C4 C5 B5 C5 B3 C4 C5 C5 C5

Rue Rue Sidi Belyout Rue 16 22

25

el-

Ave Léon Léon Blvd Houphouet Boigny

Allah ben Abdellah ben Allah

11 36

TRANSPORT Royal AirMoroc...... Royal AirMaroc...... Petits Taxis...... Iberia...... Grands Taxis...... CTM BusStation...... Bus 9toAïnDiab...... station...... Ziane...... Air France...... u 0t ovleMdn. C5 Bus 4&40toNouvelleMedina.. Bus 30toCasa-VoyageursTrain Bus 10toGareRoutièreOuled

Feto

Rue du C du Rue Beaux

Blvd Rahal el-Meskini Hmad ou Zaid Rue Blvd

Rue Abdallah 27 Lalla

L'Africain uaki

Train Station Casa-Port Moulay aptaine 14 24 0 0

Yacout Almedouini Rue Liberté Rue

ὈὈὈ Ὀ Abd Rue Strasbourg Rue Blvd Hassan 31

Seghir errahmane 20 Août Place du

Paquet

Place 32 Rue Mohammed Smiha Mohammed Rue

D la Victoire

Blvd Train Station(3km) To Casa-Voyageurs Rue Strasbourg Rue Place de To Rabat(91km); Marrakesh 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 Tangier (281km) (238km) Blvd Khouriga Routière Ouled Rue E Barathon

Mohammed V To Ziane(4km) C5 C4 C5 C4 D5 D5 A5 A5 C5 C4 0.3 miles 500 m To Gare

171 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO chicken rant andanarrayof exoticdelicaciessuch as tion of worthyof salads anyvegetarian restau- sumptuous Moroccancuisine. There’s aselec- orthecool,leafy gardentoenjoythe salon tositintheelegantMoroccan can choose wonderfully traditionalrestaurant where you mainsUS$10-16) Moulay Abdallah; garden. Bookinadvance. is reasonably pricedandthere’s a beautiful contemporary artwork.Theimpeccablefood elegant placefilledwithperiodfurniture and inarenovatedtop spots.Set 1930svilla,itisan cious French Rouget isoneof food,Le Casa’s stylish andrenowned foritssimplebutdeli- l’Isle; mainsUS$10-15; will leave yousmitten calamari and one taste of thesucculentgrilledfish,fried first glanceit’sahumble,family-runplacebut up Provençal restaurant serving andbar hasbeen Sat) phouet Boigny;mainsUS$8-10,setmenuUS$12; ply sublime. also available. Theexoticfruitjuicesare sim- meatdishesare although andsalads, seafood quil escapefromthecity.Themenufavours fied bastion),thislovely restaurant isatran- ochre wallsof the US$7-10; great choice of breakfasts. andpizzasaswella wiches, crêpes,pastas uparange of sand- less, moderncaféserves break forwomentravelling alone,thisspot- Popular withyoungprofessionals andaquiet Fetouaki; mainsUS$2.50-5; Perle La Petite Eating 172 and subtle lighting markthis caféout fromthe and subtle lighting 1am) Alba Café &Entertainment Drinking overlookingtables theocean. and islovingly prepared andpresented atlow here istraditional MoroccanandLebanese a wonderfullyinviting atmosphere. Thefood colours Fibule andtraditionaldécorgive La Hank; mainsaroundUS$28; Le Rougetdel’Isle Restaurant al-Mounia Restaurant Maure Café La Fibule Taverne duDauphin A Casablanca institution,thistraditional ACasablanca fruits demer High ceilings, swish, modern furnitureHigh H TATCCAT • aalna THE ATLANTIC COAST ••Casablanca h

pastilla ( % 10-12am, to6pminwinter)

( % ( 022 227154; 59-61 Rue Driss Lahrizi; Lahrizi; 022 227154; 59-61RueDriss

% crevettes royales ( % 022 360641;BlvddelaCorniche, Phare el- andpigeon withraisins. 022 260960;BlvddesAlmohades;mains since itopenedin1958.On sqala h 022 272849;17-19Ave Houmane el-

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closed Satlunch&Sun) ( %

h . ( (an18th-centur % 022 294740;16RueRougetde ) Subtle lighting, warm Subtle lighting, 022 221200;115BlvdHou- 11.30am-3pm &6-11pm) Dineinstyleatthis 022 222669; 95 Rue Prince 022 222669;95RuePrince

(royal shrimps) Nestled inthe h y forti- Sleek, Sleek, h Mon- 8- Corniche) VIP club outlined in the table below. outlined inthetable Tetouan 14 7 Tangier 14 3 6 2.80 Rabat 6 1 8 Meknès 4 4 9 8 Marrakesh 11 11 Fès 10 7 Essaouira 13.60 3 5 (US$) 12 Destination Fare Duration (hr) Rue LéonL’Africain) Daily The modern BUS services &Away There Getting cum-restaurants such as beachfront ranges fromcabaret-style bar- drinks. Thestripof discojointsalongthe US$12 toget inandasmuch againforyour comecheap. topayatleast doesn’t Expect onthetownbeautiful peopleforanight hangingoutwithCasablanca’sHowever, drinkinganddancing. place forlate-night atmosphere. candles, thisplacehasalaid-back butexotic andlitbyanarmyofacross seating low-level hang-out. Littered withpillowsthrown PetiteLa Roche isanotherfavourite Casa stunning viewsacross toHassan IIMosque, Phare el-Hank; life.slice of old-timeCasa the barispretty lowkey butit’sanauthentic mail-flights acrossbetween theSahara. Today, French authorandaviator, tospendtime used male-only barwaswhere the Saint-Exupéry, die-hard relic of 1920sFrance,thisstrictly dance floorafter 10pm. place withalively atmosphere andapacked is loudandthealcohol flowsfreely. It’safun toArabicpop) fromsalsa music (everything barwhere Bodegaisatapas the finest, La loved byamixed-aged groupof Casablanca’s h up-and-coming. for watching Casa’s It’s hassle-free forwomenandagreat place more traditionalsmokyjointsaroundtown. Candy Bar Candy Petit Poucet La Bodéga The beachfront suburbof AïnDiabisthe Roche La Petite 12.30-3pm &7pm-midnight) tothepastel-coloured popsensation (Rue desDunes). (55 BlvddelaCorniche)

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CTM busstation CTM (Blvd MohammedV; hasdailyCTM departures as 022 541842; 129 Rue Allah ben Abdellah; benAbdellah; 022 541842;129RueAllah 12.30-3pm &7pm-midnight)

( %

022 395748;BlvddelaCorniche, Hip,happeningand Balcon 33 andthecatch-all

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a 13 To Souq 9 (400m) al-Had 12 (US$18, ninehours, sixdaily).The10.30pm Souq el-Had, onceitisfinished. al Hamra Mohammed benBrahim,pastthe move tothenew sour inNouveau Talborjt, buttheywillall company offices alongRueYacoub el-Man- stopattheirrespectiveFor themoment,buses &Away There Getting present. Bookahead. The foodiselegantandfresh, andbeautifully atmosphere. cosmopolitan for apleasantly Arab touristsandWesterners, which makes ispopularwithwealthyMoroccans, taurant with wineUS$40) raspberry sauce. duck’s gizzards–theygodownatreat with from brochettes tosmoked and andpasta eel is divine,andthemenufeatures everything Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Au Coindes Nomades Au trip from bikesmountain or bookamountain-biking du Coin (US$7 perday). You canalsorent cycling. Bikes can berented fromArtisanat lages of the Ameln Valley isbywalkingor The bestwaytoget aroundthe beautiful vil- Sights &Activities (Pl MohammedV; and (behind thepost office) singinganddancing. all-night Tafraoute with celebrate thealmondharvest February andearlyMarch thevillages around relaxed forexploringtheregion. base Inlate boulders, and by mountainous it’sapleasant village of Tafraoute. Surroundedonallsides Nestled intheenchanting pop 5000 TAFRAOUTE out bymeter, soaskforittobeswitched on. its taxis and bus22alsomake thejourney.Orange airport withthecity. .almassirabus.com; adult/childUS$7/3.40) A comfortable Around Getting (US$6,fourhours,saouira onedaily). kesh daily)andEs- (US$8,fourhours, seven daily). There are alsodepartures forMarra- (US$20,10hours, two bus continuestoRabat La Scala CTM There are twobanksinTafraoute –BMCE

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is traded. produce of therich andfertile Souss Valley inch amarket town withbusy touch mysterious atfirst. every Itis,however, beckoning beyond, Taroudannt appears a with thesnowcappedpeaksof Atlas theHigh Hidden bymagnificentred-mud wallsand pop 70,000 TAROUDANNT hours, fourdaily). seven 14 hours, five daily)andMarrakesh (US$10, (US$14, Casablanca companies alsoservice (US$4.50, fourhours, fourdaily).Other runningtoAgadir hasbuses Trans Balady onShariapany offices al-Jeish al-Malaki. departfromoutside thevariouscom- Buses &Away There Getting beautifully presented. swear bythisplaceforitssucculenttajines, all mainsaroundUS$4; Verte; la Marche knocks upameancouscous. Itattractsalocalcrowdand the busstation. family-run restaurant ontheroadupfrom a barandrestaurant (menuUS$13.60). views,aswell and apoolwithspectacular k asbah-style, ithasspaciousensuite rooms this isTafraoute’s tophotel. Designedinthe on thecrest of thehilloverlooking thetown, [email protected]; s/dfromUS$35/47; overlooking themarket square. from theterrace anda with large, rooms,great comfortable views Hôtel Salamahassome Moroccanflavour, Salama Hôtel Sleeping &Eating Anti-Atlas. oftowards thebaldexpanses thesouthern filled gorges of AïtMansour, which leads up Jebel (2359m)oralongthepalm- Lekst mountain-biking andtrekking tripseither (Ave Mohammed V; perhrUS$0.90). kasbah. Internet accessis available at Août) cash advances.The main and accept travellers cheques. BMCE alsodoes Alaouyine, andall have exchange facilities There are three banks withATMs onPlal- Information Restaurant L’Étoiled’Agadir Restaurant Restaurant Marrakech Restaurant LesAmandiers Hôtel is off Aveis off Hassan II,totheeast of the

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MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO ences; it needs to be booked online. The staff tobebookedences; itneeds online. Thestaff meals,excursionsweek, andcultural experi- package includesaccommodationforthe A tourismandcultural contact. sustainable age perperson£215) 40kmeastof Taroudannt.in OuedBerhil, peacocks andafineswimmingpool. It’slocated and have windowsontoaluxuriantgarden,with 19th-century pasha’s palaceare richly furnished US$85; a coolcourtyardfullof trees andbirdsong. fers five roomsaround spotlessandcomfortable US$68/45) Mohammed, offAve MohamedV;dwith/withoutshower guide ElAouadAli( withtheexcellent the surroundingmountains on site, andthehotel organises great treks in There’s arestaurant (mainsUS$8toUS$10) courtyard tothefaintlycolonialpublicareas. but ithasauniqueflavour, fromthejungle-style the bestbudget hotel intown.Yes itisfading, Hôtel Taroudannt isaninstitutionandbyfar TaroudanntHôtel Sleeping and unqualifiedguides. beware asthere are manystoriesof rip-offs are agencies intownoffering several treks, but springtime flowers andhiddengorges. There cluded Atlasregionthe western High andthese- preferably inthelate afternoon. can easilybeexplored onfoot(1½hours); est red dependingonthetimeof day.They our changing fromgoldenbrowntothedeep- inMorocco,theircol- are thebest-preserved The 5kmof Sights &Activities 178 good-value tajines. If youcan, get on a table quiet, modern place,famous for itsexcellent, harira Anzarane, where you findtheusualtajine, around Plan-Nasr andnorthalongAve Bir The bestplaceto lookforcheap eateries is Eating bird-watching, floraandfauna. at thecentre canarrange ecotours onbotany, menu US$8) www.naturallymorocco.co.uk; 422DerbAfferdou; weekpack- Chez Nada Hida Riad Résidence Riad Maryam Résidence Riad Centre Culturel &Environmental Culturel Centre Taroudannt isagreat for base trekking in ETA OOC H TA ONAN • Mraeh CENTRAL MOROCCO &THEATLAS MOUNTAINS ••Marrakesh s andsalads. Tichka Plateau Tichka This popular, family-run guesthouse of- This popular,family-runguesthouse ) Thespaciousroomsinthissuperb West of al-Kasbah, Bab this isa

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good music all day and night andbeautiful good musicalldayandnight tures carefully contemporary chosen décor, provides entertainment later intheevening. derful, andthefood isgood.Abellydancer city, particularlyfrom the2ndfloor,are won- viewsoverThe sweeping thesquare andthe A good,safe optionforacouscous withaview. Fna &RuedesBanques;mainsUS$17-28; work here. Bookahead. by awomen’scooperative, andonlywomen are large. UnusualinMorocco,theplaceisrun fromtheàlacartechoose menu,andportions be ordered inadvance,butthere’s plentyto to best localcuisineintown.Specialities need & 7.30-11pm; med Zerktouni, Guéliz;mainsUS$13-18; Moroccan-Mediterranean food. charge the worldforexcellent,well-presented trendy placesinMarrakesh not thatdoes it’soneof Mostimportantly, thefew staff. goats’headsandsteamingsalads, snails. Fna, which are withfresh piledhigh meatsand town remains onDjemaael- thefoodstalls The cheapest andmostexoticplacetoeatin Eating under constructionatthetimeof writing. cious andsumptuous,apoolspawere generous roomsare welcome. Theseven spa- and staff the antiquedecorationstoefficient from andthrough, Kniza isMoroccanthrough hotels are backed orrunbyforeigners, butthe ste US$352-410; dinclbreakfast US$255-288, .com; 34Derbl’Hôtel,BabDoukala; isfriendly. tranquillity, andtheservice Medersa,near AlibenYoussef exudesazenlike out thebestfromarchitecture. Thehouse, but simplydecorated inmuted tonestobring cious riadwithgood-sizedrooms,luxuriously US$124-187) dinclbreakfast US$99-149,ste .com; 9DerbLallaAzzouna; The Moroccan owner serves dishes that can The Moroccan owner serves better.The food istraditional, butlooks even rooftop terrace withviews over themedina. cedarwood ceilings,and a withcarved salons yard of orange trees, traditional Moroccan Mon) Ben Slimane,BabTaghzout; mainsUS$28-39; Liberté, Guéliz;setmenuUS$9-14; Liberté, Le Marrakchi Le Marrakchi Al-Fassia Kniza Riad Dar Hanane Dar Zellij Dar Zellij Kechmara This superb17th-century riadhasacourt-

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183 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO floor isapianobar,the1st Moroccan within oneriadnearthe Kosybar combinesthree different venues pod.com; 47PldesFerblantiers; ing treat. of forathirst-quenching, thenight refresh- areThe juicestands openalldayandmuch freshly orange squeezed juiceisonlyUS$0.40. on Djemaael-Fna,wherecious drinkisright The numberonespotforacheap anddeli- Drinking consider itthebestrestaurant inMarrakesh. at someof theothervenues. Somefoodies perhapslessformalthan impeccable, though is classy.Service owned placeisdownright Wed-Mon) US$68; ben Hessaien,BabKsour;setmenuincldrinks Tombs orsitinthewarmpatiowinter. ner underthestars overlooking theSaadian ingredients.seasonal Have aromanticdin- traditional Moroccan–usingonlythefreshest –ahappyfusionofas thesetting French with The foodisasrefined, sumptuousandexotic US$45; and arrive at8pmprompt. in advance,bringyourownwine(nocorkage) French delicacies thatare afusionof Moroccanand six-course menuofset beautifullypresented in themarket morning,andprepares every a inshopping delights rant inhisguesthouse, Marrakesh. He restau- runs asmallunlicensed Richard NeatleftEuropeforaquieter life in US$40; Zitounel-Qedim;set menu .com; 16DerbJamaa,offRiad a pancake). with fresh figs,and be hardtofindelsewhere, such aslambtajine 184 mands great medina views. intimate inside, while theterrace salons com- Moroccan, withalarge courtyardandmore meal withabeer.light Thedécorisfunky Arabe isperfect drinkora for asunset Café room-restaurant inalarge riadinthe medina, ; largest of selections . on thecitywalls. Ithasoneof Marrakesh’s overlooks themedinaand storksnesting and,bestofsalon, all,thegorgeous terrace Café Arabe Café Kosybar La Sultana Lalla Casa Le Tobsil ETA OOC H TA ONAN • Mraeh CENTRAL MOROCCO &THEATLAS MOUNTAINS ••Marrakesh h h haute cuisine. Intimate andelegant,thisFrench- h lunch daily, dinner by reservation fornonresidents) lunch daily,dinnerbyreservation 7-11pm Tue-Sun) Mp p182; (Map Mp p182; (Map 10am-midnight; (Map pp180-1 ; (Map Mp p182; (Map Mp p182; (Map % % trid % You need tobookwell You need % % 024 380324;http://kozibar.tri Michelin-starred chef 024 444052; 22 Derb Abdellah 024 444052;22DerbAbdellah a (pigeon wrappedin 024 429757;www.casalalla h mellah. 024 388008;setmenufrom 024 429728;184Rueel- ) noon-1am; Another bar-tea- Theground a h ) dinner The dance tracks,technobeats,1980snewwaveandsalsa. h admissionUS$12; RuedeParis, Hivernage; Royal Mirage, Mellah; 101 Ave deFrance;coverUS$17; popular Latinclubandsalsabar. Aicha; admissionfree withdrink; minute walk from Djemaa el-Fna(a US$0.60 to Bab Doukkala) The BUS &Away There Getting restaurant DouirianearPldesFerblantiers. tailors. Her shopisinthelittlealley besidethe Moroccan designs andhandmadebythefinest in wool,silkandcotton are ontraditional based residents. Her gorgeous, very wearable clothes tiny boutique,awell-kept secret amonglocal Nawal andherhusbandSimohamed runthis many of chic riadfurnishings. those is thebestwarehouse intownandthesourceof marked doorandenter anAladdin’s cave –this Bab Doukkala; government-run placeintheVilleNouvelle. of atthis itisalwaysgoodtostart merchandise h brass andsilver. bone, wool,metal, products inwood,leather, are fullof producingquality skilled artisans Marrakesh –its isashopper’sparadise Shopping Room White Pacha Montecristo Atlas-Asni get goinguntilafter or1am. midnight smartly andremember thatmostplacesdon’t drink thereafter costsatleastUS$5.50.Dress US$17 toUS$34,includingthefirst drink.Each zone outsidethecity.Cover charges range from hottest clubsare intheVilleNouvelle oranew becoming oneof itsattractions.Mostof the Marrakesh nolonger andnightlife isfast sleeps, Entertainment US$34; 10pmUS$17,Sat&Sun before 10pmfree,Mon-Fri after Complexe BlvdMohammedVI;admission Pacha Marrakech, nantly Arab. and exoticplacewhere thecrowdandmusicispredomi- Aya’s Blaoui Mustapha Ensemble Artisanal includethefollowing: Highlights 8.30am-7.30pm) 10pm-dawn) ForagroovymixofcontemporaryArab main h ( h % Mp p182; (Map 8pm-5am) AsuperclubthatboastsfamousDJs. (Map (Map pp180-1 ;

9am-1.30pm &3.30-8pm) 024 388405; www.pachamarrakech.com; 024 388405;www.pachamarrakech.com; bus station h is just outside thecity walls,a 20- (Map (Map pp180-1 ; Mp pp180-1; (Map 9am-8pm) To get afeeling forthequality %

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024 383428;11bisDerbJdidBab Mp pp180-1 ; (Map % Knock onthehuge, un- % % 024 447051;HôtelAtlas, h h 024 439031;20Rueibn 060 595540;Hôtel midnight-4am) Adark % 8pm-2am) Ahugely lonelyplanet.com The delightful 024 385240;142-4 % 024 433933; souqs

14, amongothers; US$0.40)fromthecentre. service goes toTangier goes service (US$16 toUS$31). daily) viaMeknès hours). Anight (US$17,seven hours, daily)andFès(US$20,eight eight eight (US$12,4½hours,hours, ninedaily),Rabat There are (US$9, three trainstoCasablanca For the TRAIN hours, onedaily). hours, three (US$7,three daily)andEssaouira (US$9,four 8½ hours, onedaily),Casablanca (US$8, fourhours, onedaily),Fès(US$17, % US$13, sixhours, atleastthree daily). 8½ hours, atleastsixdaily)andMeknès (from run toFès(US$14, ride).Services US$1.20 taxi lonelyplanet.com official guide. Official guidescarry ID cards. official guide. Official where youshould be able topick upatrained, Bou Goumez Valley) and El-Kelaâ M’Gouna, Fatma,fices) inImlil, Setti Azilal,Tabant (Aït plies). There are day) andmule(US$12; tocarrykitandsup- requirealmost certainly aguide(US$28per has themostreliabletourist office stock. and trekker accommodation. Marrakesh’s Atlas booklet, The ONMT publishesanextremely useful Trekking walnut groves flourish below. sides, whileirrigated terraced gardensand villages clingtenaciously tothevalley Berber why.Flat-roofed,it’s nothardtosee earthen Idraren Draren of and (Mountain Mountains) it’scalled oftance almost1000km.InBerber Agadir allthewaytonorthernAlgeria, adis- rocco, fromtheAtlanticCoastnortheast of the AtlasrunsdiagonallyacrossMo- High range mountain inNorthAfrica, The highest HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS journey. US$0.60toUS$1.70per town costbetween el-Fna. Thecreamy-beige natively, bus11runsirregularly toDjemaa (6km) shouldbenomore thanUS$7.Alter- A Around Getting Guéliz) 203040; www.oncf.ma; cnrAve HassanII&BlvdMohammedVI, CTM Treks of longer thanacoupleof days will petit taxi 024 434402) , take a taxi or city bus (buses 3,8,10and orcitybus(buses , take ataxi (1997),which alistof contains guides

(Window 10, main bus station, Bab Doukkala; (Window 10,mainbusstation,BabDoukkala; train station The Great TrekThroughthe Moroccan to Marrakesh fromtheairport has buses servicing Ouarzazate servicing has buses CENTRALMOROCCO &THEATLAS MOUNTAINS AtlasMountains ••High bureaux des guides

Mp pp180-1; (Map petits taxis % 024 447768,090 (guideof- around one- ortwo-day trek fromtheskiresort of In summer,it’squite possible todoaneasy OTHER TREKS terly insummer. coldatthesummit,even and thedescentabouttwohours. Itcanbebit- dayshould take aboutfourhoursthe second moresleeps than80people. The refuge sitsatanaltitudeof 2307mand US$9/12/15,Nov-AprUS$5/7/9,hotshowers US$1.20) Oct US$0.70/14, dmCAFmembers/HImembers/nonmembers May- Refuge kal Aroumd andSidiChamharouch tothe hours) thevillages windssteeply through of Most trekkers overnight stay inImlil. n’Test Marrakesh roadbetween andAgadir. village of walks orspenttimeacclimatising. very tiringifyouhaven’t doneanywarm-up the way(anascentof 1467m)anditcanbe but it’saremorselesslarly steep, uphilltrek all condition before out. It’snotparticu- youset and water, andyoushould beingoodphysical bag,food boots, warmclothing,asleeping do itinwinter. good need Youwill,however, two-dayroutefollow thestandard anddon’t a guidetoreach thesummit,provided you transport. of Marrakesh bylocal andeasilyaccessed Toubkal area isjusttwohours’ drive south peak.The (4167m), NorthAfrica’shighest Atlasistheascentofthe High Jebel Toubkal One of themostpopulartrekking routes in JEBEL TOUBKAL TREK and includeslinkstorecommended guides. website isagoodsourceof trekking information Oukaïmeden andonJebel Toubkal.Theclub Toubkal area, inImliland particularlythose Beauséjour, Casablanca) Quartier maroc.co.ma inFrench; 50BlvdMoulayAbderrahman, of of two-day walk northeast tothe villagepleasant merous trekking options. Oneof isa these charges US$6 fornonmembers) there are nu- here by southwest toImlil orviceversa. Youcanget Français (CAF;French AlpineClub)refuge, Oukaïmeden Setti FatmaSetti The first day’swalk(10km;aboutfive Club AlpinFrançais From The ascentfromthehuttosummit on pointisthepicturesqueThe usualstarting skillsor mountaineering You don’tneed grand taxi Tacheddirt Imlil

( , which alsohasaClubAlpin % (also accessible fromMarrakesh) , 17kmfromAsni off theTizi 061 695463;campingperperson/tent operates key refuges inthe fromMarrakesh. (where theCAF refuge (CAF; % 022 270090;www.caf Toub- 185

. MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO also runsotherluxurylodges intheregion. Discoverboard gamesandattentive staff. Ltd is alibrary,traditional decoratedbeen withtheutmostcare andthere luxurious doubleroomsandthree suites have ing peoplefromImlilintheproject. Theeight lines,involv- sustainable along environmentally Discover Ltd hasrestored it anddeveloped views of UKtravel themountains. company ruler sits60mabove Imlilandhasstunning of formersummerhouse spectacular thelocal Imlil;dinclbreakfast US$170-260) .kasbahdutoubkal.com; fast US$2.80,lunch anddinnerUS$7). lage’s placesforameal (break- mostpleasant terrace overlooking theriver isamongthevil- Showers are hot.Thecafé-restaurant onthe have beds,others have mattresses onthefloor. this hotel are butclean;somerooms Spartan breakfast with/withoutbathroomUS$23/17) house peaceful roomswithhotshowers, andanin- DarAdrarhasgreatMohamed Aztat. views, run byoneof guidesof thestar theAtlas, US$12) .fr/gite; Imlil;s/dinclbreakfast US$7/13, halfboardperperson reasonable food. serves thehotel’s delaSource, eatery, Café Below, a tranquilcourtyardwithanoldwalnuttree. showers andsquattoiletsare clustered around per personUS$4.50) el-Aïne Hôtel Sleeping &Eating climbing) and Toubkal, souzerte longer circuit could take yousouthto withroomsandkitchenhouse facilities). A coming via thevillage of 186 the Atlas region. Thisis hardlysurprising, kasbahsof in themost exotic, best-preserved 32km fromOuarzazate, isone Aït Benhaddou, AÏT BENHADDOU and Imlil(US$1.50 toUS$1.80,onehour). then traveltaxis Asni thefinal17kmbetween in Marrakesh. andoccasional Localminibuses grands taxis There are frequent (US$1,1½hours) and buses &Away There Getting Café-Hotel Soleil Café-Hotel Dar Adrar Kasbah du Toubkal duToubkal Kasbah ETA OOC H TA ONAN • AtBnadu CENTRAL MOROCCO &THEATLAS MOUNTAINS ••AïtBenhaddou This lovely placeatthetopof Imlilis hammam andbacktowardsImlilvia gîte Tazaghart (US$1.50)toAsni er-Rob fromBab (literally ‘resting place’;avillage ( ( % % Bright, comfortable rooms,hot comfortable Bright, Tizi Oussem 024 485625; Imlil; rooftop bedsUS$3,r 024 485625;Imlil;rooftop 070 726809;http://toubkl.guide.free . Timichi (alsowitharefuge androck ( % ( % /fax 024485622;Imlil;dincl 024 485611,061343337;www , where there isawel- hammam, . The roomsat openfires, Lac d’Ifni This Am- , dian army135 daysto get there. (by camel caravan), ittook theSaa- although battered sign still reads ‘Tombouctou 52jours’ buktu in 1591.Thenow famous, somewhat launched theirexpedition toconquer Tim- inhabited. Itwasfromhere thattheSaadians creation, theoasishas alwaysbeen although islargelyThe moderntown of aFrench Zagora pop 34,850 Zagora long before theyreach thesea. the waters awayintothe desert generally seep Drâa,just northofCap Tan Tan. Inreality, AtlasbeforeHigh reaching theAtlanticat in Morocco,OuedDrâaoriginates inthe of The longest evening. light theearly river magical route, especiallyinthe soft mauve villages. It’sa kasbahs andstunningBerber nicoloured palmeraies,orchards, earth-red The magical Drâa Valley isaribbonof tech- DRÂA VALLEY cost fromUS$28forhalfaday. chartering a whenfull (US$2.30 perperson);bus station Grands taxis haddou isanother9kmdownabitumenroad. as thesignposted (22km).AïtBen- turn-off take themainroadtowardsMarrakesh thepoolforUS$2.80. can use ming pool,abarandrestaurant. Nonguests decorated andvery cleanrooms,afineswim- M oroccan couple. Ithasarange of nicely ful budget placerunbyacharming French- d with/withoutbathroomUS$16/12; US$1.70/2.80,mattresses onroofUS$3.40, son/campervan Kasbah (mains fromUS$12). on theterrace overlooking thekasbahisatreat and theatmosphere isreally friendly.Dinner rooms tastefully decorated withlocalfinds, lar viewsover thekasbah.Ithascomfortable with awelcomeswimmingpoolandspectacu- board US$50/85; 843054; www.darmouna.com; s/dinclbreakfast US$40/68,half and, more recently, (for which much of thevillage wasrebuilt) notably result of forscenesinmanyfilms, beingused since ithashadmoneypoured intoitasa now underUnescoprotection. To get to Aït Benhaddou fromOuarzazate, To get toAïtBenhaddou Three kilometres towardTamdaght, The best place to stay is The bestplacetostay

( % Lawrence of Arabia, 024 888020;fax883787;campingperper-

grand taxi as runfromoutsideOuarzazate ) , acharming guesthouse Gladiator fromOuarzazate will

Jesus of Nazareth Dar s lonelyplanet.com . Thekasbahis ) is abeauti- ( % Defat 024

.com) Cybersud Mohammed V; ing hours. have ATMs andare openduringnormalbank- BMCE are allonBlvdMohammed V,andall Populaire,The Banque CréditAgricole and INFORMATION worth climbingfortheviews. up acrosstheothersideof theriver Drâa,is real. Thespectacular sur- becomestotally andthelight the desert ticularly whenaduststormblowsupoutof have itdoes itsmoments,par-unappealing, lush palmeraie. modernandlargely Though withits backtheencroachingfighting desert lonelyplanet.com with/without shower US$23/14) [email protected]; swith/without shower US$12/8, d advantage of modern bathrooms. uniquely andstylishlydecorated butwith the Ithasfivethe mountain. traditionalrooms Kasbah Tifawte overlooks thepalmeraie and air-con US$57/40; fawte.com; mattresses onterraceUS$6,halfboardwith/without menuUS$9). (set The hostess cooksdelicious tajines to order tents withelectricity(US$3.40per person). private bathroom,andbedsinsmallBerber Also available are two simpleroomswith gora. Communalbathroomsare very clean. and shady palmtrees overlooking Jebel Za- This cleancampinggroundisfull of flowers 961701; Amezrou; LesJardinsdeZagora Camping SLEEPING &EATING madadraa.com inFrench; BlvdMohammedV) HamadaDrâa Caravane duSud Caravane Mohammed V) 112Blvd 122312; http://caravanedesertetmontagne.com; etMontagne Dèsert Caravane recommended agencies include: per person perday.Inadditiontothehotels, camel forhire. ataboutUS$34 Pricesstart hasa like inZagora everyone It mayseem ACTIVITIES for Dh10perhour. 1pm Sat) Zagora feels very much likeZagora abordertown, Auberge Restaurant Chez Ali Restaurant Auberge Tifawte Kasbah Placenet CyberCenter is opposite the Bank Populaire. isopposite theBank

(Ave HassanII) h Pharmacy Zagora Pharmacy a

camping for2incltent&carUS$6,dUS$17) 8.30am-1pm & 3-8pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am- 8.30am-1pm &3-8pmMon-Fri, ( % CENTRALMOROCCO &THEATLAS MOUNTAINS ••DrâaValley )

( Hidden inaquiet backstreet, % 024 847569;www.caravanedusud bothoffer internet access ( 024 848843,067596241; www.ti % Jebel Zagora Jebel

(95 BlvdMohammedV) A real oasis,Chez Ali /fax 024846031;www.ha (

( % ( % ( % % 024 846898,066 024 847195;Blvd 024 846971,068 /fax 024846258; , which rises and and a good observatory ontheroof. Italso and agoodobservatory three-star hotel withwell-appointed rooms the trans-Saharan trade,andthetown’smany market tobeanimportant placefor It used ofThe oasis M’Hamid istheendof theroad. pop 3000 M’Hamid Tinfou. through M’Hamid passes toZagora here. the Erg Chigagacaneasilybearranged from and a restaurant,has afullylicensed asnooker table Merzouga oraround M’Hamid are better. the dunesat and enjoyasmalltaste, although Tinfou spottotake abreather isapleasant Dunes first of dunes,the glimpse Saharansand About youget 23kmsouthof your Zagora, Tinfou Ouarzazate andRabat. Erfound,Marrakesh,du Dadès,Casablanca, forBoumalne leaveother dailybuses Zagora withM’Hamid,also connectZagora while (US$2.30,twohours). Minibuses Zagora A dailyCTM bustravels fromM’Hamid to THERE&AWAYGETTING and thepalms(mainsUS$14). the terrace withgreat viewsover themountain by aroaringfireplace; insummer,yousiton Inwinter, dinnerisserved very friendlystaff. beautiful paintingsandamosquitonet, just five roomswith stylish anddelightful has guesthouse Thecomfortable in Zagora. undoubtedly themostcharming placetostay .com; Amezrou;dinclbreakfast US$57; gazing atthegreenery of thegarden. Home-cooked food(menu US$9)canbeeaten tents intheluxuriantgarden. cosy Berber has fourimpeccablycleanroomsand well-preserved kasbah. well-preserved Oued Drâa. Ithas an impressive andvery theoldtown, is3kmaway acrossthe Bali, craft shops andaMonday market. M’Hamid with amosque, afew restaurants, smallhotels, is thetypicalone-street administrative centre ness tothat.M’Hamid Jdid,themoderntown, Berber, different ethnicities(Blue Men, hara.com; s/d/trUS$37/44/62; The dailyCTM busthattravels from Zagora Villa Kasbah Sahara Sky Sahara Kasbah . If you’ve never seen a sandy desert, desert, asandy . Ifyou’ve seen never hammam Chorfa ( % and Beni Mhamed) bearwit- andBeni . Excursions tothedunesof 024 846093;www.mavillaausahara

( % p 024 848562;www.hotel-sa ) is a comfortable is acomfortable as Harratine, ) This is Tinfou

187 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO splendour. for fossilsandgenerally enjoying thenatural totheriver, fossicking goats downthecliffs gorge –watching nomads bringvastherdsof dayspottering aboutily spendseveral inthe the heartof Atlas. theHigh before continuingasdirttracktoImilchil in some beautifulruinedkasbahs toMsemrir, villages and fabulous rockformations,Berber past63kmof roadwriggles palmeraies, sealed a goodWednesdaymarket. Fromthere, agood malne duDadès who are increasingly drawnhere. Iftheresights. isadrawback,it’sthecrowds among Morocco’smostmagnificent natural lous rockformationsof the Dadès Gorge, are The toweringochre-coloured andfabu- cliffs DADÈS GORGE Erfound, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate andRabat. forBoumalneduDadès, Casablanca, Zagora leave whileotherdailybuses with Zagora, alsoconnectM’Hamid12 hours). Minibuses (US$7, fourhours) andMarrakesh (US$14, (US$2.30,twohours), Ouarzazate to Zagora It alsohasarestaurant menuUS$12). (set rooms stylishlydecorated withMarrakshi flair. hotel with13air-conditionedcomfortable s/dinclbreakfast US$62/90; Ouled Driss ( and 4WDs,goby. where youcanwatch theworld,orcamels restaurant (mainsUS$7.35)withaterrace with three simplebutclean roomsandagood 848009; s/dinclbreakfast US$4.50/8) .info) Services Sahara cameltreksnight costfromUS$40perperson. with fewer hustlers andcrowds.Mostover- arguably asMerzouga’s, asspectacular but Chigaga 188 la Kasbah dela Vallée la Kasbah malne du Dadès. refer intothegorge to thedistance fromBou- kilometre markings of the followingplaces Services, Services, professional agency inM’Hamid. % Warmly recommended by readers, the The dunesnearM’Hamid, such as There are anumberof the placestostay; If youhave plenty of time,youcould eas- The mainaccesstothegorge isfrom A dailyCTM bustravels fromM’Hamid At theentranceof M’Hamid is Right nextdoorto(andownedby)Sahara Right 024 848730,061247018;www.darazawad.com;Douar , onthecentralsquare, isareliable and ETA OOC H TA ONAN • DdsGre CENTRAL MOROCCO &THEATLAS MOUNTAINS ••DadèsGorge or Hôtel-Restaurant LesDunesD’Or Hôtel-Restaurant Erg Lehoudi Erg , a pleasant, laid-back, apleasant, placewith

( %

061 776766;www.saharaservices ( % (Dunesof theJews), are /fax 024 831717;28km; mat- is asmallhotel pas Dar Azawad Dar Azawad

( % Hôtel Hôtel Bou- ) Erg Erg 024 , a especially atbusy periods. 831719; www.aubergeaitoudinar.com inFrench; 25.5km; at Driss expeditions, contact and horse-riding For treks, mountain-biking, rock-climbing This isprimetrekking andclimbingcountry. Sights &Activities very darkand,inwinter, bitterly cold. ochre.pink toadeep Intheafternoon itcanbe bottom of thegorge turningtherockfromrose the morning,when thesunpenetrates tothe to300matitsnarrowestpoint.It’sbestin rises rivercrystal-clear emerging from it,thegorge Atlasfrom Jebeling theHigh Sarhro,witha south. Amassive faultintheplateau divid- villages, areBerber of oneof the thehighlights lush valleythickwithstunningpalmeraies and Gorge, 15kmfrom Tinerhir, attheendof a pinkcanyonsofThe spectacular the Todra TODRA GORGE&TINERHIR andflagdownapassing vehicle.road hotel.chosen Toreturn, simplywaitbythe Msemrir. You canasktobedroppedatyour in themiddleof the gorge andUS$3.40 to US$1.70 perperson tothecluster of hotels gorge fromBoumalneduDadèsandcharge is justifiablyfamous. cipitous viewsof thegorge andtherestaurant The airyrooftop poolandsundeckshave pre- of thegorge inanimpossiblebalancingact. and itsfloweringterraces clingtotheslopes 27km; halfboardperpersonUS$62; egant andcomfortable and communaltoiletsare spotless. with viewsof thegorge. The(hot)showers good value,especiallytheonesatfront bedcovers.ply decorated with Berber They’re board perpersonUS$15) 28km; mattress onflUS$2.30,s/d/tr roomsonlyUS$14,half the 2ndfloor. decorated en-suite rooms,thebestbeingon camping perpersonUS$1.70,s/dUS$20/27) ing area, rents bikes outmountain (US$12perday). guided dayhikes and4WDtripstoTodra, toorganise tours,owner islicensed including roomswithcleanlinen.The clean, bright in French) tresses onroofUS$1.70,halfboard perpersonUS$17) Grands taxis The besthotel inthegorge isthestylish,el- The theriver withashadedOverlooking camp- Assettif Aventure Assettif . Advance booking is recommended, Hôtel la Gazelle duDadès laGazelle Hôtel Auberge des Gorges duDadès desGorges Auberge and minibuses runupthe andminibuses

has 16neatrooms,allsim- ( % Chez Pierre 024 895090; www.assettif.org s lonelyplanet.com

) has pleasantly has pleasantly . Thekasbah (

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( % offers offers 024 .com inFrench; s/dhalfboardUS$55/65; hangings and clean communalfacilities. hangings andclean including chequered tablecloths, fabric wall- of thegorge. There are plentyof nicetouches, tired. onthe2ndfloorhave Those lovely views rooms,somerenovated,eleven somelooking river, before theYasmina, thissimplehotel has US$17/23/28) incl breakfast withoutbathroomUS$8/9/14,with arrange trekking andclimbing. speaks French, SpanishandEnglishcan charming ownerAdi,whobuiltthehouse, iron bedsandspotlesswhite linens.The views,furnishedwithwrought- with fantastic wonderful stoneauberge hasbreezy rooms US$2.80) US$34, dwith/withoutshowerUS$26/24,campingperperson halfboardperpersons 494307; [email protected]; LeFestival Auberge-Camping TODRA GORGE Sleeping &Eating lonelyplanet.com the Monday and airconditioning. Thehotel is opposite TV suite roomsare well equippedand have satellite en- kitsch Disney-esque fashion. Thebright trekking and bicycletripscanbeorganised. There’s avery mediocre restaurant. Mountain the kasbah‘experience’ ra irregular, soyouare payingfor and service Roomstend tobesmallanddark local sheikh. terful hotel isakasbahbuiltin1944forthe breakfast US$40/53/68; .com; 126Ave BirAnzarane;s/d/trhalfboardUS$49/70/93,incl Tomboctou Hôtel TINERHIR the day. location, itisoverrun bytourgroupsduring of its to US$12)take intheviews.Because and agoodterrace restaurant (menu US$8 Yasmina has fairly smallfunctionalrooms of rockwallsatthe heart thegorge,sheer the andbeneaththe tic locationbesidethefjord .todragorge.com; s/d/trhalfboardUS$25/34/54) riverside. and there’s alovely terrace restaurant bythe (tryforabalcony), andbright comfortable tractive andstone-built Amazir. Roomsare the gorge, 5kmbefore youenter, istheat- On abendintheroadatopposite endof rani isa privately run Hôtel Restaurant laVallée Restaurant Hôtel Hôtel Restaurant Yasmina Restaurant Hôtel Amazir Hôtel Kasbah Lamrani Kasbah Right intheheartofRight thegorge, this With abrilliantlocationonthe souq

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( -kasbah built ina % % ( % pas 024 895118;www 024 895126;s/d/tr 061 267251,073 A fantas- ) Lam- ing prices can be high. At thetimeofing pricescanbehigh. ourvisit, and it’shere thattheymake theirmoney.Ask- for someof theworst hassleinMorocco. area. As aresult, itisacquiringareputation is thefocusof fast-expandingtourisminthe A stringof campsandauberges, mostbuiltin Sleeping &Eating uptofiveper dayforacartaking passengers. 4WD are more expensive, costinguptoUS$136 from US$34toUS$73perperson. Outingsina tent, dinnerandbreakfast)in aBerber ranged ple of trips(including abed hours. Overnight or, more cameltrek usual,sunset lastinga cou- prices ranged fromUS$9toUS$14forasunrise Merzouga.net of carpetshops.Italsohasaninternet place, eral stores, amechanic and,of acouple course, havetiny village, butdoes sky andthebrillianceof itsstars. to appreciate clarityof theimmense thedesert awayfromthelight, a littlewayintothesand, Hassi youonlyhave Atnight, towalk Labied. dunes are nearthevillages of Merzouga and them frompinktogoldred. Thelargest change transforms andfascinationassunlight tors give it.Thedunesare asceneof constant manyvisi- glimpse orsunset than thesunrise much more a magicallandscapethatdeserves across thenearbyborderinAlgeria. Theerg is escaped fromthemuch larger dunefield dunes thatcanreach tohave 160mandseems ran erg, animpressive, driftingchain of sand Chebbi Erg MERZOUGA &THEDUNES drop youinBoumalneduDadès(US$1.20). (US$8, onedaily).Anythingwestboundwill (US$4,onedaily)andZagora daily), Rissani (US$3.40, three daily),Meknès (US$12,six (US$16,onedaily),Erfoud and toCasablanca (US$10, five daily)viaOuarzazate (US$4.50), El Fath runfromTinehir buses toMarrakesh &Away There Getting and US$3.40 perperson. tent US$2.30 for between orin aBerber salon onamattressyou cansleep on theroof, inthe alone restaurants. Inmany of places these isn’t abad thingasthere aren’t manystand- options, which Mostoffer half-board Labied. south of thevillages of Merzouga andHassi Erg Chebbiformanymilestothe northand similar kasbahstyle, flankthewestern sideof Merzouga, some50kmsouthof Erfoudisa Most hotels offer excursions intothedunes isMorocco’sonlygenuine Saha- (per hrUS$0.90; h téléboutiques, 8am-midnight)

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189 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO on offer. Roomsare large, well-equippedand friendly management andlotsof excursions lar placeinanexcellentlocation,withvery NORTH OFHASSI LABIED Saniaandthe footofthe Ksar thedunes. simple en-suite roomsinaquietlocationnear person US$17; fills upfast. available forUS$4.30.It’svery popularand cious Moroccanmeals(US$12);breakfast is run theplacecancookupastorm of deli- blues andyellow.TheMoroccanladies who spotlessly clean,simplyfurnished roomsin auberge intheheartof Merzouga, withnine Chez Julia MERZOUGA factor ifyouare visitingintheheat. smartest auberge. Thepoolisamajor deciding friendly. familycontagiously spotless andtheEttayek decorated in s/d halfboardUS$40/54; for money. fittings.Greatrugs andwrought-iron value includingolddoors,tion todetail, Berber andtwo-colour cotta rooms,allsoothinglydecoratedeight interra- small kasbahwithtwocourtyardsandonly .fr; s/d/stehalfboardUS$18/23/25; accommodation. hasagoodrange thetarmac, some wayoff of This tinyvillage, 5kmnorthof Merzouga and HASSI LABIED 190 can and is served beneath the starlit sky. beneath the starlit can and isserved delicious combination of French and Moroc- sions by camel, horse and4WD.The foodisa families and organises someexcellent excur- colours.desert Itisextremely popular with very chalets comfortable decorated incalming is fullof greenery, of which shadeaseries fits aformerSufi centre. Itswalledcompound Kasbah Derkaoua is aworldof itsown,asbe- of the first signs when comingfromRissani, as board perpersonUS$57; Derkaoua Kasbah Auberge all fullyequipped,adduptoHassi Labied’s pastel-paintedenteen roomsandfoursuites, .com; s/d/trinclbreakfast US$43/54/66; Kasbah Tomboctou Kasbah Mohajut Kasbah Auberge LaTradition Auberge Dar elJanoub OOC IETR • Acmoain ••Accommodation MOROCCO DIRECTORY ) The furthestnorth of theauberges, one

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) ( 070 039244;halfboardper % A big,noisy,popu- Ithasniceatten- p /fax 035577140;half pas ) A delightful, Adelightful, A lovely ) Sev- the trek andyour negotiating skills. the number of people involved, the lengthof overnight excursion), but varydepending on US$34 per person per day (orUS$40for an at around sons worth considering.Prices start (November toearlyMarch) are the onlysea- Merzouga. near ( p189) Dunes Tinfou and Erg Chigaga,andthedunesof Erg Chebbi the especially (p186), Valley stretches of includetheDrâa Saharansand trek.sion oratwo-week Themost evocative ences, whetherdoneonanovernight excur- one of themostrewarding wildernessexperi- one of thecountry’ssignature activitiesand theMoroccanSaharabycamel is Exploring Safaris &Desert Treks Camel ACTIVITIES especially insummer. mended forallplaceslisted inthischapter, (alltaxes included). quoted isTTC alwayscheckinclude tax; theprice youare Pricesgivenstated. and are season forhigh clude aprivate bathroomunlessotherwise are generally listed inorderof priceandin- US$115) andtopend(US$115up);places budget (uptoUS$45),midrange (US$45to a riad also offer gorgeous inthestyleof guesthouses in larger manytourists cities).Citiesthatsee andfancyfive-starshouses (thelatter mostly ranging fromdingydives togorgeous guest- andTangier.Rabat Hotels varydramatically, Chefchaouen,in Casablanca, Fès,Meknès, jeunesses de Auberges ACCOMMODATION MOROCCO DIRECTORY Merzouga andErfoudback. toRissani grands taxis out yourowntransportyou’llhave torely on for emergencies andamobile phone. With- somakesand, sure youhave plentyof water a possibility,albeitremote, of getting stuckin pistes the dunes,buttheyare allaccessible bycar. The at leastakilometre of off theroadatbase the waytoMerzouga. Mosthotels are located roadnowcontinuesall Thankfully, thesealed &Away There Getting Autumn (September toOctober)and winter Autumn (September are recom- highly Advance reservations Price categories inthischapter include (sandy tracks) can be rough andthere tracks)canberough (sandy is

(traditional courtyard house). (traditional courtyardhouse). orontheminivansthatrunfrom (youthhostels) operate lonelyplanet.com the best seasons fortrekking.the bestseasons Chefchaouen ( p157 ). Springandautumnare around try, includingintheRifMountains great thecoun- possibilitiesexistthroughout ( p185 ), attractsthelion’sshare of visitors, but Atlas peakintheHigh (4167m), thehighest more independentadventure. Jebel Toubkal to arrange guides,porters andmulesfora king possibilities.It’srelatively straightforward lovers, offering avarietyof year-round trek- Morocco isasuperbdestinationformountai n- Trekking an extraUS$1.70orso. usually costsUS$1.20,withamassage costing town hasatleastonepublic relaxing. cleansingandtotally oughly Every local experienceakintovisitingaspa–thor- in theirhotel). Fortravellers, itisanauthentic whodon’thavefor those hotwater athome(or (especially forwomen)andapracticalsolution is aritualatthecentre of Moroccansociety Visiting a Hammams lonelyplanet.com US$14 per half-day (plus tip). US$14 perhalf-day tourist offices andhotels at thefixed priceof or onarticles soldtoyouin the hotels is thecommission gained from certain of peopleremember these theirmaininterest BouJeloudBab inFès.Ifyouendupwithone especiallyatTangierstations, portandnear the entrancesto medinas andoutsidetrain You’ll stillfindplenty toutshangingaround reduced – butnoteliminated –theproblem faces jailtimeand/or ahuge fine. Thishas convicted of operatingasanunofficial guide faux guides tourist centres toclampdownonnotorious upintheprincipal (tourist police)wasset prison conditions. and Moroccoisnotagoodplaceto investigate butdrug bustsareRif Mountains, common Plenty of finekif(marijuana)isgrowninthe islongpast. Morocco’s eraasahippyparadise DANGERS &ANNOYANCES offices Tourist Shops Restaurants Cafés BUSINESS HOURS longer atnoononFriday) Official guidescan be engaged through Official A few years agothe 7am-11pm 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-8pm Mon-Sat (often closed 9am-12.30pm&2.30-8pmMon-Sat(often hammam noon-3pm&7-11pm (false guides)andhustlers.(false Anyone 8.30am-12.30pm&2.30-6.30pmMon-Thu MOROCCO DIRECTORY ••BusinessHours MOROCCO DIRECTORY (traditional bathhouse) (traditionalbathhouse) brigade touristiquebrigade hammam souqs . Avisit . .

Niederwallstr 39,10117 Berlin) Ont KIN8J4) Rd,Ottawa, .ottawa.on.ca; 38Range 30 Miami Aoyama Minat 107-0062, ) AoyamaMinat 30 Miami Algiers) Gate Gardens, LondonSW7 5NE) Gardens, Gate Calle Serrano 179, 28002Madrid) Calle Serrano Japan Germany France Canada Algeria following countries,amongothers: Morocco hasdiplomaticrepresentation inthe Moroccan Embassies&Consulates .maec.gov.ma. and foreign embassiesinMorocco,gotowww ofFor details allMoroccan embassies abroad EMBASSIES &CONSULATES -ambassade.nl; Oranjestraat9,2514 JB,TheHague) UK Spain Netherlands The Mauritania Sydney, NSW2060) du Général de Gaulle, BP621, Nouakchott) du GénéraldeGaulle, Tasse, 75016 Paris)

     PRACTICALITIES ( % Moroccousesthemetricsystem for The current but electric is220V/50Hz Satellite dishesare everywhere TV in Moroccanradioencompasses Radio ForafulllistofMoroccannewspapers (www.onlinenewspapers.com/morocco.htm) weights andmeasures. plugs.round two-pin accepttheEuropeanMoroccan sockets older buildingsmaystilluse110V. broadcast inArabicandFrench. and2M,which owned stations,TVM stations. There are twogovernment- Morocco andpickupdozens offoreign temporary music. and Tunisia, andplaysreasonable con- FM covers Morocco,Algeria northern either ArabicorFrench. 1at97.5 Midi stations, thebulkofwhichbroadcastin only ahandfuloflocalAM andFM online, goto ( ( ( % % 020-7581 5001;[email protected]; 49 Queen’s ( % ( % % ( ( % % 91 5631090; www.maec.gov.ma/madrid; 03-3478 3271; www.morocco-emba.jp; 5-4- 03-3478 3271;www.morocco-emba.jp; ( 01 45206935;www.amb-maroc.fr; 5RueLe 60 7408;8RuedesCèdres, Parc delaReine, 613-236 7391,www.ambassade-maroc % 02-9922 4999; Suite 2, 11 West St, North 02-9922 4999;Suite2,11WestSt,North 030-206 1240;www.maec.gov.ma/berlin; 525 14 11; [email protected]; Av525 1411;[email protected]; ( % onlinenewspapers.com 070-346 9617;www.marokkaanse .

191 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO Idriss el-Azhar) el-Azhar) Idriss Balafrej Souissi) ave alAbTal 212) Agdal, Rabat Held in Fès during JuneandJuly. Held inFèsduring inJune. Held inMarrakesh as-Sadiq, Agdal) 6 Ave deMarrakesh) gather towatchtheprocessions tothesaint’stomb. thelargestcity October, Festival Music ofWorldSacred Festival Gnaoua &WorldMusic Festival ofFolklore Moroccans, butlocal Religious festivals are of more significanceto FESTIVALS &EVENTS US UK Spain Netherlands The Mauritania Japan Italy Germany France Canada Belgium Algeria (MapRabat pp148–9 ) include: Countries withdiplomaticrepresentation in inMorocco Embassies &Consulates US 192 homosexuality remainshomosexuality relatively common notopenly admittedalthough orshown, male can goto jailand/orbe fined. Inpractice, ficially illegal inMorocco –intheoryyou acts (includingkissing) areHomosexual of- GAY &LESBIANTRAVELLERS II Moussem ofMoulay Idriss Festival Cultural International Marrakesh) Marrakesh) 1601 21stStNW,Washington,DC20009) oua.co.ma) inJune. Held inEssaouiraonthethirdweekend .com; 40RuedeTunis) .org.ma; 7Rue Thami Lamdaouar,SoussiI) .ma; 7RueMadnine) July andAugust. Khalouiya) Khalouiya) Tour Hassan) Agdal) Rue Sahnoun, year andsomedrawbigcrowds. are heldallover the thecountrythroughout ( ( Major festivals includethefollowing: ( % % % ( ( OOC IETR • Fsias&Eet ••Festivals &Events MOROCCO DIRECTORY % ( ( % % 037 762265;www.usembassy.ma;2Ave de 202-462 7979;[email protected]; 037 238600; www.britain.org.ma; 17Blvddela 037 238600;www.britain.org.ma; ( % ( % % ( ( 037 706598;[email protected]; 2Rue % % 037 633900;[email protected];RueAin 037 631782;fax750078;39Ave Ahmed ( 037 689700; www.ambafrance-ma.org; 3 037 689700;www.ambafrance-ma.org; 212 -3776559;Angle31cnrrueOuidFes & 037 687400;fax687430;13RueJaafar % 037 268060;[email protected]; 037 709662;www.amballemagne-rabat 037 656678;ambassadeur@mauritanie ( % (www.maghrebarts.ma inFrench) (www.maghrebarts.ma moussem 037 219600;nlgovrab@mtds moussems Held during September and September Heldduring inholyFèswhenthousands (www.fezfestival.org) Held in Asilah during during HeldinAsilah (www.festival-gna (saints days) (saints 20 August cussion groupsforgaytravellerstoandresidents ofMorocco. four or five days, during which Morocco grinds toahalt. which Moroccogrinds four orfivedays, during Thefestivities bymost Muslims. last calendar) and isobserved (dependingonthe orOctober September which occurs during the Prophet Mohammed. an-Nabi (Mouloud) Mawlid Aïd al-Fitr Aïd al-Adha vals, alltiedtothe lunarcalendar. national andlocal Islamicholidaysandfesti- holidays thereIn additiontosecular are many Independence Day March oftheGreen Anniversary Young People’s Day &People’s Revolution oftheKing’s Anniversary ofOued-Eddahab Allegiance Feast oftheThrone Labour Day Independence Manifesto New Year’s Day the following: shut onthemainpublic holidays, including andmostshops All banksandpostoffices HOLIDAYS Guide Gay International Spartacus Kelma Global Gayz Morocco Gay Behind theMask include thefollowing: on locallawsandattitudestohomosexuality tends toincludesomethingforeverybody. be foundhere andthere, Moroccannightlife ‘gay’bars andalthough can else as everyone travellers generally itineraries followthesame prize, followedbyTangier. gay Thatsaid, than others, withMarrakesh winningthe tolocalfeelings. sensitivity heterosexual couplesasameansof showing andadvice appliesequallytohomosexual –this gay maletravellers isnotunheardof) fection should beavoided (aggression towards discretion isthekey andpublicdisplays of af- so amongmenthanwomen.Inmostplaces, isfreelyand platonicaffection shown,more things shutdownforfour orfivedays. resource withgoodlinksonMorocco. around theworldwithfrequent informationonMorocco. guidetogaytravel cusworld.com/gayguide) Renowned country. African =morocco) Detailedinformationforevery Useful websites which give thelowdown Some townsare more certainly gay-friendly (www.kelma.org) Website for gays from North Africa. WebsiteforgaysfromNorth (www.kelma.org) Held at the end of the month-long Ramadan fast, Held attheendofmonth-long Ramadan 1May (www.globalgayz.com)Anothergood Marks theendofIslamic year.Marks Most (http://gaymorocco.tripod.com) Yahoo! dis- 1January (www.mask.org.za/index.php?page 18November 21August 30July 11January Celebrates the birthday of Celebrates thebirthday 14August 6November lonelyplanet.com (www.sparta

net cafés, although connectionscanbeslow. net cafés,although cheap (US$0.60toUS$1.20perhour)ininter- Internet and accessiswidely available, efficient ACCESS INTERNET lonelyplanet.com Tipping 5%and 10%of between arestaurant willingly rendered can make life a lot easier. warrant a tip,andfew dirham for aservice can of Moroccanlife. Practically anyservice and are not usuallyaccepted. dollars areNew Zealand notquoted inbanks change and bybanks. Australian,Canadian travellers cheques are widelyaccepted forex- around 5%fromMoroccan businesses. often theiruse although attractsasurcharge of widely accepted inthemaintouristcentres, systems.and InterBank Major credit cardsare MasterCard,Visa, Electron,Cirrus,Maestro acrossMorocco andmanyaccept mon sight automatiques Guichets MONEY 1:800,000 scale. rocco, WorldMap Morocco) istheGeoCenter clearer, (andoccasionallyavailable detail in Atlas,MiddleAtlas andMeknèsHigh areas. 1:600,000 enlargements of Marrakesh andthe is a1:1,000,000enlargement of Moroccoand disputed territory of Western Sahara,there map of thewholeof Morocco,includingthe country. Inadditiontothe1:4,000,000scale of Moroccoisarguably thebestmapof the Michelin’s No742(formerly959)map MAPS American Express, andThomasCook Visa Tipping andbargaining are integral parts Preferred bymanyandwithsimilar, often of Berber horse horse Berber of placeeach which takes men, meetings. The festival isalsoane inspiresmusic themtobreak intotremendous acrobaticdisplays. shells andbeads,they produceah castanets, is often theGnawa, withtheir of ethnicgroupsandtheirspecifictraditionsculture. Troupes fromallover Moroccosingtheirsongsand dance,reflecting thecountry’swidevariety the magnificentPalais el-Badi. placeinthegroundsof take features Allperformances manyofthecountry’sbestperformers. all-singing, folk-dancing placeevery – whichtakes – yearinJune inMarrakesh extravaganza Now more than40yearsold,the Festival ofFolklore isauniquecelebrationofBerberculture. The FESTIVAL OFFOLKLORE Besides the performances, variousgr Besides theperformances, oups host Each yearthefestival adifferent takes theme,suchasweddingceremonies orwarrituals. which showsthecountryatahandy MOROCCO DIRECTORY ••InternetAccess MOROCCO DIRECTORY (ATMs) are nowacom- sub-Saharan origins, whost sub-Saharan xcellent opportunity to witness the famous towitnessthefamous xcellent opportunity Mo- ypnotic sound, whichbuildstoacrescendo. The sunset outside the ramparts nearBabel-Jdid. sunsetoutsidetheramparts Morocco’s country codeis try codeandthen thecitycodeandnumber. overseas from Morocco,dial digit area code (orGSM code).When calling nine-digit number,which includes thethree- All domesticphone callsinMoroccorequire a TELEPHONE boxes.parcel offices sell unwrapped forcustomsinspection. Some of thepostoffice building.Take yourparcel ‘colis postaux’, isquickest.Casablanca or postfromRabat North America. Sending orsoto getand twoweeks toAustralia and ters toget totheirEuropeandestinations, terribly forlet- fast.Ittakes aboutaweek main citycentres. scatterednewspaper kiosksyousee aboutthe at buy stamps Poste’ logo.sign orthe‘La Youcansometimes arePost offices distinguishedbythe‘PTT’ POST arrive soyouare wellprepared. It isagoodideatoloadupatbankwhenyou forthepaymentof tipsandguides. vital taxis, now cover 85%of thepopulation. Fora map works, Méditel and Maroc Telecom, which corner.on almost every which townandvillage canbefound inevery more commonare privately run phone offices, often nexttothe postoffice, but bill isappropriate. Asupplyof smallcoinsis The parceloffice,indicated bythesign Morocco hastwoGSM mobile-phone net- A few citiesandtownsstillhave public The postal system isfairlyreliable,The postal butnot exhibitions, themenightsandacademic There are BerbersandGuedra,butit eal the show. Using lutes, show.Using eal the d isgenerally part inaseparate tabacs, thesmalltobacco and fantasia, % % 212. téléboutiques, 00, thecoun- a charge rums, 193

MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO closed andvisasare notbeing issued. a decadeofcivilwar,the borderwithMoroccoremains office in Rabat. These offices are offices These often inRabat. office called inthemaincities,withhead has offices Visas for Onward Travel forOnwardTravel Visas improve ifyou re-enter byadifferent route. and comebackafew dayslater. Yourchances do istoleave (egtravel totheSpanish enclaves) thesimplestthingto If 90daysisinsufficient, Extensions Visa Spain. have requirements visa thesame asmainland before travelling. in yourcountryorareputable travel agency idea tocheck withthe Moroccanembassy six months beyondyourdate of entry. yourpassportmustbevalidforatleast cases, (aboutUS$30).Inall month, single-entryvisa peoplecanapply for athree- babwe; these nationals of Israel,SouthAfrica andZim- tothisinclude 90 daysonentry.Exceptions and are allowedtoremain inthecountryfor Most visitors toMoroccodonotrequire visas VISAS of touristmaps,alongwithhelplesssmiles. ONMTstandard brochures andthesimplest inside Moroccoare of offering limited use, the exceptions,mosttouristoffices some notable therefound insmallertowns.Although are offices, calledSyndicatd’Initiative are tobe Délégation RégionaleduTourisme. Regional duTourisme Marocain The national tourismbody, TOURIST INFORMATION withthecodes start age/morocco.php. Moroccanmobile numbers riers, clickonwww.cellular-news.com/cover of themobile coverage forMorocco’stwocar- 194 Mauritania Mauritania Mali Algeria remote desert crossing. remote desert posts, butby nomeanscountonthat ifyou’re crossingata border visasare available atMalian on thespot.Malian are required andthevisaisusuallyissued tion certificate Twophotographs andayellow-fever vaccina- inside Mali. als andare validforonemonth (US$27),butare renewable is valid for a one-month stay. Thesecan beissued thesame is valid foraone-month needs avisa,which countries, andsome African countries As requirements visa change, it’sagood The Spanishenclaves andMelilla of Ceuta Visas are required except French nation- foreveryone RNPR NMRCO • etn hr wy INMOROCCO There &Away ••Getting TRANSPORT Although Algeria hasnowemergedfrom over Although Algeria Everyone, except nationalsofArab League (ONMT;www.visitmorocco.com) % 061 to % Office National Office 068. , international links. AlocalNGOwith [email protected]; BP456,Rabat) international airports include the following: you stay with local families and take part inculturalevents. part you staywithlocalfamiliesandtake which tofour-weekcoursesinMoroccanArabicduring three- nonprofit groupthatpromotesculturalexchangethrough A ara.ma/youthcamps; [email protected]) 539040) is the Morocco’s main international entrypoint Air THERE&AWAY GETTING MOROCCO IN TRANSPORT from walkingaroundaloneatnight. dressingeye contact, modestlyandrefraining save themselves agreat dealof griefby avoiding touristique threatening togothepoliceor would-be suitorisparticularlypersistent, to ignore where thisattention. Inthecase a dangerous. Itisbesttoavoid overreacting and and otherunwanted attention, butitisrarely comes intheformof nonstopgreetings, leering harassment whentravelling inMorocco. It of level Women canexpectacertain sexual WOMEN TRAVELLERS desChantiersMarocains Jeunesse YouthExchange Cultural International Chantiers SociauxMarocains include thefollowing: times have Moroccoplacementsorcamps around theworld. andotherworkstudyprogrammes teer lists hundreds of NGOs thatorganise volun- Lonely Planet’s programmes. Alsoworthgetting holdof is vides linkstoNGOs withMorocco-specific (www.volunteerabroad.com/Morocco.cfm) work istheMoroccopage for lookingfor A goodplacetostart volunteer VOLUNTEERING They canalsobeobtainedattheborderforUS$25. US$23 andyouneedtwophotosanonwardairticket. between 9amand10am(getthere by8.30am).Visascost EmbassyinCasablancaifyouapply day attheMauritanian teer opportunities. .org) AllowsyoutosearchforupcomingMoroccanvolun- International orlocalNGOs thatsome- , 30km southeast of Casablanca. Other Mohammed V International Airport Mohammed VInternational isamazinglyeffective. Womenwill The GapYear Book, ( % lonelyplanet.com Volunteer Abroad Volunteer 037 297184; (http://perso.men , which pro- (www.icye brigade brigade

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229464) east ofSalé. of FèsatSaïss. 203222) DutchAirlines KLM-Royal Iberia EasyJet Airways British Alitalia Air France clude thefollowing: French &Arabic) NationaldesAéroports Office rocco’s airports,logontothewebsite of the For comprehensive informationonallof Mo- Airport Rabat-Salé Ménara Airport Ibn BatoutaAirport Fès Airport lonelyplanet.com Nouâdhibou across the border andthen south south alongthe coast for460km to Dakhla adventurous year. soulsdoitevery rica into sub-Saharan Africa, andhundreds of now themostpopular route from NorthAf- The trans-Saharan route viaMauritania is MAURITANIA some timedueto ongoingpoliticaldisputes. The for border withAlgeria closed hasbeen ALGERIA Eurolines toMorocco include companies withservice Tramesa ticularly goodlinkstoSpanishnetworks is in advance.Book atleastaweek Spain leave dailyexceptSunday. Casablanca to Buses andItaly. gium, Spain,Germany and mostothermaincitiestoFrance, Bel- www.ctm.co.ma) Marocains Transports The Moroccanbuscompany, Land Ryan Air Royal AirMaroc AirLines Regional Airlines Lufthansa 536940) southofTangier.kilometres Busabout Airlines flyingtoandfromMoroccoin- The route intoMauritania runsfrom Another Moroccan bus service with par- Another Moroccanbusservice (www.iberia.com; (www.iberia.com; (www.alitalia.it; (www.easyjet.com)

(www.ryanair.com) (

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( (www.airfrance.com; (www.airfrance.com; ( % % ( % 022 245274;www.tramesa.ma). . 020-7950 1661;www.busabout.com) 08705 808080;www.eurolines.co.uk) operates buses from Casablanca fromCasablanca operates buses (www.royalairmaroc.com; (www.britishairways.com; (www.britishairways.com; ( 055 674712) Fifteen kilometres south 055 674712)Fifteen kilometres % TRANSPORT INMOROCCO Around ••Getting TRANSPORT (www.lufthansa.com; (www.lufthansa.com; (www.regionalmaroc.com; ( ( % 044 447865)InMarrakesh.

(CTM; (CTM; % % % 037 808090)Ten kilometres 039 393720)Eighteen (www.klm.com; 022 314181) 022 279600) % % in Casablanca022458080;

(www.onda.org.ma in 022 294040) Compagnie de % % % UK-based UK-based 022 312371) % 022 321122) % 022 022 . 022 and ranea.es; CalleAlcalá61,Madrid) ( Blvd d’Anfa); Air AROUND GETTING Transmediterránea delSur Ferry Rapidos Comarit or fromanytravel agent intown. Tickets are available attheportof departure to US$102.Children travel forhalftheprice. ditional US$10toUS$20,whileacar isUS$64 in Spain.Taking abicycleonboardisanad- Melilla andNadortoAlmería andMalaga ferries gofromAl-Hoceima(summeronly), geciras (US$32,35minutes, hourly).Daily toAl- Hourly ferries alsorunfromCeuta Sète, France(US$281,36hours, twoweekly). Spain (US$28,35minutes, five daily);and (US$40, 60to70minutes, hourly);Tarifa, where there are boatstoAlgeciras, Spain isTangier,coast. Themosttrafficked from ports alongtheMoroccanMediterranean Regular ferries runto Europe fromseveral Sea MoroccoandMauritania.tween it, theywillexpectasmallbribe. ask foritand,of course,ifyoucan’tpresent declaration forms,somecustomsofficials still thereAlthough are nolonger anycurrency €20 forvarious‘taxes’ on topof price. thevisa topayanother at theborder(€20).Expect Morocco, youcanbuytheMauritanian visa ontheroad.Comingfrom ily mined,sostay isheav-der, about 15kmfromthesettlement, ofin thebasicsettlement Guergarat. Thebor- 50kmbeforelast station theborder. of maybeoutof Dakhla fuel,inparticular,the availableat every south Somestations station. Nouakchott. tofillupwithpetrol It’sadvisable along thecoasttoMauritanian capital flights – butthis isonlyif theticket flights isbought of 25% are available on allRAM domestic Fès,Marrakesh,saouira, andTangier. Rabat Es- byRAM includeCasablanca, ports serviced Air Lines industry withpaltry competitionfrom .royalairmaroc.com) Maroc Air Royal % Moroccan borderformalitiesare processed Student and under-26 youthdiscounts Ferry companies includethefollowing: Note thatthere’s nopublictransportbe- 039 942612); (www.comarit.com) (www.comarit.com)

( % Tangier in Casablanca022538080)

(RAM; Spain dominates theMoroccanair ( % (

% ( % % 039 947402;Tangier Port) (FRS; www.frs.ma) 902 454645;www.trasmediter in Casablanca022912000; www 956 681830) Casablanca . Internal air- ( % Morocco 022 293320; Regional Regional

195 MOROCCO MOROCCO MOROCCO for abasiccarwithunlimited mileage. Most orUS$57perday ing fromUS$395perweek all insurers cover Morocco. vehicle) isrequired fromthecar’sinsurer. Not (proofa Green Card of insuranceforyour cences, includingUSandEU,are acceptable), Driving Permit manyforeign (although li- registration documentandanInternational Inaddition toyourvehiclestraightforward. Taking yourown vehicle toMoroccois &Motorcycle Car handling –US$0.60iscommon. often thannotyou’llbecharged forbaggage Tangier are US$8,US$10andUS$14.More fares toMarrakesh, fromCasablanca Fèsand thathavethe distances tobecovered. Typical book aheadforCTM andSupratours buses. owned andonlyoperate regionally. It’sbestto Morocco’s otherbuscompaniesare allprivately Supratoursthrough towidenitstrainnetwork. (CTM; tional carrier, competing forbusinessalongsidethemainna- out Morocco,withmanyprivate companies networkof operatesA dense buses through- Bus can transportbikes andtrains. onbothbuses foodandplentyofneed, drinkingwater). You with them(includinganyspare partsyoumay onbikes tocarryallsupplies those willneed sideration bydrivers. are Distances great and cyclists andthey’re really notgiven much con- There are to nospecialroadrulespertaining Bicycle from twoto12travel athalfprice. reductions are available andchildren aged in advancefromoneof theiroffices.Group Continental Europe. limitsin built-up Continental Speed all rental agreements. international agency. rental atravel inadvancethrough agent or However, itisusually cheaper toarrange car the competitionis greatest andpriceslower. MarrakeshCasablanca, andTangier, where card. Thebestcities inwhich to hire cars are (US$340 toUS$565) unlessyoupaybycredit companies demand areturnable cashdeposit 196 Renting acarinMoroccoisn’tcheap, start- The ONCFtraincompanyrunsbuses Bus travel isrelatively cheap considering In Morocco you drive asin onthe right, By law,insurance mustbe soldalongwith % RNPR NMRCO • etn rud INMOROCCO Around ••Getting TRANSPORT in Casablanca022753677;www.ctm.co.ma) Compagnie de Transports Marocains Compagnie deTransports .

cramped passengers andleave whenfull. of 10%to 50%,depending on theservice. aged four and12 years between get a reduction Marrakesh (US$21, 9½hours). to Fès (US$8,3½hours) andTangierRabat to blanca toMarrakesh (US$8.50,three hours), US$10. Sample2nd-class fares includeCasa- (couchettes) andthey’re wellworth theextra gier. Thecompartmentsfoldupinto sixbunks ordinaire fares; 2nd-class ismore thanadequate. Therebuses. are different 1st-and2nd-class trains are fastandpreferable comfortable, to Tangier lineatSidiKacem. TheBelgian-made northeast, alsotoMarrakesh, joiningwiththe to Marrakesh, andthe linefromOujdainthe gers: the linefromTangier inthenorth down French). National desCheminsdeFer Morocco’s trainnetworkisrunby the Train three passengers andare usually metered. city limits.Theyare tocarryup licensed Petits taxis taxis, neighbours. (shared Theylinktownstotheirnearest taxis). great are flocksnearbusstations ing alongMoroccanroadsandgathered in The elderlyMercedes belt- vehicles you’llsee Local Transport and alldecent-sizetownswillhave agarage. can mechanics are generally extremely good should arrive withanear-empty Moroc- tank. rocco andmainlandSpainviatheenclaves Melilla istax-free, sodrivers heading toMo- hours). Parking isfree onSundays. of(US$0.30 perhourforamaximumstay 2½ tickets are issuedfrombluekerbside machines increasing numberof big citycentres, parking for afew hours andUS$1.20overnight. Inan teristic bluecoats.Thegoingrate isUS$0.40 are watched by in cars, butno-onedoes. for drivers belts andpassengers towearseat 120km/h onthemotorways.It’scompulsory limitofis anationalspeed 100km/h,risingto areas range from40km/h.Outsidetownsthere Children aged under fourtravel free. Those Cities andbigger townshave local Petrol intheSpanishenclaves and of Ceuta Couchettes are available ontheovernight In manyMoroccantowns,parkingzones which are adifferent city. colourinevery There are twolines thatcarrypassen- trains between Marrakesh trainsbetween andTan- are notpermitted togobeyondthe Grands taxis gardiens devoitures

take sixextremely (ONCF; www.oncf.ma in lonelyplanet.com grands taxis incharac- petits Office Office

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