How expensive is it to travel to Morocco?
Jeff Wilson
Morocco Expert | Creating Lasting Memories By Designing Private Trips of a Lifetime | Unforgettable, Tailor-Made Tours | CEO
A major factor when you are thinking about your trip is wondering how expensive is it to travel to Morocco? The cost differs depending on what type of trip you take: whether you do it on your own or whether you travel with a tour company. Of course, even within tour companies, there are cost ranges depending on if you go with a group tour or a private tour.?
Let’s break it down by type of travel and then think about other expenses you will need to budget for.
Cost for Morocco if you do it yourself:
If you are someone who has traveled a lot, perhaps you’d like to plan your trip to Morocco by yourself. You want to book all the hotels or Airbnbs on your own and mainly use public transportation. This will definitely be the cheapest way for you to see Morocco!
Hotels:
Looking at a website like Booking.com, a 3 star riad will cost you around: $50-100 a night, 4 star accommodations will cost you about: $100-$200 a night and a place listed as 5 star is listed at around: $150-$300 a night. Note: Moroccan riads tend to be a bit more expensive than Western hotels. I think they are worth it, but if you are looking to save some money, you could choose to stay in mostly Western hotels with a riad in one city.
It’s also important to check the reviews before booking a place online, as sometimes the star ratings won’t line up with your expectations. If you consider yourself a luxury traveler, I’d recommend doing further research to find the best accommodations or booking with a luxury company that can vouch for the quality of the accommodations.
Alternatively, you could use a home rental service such as Airbnb, where you’ll find properties from $30–$80 a night for one room. This is a great way to see Moroccan homes and save a little money, but we would recommend staying in some at least some Moroccan riads to get a taste for the unique accommodation style. This also works well for larger groups as you can rent out whole houses.
Public Transportation:
If your itinerary keeps you in the main cities of Morocco such as Fes, Tangier, Marrakech and Casablanca, it’s very easy and inexpensive to travel by train. Prices will range from about $25 to $40 per person. For a longer train trip, I’d recommend a first class ticket as the price increase isn’t too significant and is more comfortable.
There are also buses that travel between cities, especially to the more rural areas of the country. If you’d like to add the Sahara desert to your itinerary, you would need to travel there by bus, rent a car, or hire a private driver to take you. It can be a bit difficult to navigate the bus system if you don’t have Arabic or French, and is not the most comfortable way to travel, but it could work for you if you are flexible and adventurous!
Instead, I would recommend renting a car or finding a private driver. Finding a private driver will be your easiest option as it saves you the trouble of finding a rental car office and dealing with the country specific rules. Of course, there will be a range of costs for a driver depending on the type of private driver you book. You could go with a high-end company or book a ride at a kiosk on the side of a medina street.
Another option for going between cities is to use a rideshare app such as inDrive. This works for travel within cities or also city to city. You simply enter your destination and the price that you are willing to pay and the driver either counters with their own offer or accepts your offer. Note: sometimes the drivers will try to call you on the phone to determine where you would like to go instead of following the marked locations in the app. This could be challenging if you don’t speak Arabic or French. Uber is not yet available in Morocco.
As far as travel within cities goes, petit taxis are easy to find and relatively inexpensive. The base fare is a little less than a dollar, and adds about $.60-.75 per kilometer. Within the city, you could expect to pay $2-8 for most taxi rides. Some taxi drivers will note that you are a tourist or will see that you are traveling to a touristy area and will try to charge you a higher fare instead of using their meters. Feel free to bargain! A challenge for using taxis if you don’t speak Arabic or French can be describing the place where you are going.?
Meals:
The amount of money that you spend on food is totally up to you! If you are looking to save money, it’s very possible to find cheap street food in Morocco. You could expect to spend $5-15 for a typical lunch. The fancier restaurants will cost somewhere around $50 per person for dinner, not including alcohol. Expect to pay more for food in a city like Marrakech, as it tends to be a bit more expensive than a smaller town that doesn’t have as many tourists.
Cost for Group Tours to Morocco:
How much does it cost to take a group tour to Morocco? Here are some average prices after surveying a few different group tour options.
A 10-day trip ranges from $750-1400 per person. This typically includes breakfast, accommodations, and transportation between cities. Each company is different, but this does not typically include add-on tours in country and entrance fees into historical sites. A tour like this could have around 16-20 travelers.
This would not be considered a “luxury tour.” A group luxury tour could cost up to $7,000 per person for a 10 day trip. With a luxury tour, dinners would be included as well as additional tours and activities.
When you think about the cost of a group tour, remember that there is little to no flexibility. If you like to travel with a pre-planned itinerary, this might be a great option for you. If you prefer to customize your trip a little more, then you should consider doing the trip on your own or booking a private tour.
Private Tours:
If you are someone who likes to have a little more control over your itinerary, but feel a bit hesitant about taking on Morocco alone, a private tour is the best choice for you. Again, there is huge range of prices for a tour depending on the level of accommodations, transportation and inclusions.
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When you compare company prices, here are a few questions to ask them to be sure that you are comparing the prices fairly.
If you’d like to know more about the Pros & Cons of Private vs Group Tours, you can read our full article.
Additional Costs to Expect:
Flights:
How much do flights to Morocco cost?
You can expect to pay around $750 for a round trip economy flight from JFK to Casablanca. During the holiday season, prices will rise to about $1,000 for a similar flight.
If you prefer to fly first class, you can expect to pay about $5,000 for a round trip direct flight from JFK to Casablanca.
Tips:
Morocco is a big tipping culture! This is a cost that a lot of people don’t think about when they are budgeting for a trip to Morocco. Tips in Morocco in general are small, but they can add up. Here are some examples of people you might tip: private driver, porters, servers at restaurants, cleaners at hotels, spa attendants, camel guide, airport transfer drivers, museum or city guides, or for taking a photo. If you are traveling with a private company, be sure to check if any tips are included for your tour.
Excluding tips for a private driver, you can expect to spend anywhere from $10-20 a day in tips (adjust up or down depending on how many guides/meals/activities you are booking).
Spa Services, Activities, and Entrance Fees:
Activities are another part of travel that can add up without you realizing it. Here are some activities and entrance fees that you might come across:
Pick whatever is best for you!
Morocco is an incredible travel destination no matter how you experience it. Take some time to look through your options and pick something that works well for what you are looking to experience while working with your budget.
Our specialty is private tours, so if you have any question about custom designing a private tour for your budget, contact us. Let us know if you are looking for luxury or something more economic.?
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