Best time to visit for culture in Morocco

2 min summary When to go Map & highlights Kasbah Du Toubkal Berber Culture Hammams Advice Responsible tourism

Best time to visit Morocco on a cultural vacation

Morocco opens up a whole magical world for family travel at Christmas. The culture is like a sack full of gorgeous gifts.

Moroccan culture is often informed by the weather and the country actually has two climate zones. In brief, you don’t want to be exploring the Sahara for too long in peak of summer, when the mercury hits 45°C. The coastal cities can be 15°C lower at that time of year and the Atlas Mountains get cooler the higher you go, of course. March to June and September to November are the best times to visit Morocco for a cultural vacations, as it’s not too hot at these times. The majority of our cultural trips are small group tours, however, and most of them depart all year round, to suit your own schedule and preferences.

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Marrakech Weather Chart

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Our Morocco culture Vacations

Cultural vacations in Morocco, month by month

Northern Morocco sees plenty of rain between November and January, especially around Fez and Casablanca. Desert dust storms are at their most frequent between February and April. Temperatures can drop by 20°C in the desert between night and day, so you will often be told to pack a sleeping bag for camping out. Fez loves its festivals, with two contrasting prestigious ones to visit: the very cool World Music Festival in May and the Fez Festival of Sacred Music in June. The month of Ramadan is a lively time at night, but many businesses close during the day. For true cultural immersion, however, it is a fascinating time to visit. Ramadan falls May-June in 2019, April-May in 2020 and April in 2021 and 2022. The Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech are a favourite cultural retreat except when there are hundreds of bus tours in peak months of July and August. So, head there early morning or late afternoon. The Dades Valley of Roses is famous in May as the fields are full of sweet smelling pink Damascus roses. It is celebrated with the Rose Festival in El Kelaa M’Gouna. Often promoted as a destination of winter sun, be aware that the temperatures actually average around 14°C in December and early January, which is wonderful for culture vultures but not if you are hoping to get bronzed in the process. Spring in the High Atlas is wonderful as the wild flowers, from poppies to wild orchids, blue gentian to blankets of pink and purple scabiousa, spring up like magic. Spring can start as early as February, depending on annual snowfall.

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Meryem Benkhati, is one of several female tour guides with our leading cultural vacations in Morocco supplier, Intrepid Travel:

“June and September are my favourite times. The temperature is perfect, it’s sunny yet there is a cool breeze. Also, my favorite festival, Gnaoua Music Festival, is held every year in June in Essaouira, so for me that’s the coolest, most laid back season of the year.”

Mike McHugo, owner of the stunning Kasbah du Toubkal in the High Atlas Mountains:

“Many people don’t realise that Morocco is a cold country with a hot sun, particularly out of the peak season. Even if you get good weather, once the sun goes down Morocco can be cold even in Marrakech and the south, never mind in the mountains. So people don’t pack correctly; Marrakech can have frost in winter, for example. The other thing to remember is that during the extremely hot weather in summer, the mountains here are cool and pleasant. In July and August, we can be 14°C cooler than Marrakech. Here it can be 30°C, while in Marrakech it can be up to 44°C, which is pretty unpleasant.’’