is Morocco safe? How to stay safe during your visit in 2020?

Despite the magical and captivating qualities of Morocco, it still incites hesitation and safety concerns for western travellers. Is Morocco safe? In truth: Yes, Morocco is a safe place to visit, you’re unlikely to encounter serious problems as a tourist, but it is essential to be careful, especially if you are a solo female traveller. Don’t let your fear keep you from experiencing a truly wonderful adventure.

Let’s be honest; no country in this world is entirely “safe” that’s why you have to do a little prior research before travelling. If you know what to expect and how to behave in new places with different cultures, your journey would be less stressful and much more enjoyable.

So here are my top tips to stay safe in Morocco:

9 Useful tips to stay safe in Morocco

Be wary of where and when you walk: Well-lit and busy areas are always safe; you should be exploring the city only during the daytime, so stay away from dark corners and back alleys at night.
Respect the culture: you probably know that Morocco is a Muslim country, so if you’re visiting a mosque, please take off your shoes before exploring the inside and avoid speaking or laughing loud, especially if locals are reading the holy Quran there.
If you are visiting the country in Ramadan, then you should know that people are fasting until around 7:00 pm local time, so it’s very disrespectful to eat in front of them.
The dress here is very conservative. No matter how hot it is, you won’t see local Moroccan women walking in mini skirts, so if you’re a woman, don’t show too many tights, chest, and shoulders as it may easily attract unwanted attention and more harassment.
Don’t drive: this is coming from someone who lived here for a long time, and I assure you driving here is very stressful. All kinds of vehicles, bicycles, and animal carts are sharing the roads. Some people could also be crossing the street from the middle of it. Keep in mind that if you don’t have enough driving skills to participate in this organized chaos, to stay away from the wheel to avoid accidents. So the best way to navigate would be taxis, they are very cheap, but some of them may inflate the price, which brings us to the next tip.
Be wary of inflated prices: this is most noticeable when taking taxis; people would advise you to negotiate the taxi price before you set off, that could be a solution, but the better way is to insist on running the counter. For restaurants, all of them should have a menu available, and most individual sellers have price tags for what they are selling. But to be honest, everything is cheap as it is for many travellers visiting Morocco. You may read somewhere else that haggling is a must here, which is true but keep in mind that you should give back to the places you visit, so don’t over-haggle for a dollar that someone may need more than you do.
Check if anything is missing before you leave: before leaving the taxi or the place you’re eating at, check if you have all your belongings with you as it may be challenging to get them back, Islam teaches us to get back what doesn’t belong to us, but sadly poverty and ignorance may lead some people here to stealing instead of looking for the owner.
Watch for scams: most of them are obvious, but some travellers fall for it. iPhone, Addidas, Nike, and all big marks sold on the street are fake.
Firmly say “No”: you are going to be harassed to buy items or to visit someone’s shop. If you don’t want to, then don’t and firmly say “no” or ignore them and move on, don’t feel rude doing this, or they’ll keep taking advantage of you.

Visiting Morocco requires you to be a little strict in some places due to the sheer number of people who will give you unwanted attention to buy things. Visiting for the first time alone could be annoying, especially if you are a solo female.

It is truly a unique experience that you’ll not find somewhere. If you still feel uneasy, then booking a tour would be a good option for you to discover the country for the first time.

If you still have any questions or feel like sharing more tips, please post them in the comment below. I’ll be working continuously on this page to provide as much information as possible about the safety of Morocco.