Morocco is not called a cold country with a hot sun for nothing -
temperaturescan vary dramatically between night and day, depending on
the season and the region. In summer the beaches will be hot but
crowded, and on the Atlantic side the sky is very often overcast. The
coast is temperate all year round, but the resorts will feel cool out of
season. The summer months are excellent for visiting the High and Middle
Atlas Mountains, but cities like Fes and Marrakech can be unbearably
hot. The best time to visit the south and the Sahara region is in
winter, from October to February, as the summer temperature here can
easily soar to over 45°C. For a general tour of Morocco the best periods
are March to May and September to October, when it's cooler and there's
less chance of rain.
GETTING THERE
By Air Royal Air Maroc (tel: 020 7439 4361; web:
www.royalairmaroc.com) operates direct, scheduled flights from
London Heathrow, Paris and other cities in France. New York and Montreal
also have direct flights to Morocco. British Airways (tel: 0345 222111;
web: www.britishairways.com) operates flights from London to Casablanca,
Tangier and Marrakech. Air France (tel: 08450845 Ill; web:
www.airfrance.co.uk) has daily flights to several Moroccan cities
via Paris, as does KLM (tel: 08705074074; web: www.klm.com) via
Amsterdam to Casablanca. Travel times Direct flights from London to Casablanca take Just
over three hours, and to Marrakech 3 hours and 40 minutes.
By Sea Several ferry companies operate between France or Spain
and Morocco. The keenestprices are available from
Transmediterranea in Algeciras, Spain (tel: 956 583 444, in Algeciras or
c/o Southern Ferries in London, tel: 020 7491 4968). There are
several crossings a day between Algeclras in Spain and Ceuta by
vehicle ferry (1hr 30 min), by fast ferry (40 min) or by
catamaran (30 min). Passengers need to take a bus to the Moroccan
border and then another one to their final destination.
By Car You can cross by ferry from Spain or France, but,
as cars can face slow land border crossings from Ceuta into Morocco due
to custom controls, it's better to arrive in Tangier.
TIME
Morocco stays at Greenwich Mean Time all year, with no Daylight Saving
Time in summer. However, Ceuta and Melilla keep Spanish time, which is
GMT +1 in winter and GMT +2 in summer.
CURRENCY AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Currency The monetary unit of Morocco is the dirham (dh), divided into
100 centimes. Notes are issued in 20, 50, 100 and 200 dirhams. There are
coins for 10, 20 and 50 centimes and for 1 and 5 dirhams. Notes are
issued in 20, 50, 100 and 200 dirhams. Currency is labelled in Arabic
and French.
Exchange Keep all exchange receipts and budget carefully at the end of
your stay, as on departure you will only be allowed to reconvert half of
what you can prove to have changed. Eurocheques are accepted in at least
one bank in each major city, and both hotels and banks will change cash
and traveller's cheques. Hotels usually offer slightly lower exchange
rates than banks.
Traveller's cheques (sterling and US$) are easily exchanged in most
banks, but there is usually a surcharge on each cheque. There are
numerous cash machines in tourist areas and even in smaller towns.
Hotels usually offer slightly lower exchange rates than banks.
Credit cards are widely accepted at banks, top hotels, restaurants and
shops, but it is wise to check first.
