Morocco with kids: a practical guide for families

Morocco works well for families who plan around two things: heat and distance. Children are welcomed almost everywhere, the food is easy to like, and beaches, gardens and camel rides keep most ages happy. The harder parts are the inland summer heat, long road days, taxis without child seats and old houses with steep stairs. Come in spring or autumn (or stay on the coast in summer), choose a room with a pool or a beach nearby, keep travel days short, and check what documents your children need before you fly. This guide covers when to go, where to stay, health, getting around, documents, safety and costs, with every source listed at the end.

When to go: plan around the heat

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the easiest months for a trip that mixes cities and coast. Travel publishers put typical daytime temperatures at about 20–28°C in those seasons, warm enough for the pool and cool enough for walking.

July and August are another story inland. Marrakech and Fes can reach 35–45°C, which is hard on babies and small children, and family travel writers advise avoiding the interior at the height of summer. The Atlantic coast is the summer answer: Agadir and Essaouira stay far cooler than the inland cities, although they are also at their busiest. Winter is quieter and mild by day, but nights are cool, so check that rooms are heated.

Travelling during Ramadan is possible with children: most sights stay open, though opening hours and restaurant times can change.

Tip: In hot months, do your sightseeing early in the morning and late in the afternoon, and keep roughly 12:00 to 16:00 for the pool, a nap or an indoor visit.

Where to stay: towns, riads and hotels

Agadir: the easy beach base

Agadir is sunny all year, with mild trade winds, and a seafront promenade of about 10 km that suits scooters, buggies and evening walks. It is the simplest place in Morocco for a beach holiday with young children: modern hotels and apartments, beach and promenade side by side. Browse places to stay in Agadir.

Essaouira: a small walled town by the sea

Essaouira's medina is compact, walkable and meant to be closed to cars, so older children get a little more freedom than in Marrakech (mopeds still pass, so keep an eye out). The town is known for its wind: great for kites and surf lessons for beginners, less so for a calm day on the sand. Camel and horse rides are offered at the southern end of the main beach; agree the price and length before anyone climbs on.

Marrakech: yes, but with a pool

Marrakech has the most to see: the souks, the big square, gardens, carriage rides and desert-style camps a short drive away. In warm months, families do best with a pool to come back to at midday. Many choose a few nights in the medina and a few in a hotel or villa with a garden outside the old walls. Compare places to stay in Marrakech.

Riad or hotel with children

A riad is a traditional house built around an inner courtyard, usually in the medina, with rooms on several floors. Many have spacious family rooms, and the courtyard feels safe and private. But they were not designed with toddlers in mind. Before you book, ask:

• Are the stairs steep, and do they have a rail?
• Is the roof terrace closed off, or can a child reach the edge?
• Is there a pool or a courtyard basin, and is it fenced or covered?
• Can you provide a cot or a baby bed? (Not every riad has one.)
• How far is the door from the nearest point a taxi can reach?

Pools are rarely heated outside summer, so a toddler may find them too cold in spring and autumn. Hotels and resorts usually make life simpler with very young children: lifts, a large pool, a restaurant on site and a car at the door. In the medina, a baby carrier is easier than a buggy: lanes are narrow, there are few pavements and mopeds squeeze past.

Health: water, sun and vaccines

Water and food. French official advice is to drink only bottled or sealed drinks, or water made safe by filtering or boiling, and to avoid raw or undercooked meat, fish, eggs and milk, salads, shellfish, reheated dishes and cold buffets. Peel fruit or wash it in safe water. Travel writers add: use bottled water for brushing teeth and skip ice cubes. Canada's advice is not to swallow water when bathing or swimming in pools.

Sun and heat. Keep children drinking, avoid the hottest hours and cover them with clothing, a hat and high-factor sun cream.

Vaccines. See a doctor or travel clinic well before departure. Routine vaccines, including measles, should be up to date for adults and children alike. UK guidance recommends hepatitis A for all unvaccinated travellers and typhoid for most, and says babies from six months who will mix with local people can be offered an early measles (MMR) dose. BCG is advised for unvaccinated children under 16 staying more than three months.

Rabies. Rabies is present, and children are at higher risk because they approach animals and may not mention a bite, scratch or lick. Teach them not to touch or feed cats and dogs, even friendly ones. French advice says a preventive vaccine may be worth discussing for young children once they walk. After any bite or scratch, wash the wound with soap and water and see a doctor at once, even if vaccinated.

Supplies. Nappies and baby formula are sold in big cities but harder to find in remote areas. Bring your child's usual medicines in their original packaging with the prescription, and take insurance that covers medical treatment and repatriation. Private clinics in the big cities are the usual choice for visitors.

Car seats, taxis and long drives

Do not count on finding a child seat. Taxis rarely have them, and some petit taxis lack working rear seat belts. Rental companies do not always supply seats even when listed as an extra, so either bring your own (a light travel booster is a good compromise for older children) or get the seat confirmed in writing. The same applies to private transfers: ask before you pay.

Long drives need planning:

• Drive by day. French and Canadian official advice warns against driving at night, and fatal accidents are common.
• Know the hard stretches. French advice names the mountain section of the Marrakech–Agadir motorway as a dangerous road, especially with lorries on the descent towards Agadir.
• Carry papers. Police checkpoints are common: keep passports and the car's papers to hand, plus an accident report form.
• Break the journey. Snacks, water, music or audiobooks and a stop every couple of hours make a big difference.

For long distances, trains are comfortable and easy with a buggy, and a domestic flight is far quicker than the road (Marrakech to Fes is about an hour by air against some eight hours by car). Long-distance buses are cheap, but most have no toilet on board.

Days out: food and fun

Food children enjoy

Most children find something they like: chicken and vegetable tagine, couscous, fresh flatbread and sweet pastries. Ask for dishes without spice or harissa, and pack familiar snacks for travel days. Eat street food only when it is cooked fresh in front of you. If your child has a food allergy, carry a card explaining it in French and Arabic.

Things to do with children

• Camel rides: short rides on Essaouira's beach, or a longer outing from a desert camp near Marrakech or in the Sahara at Merzouga. Agree the price and duration first.
• Gardens: Marrakech's gardens offer shade and space to run between souk visits.
• Carriage rides: a horse-drawn carriage (calèche) ride in Marrakech is a good rest for tired legs; settle the price first.
• Beaches: Agadir's bay for paddling and sandcastles, Essaouira for kites and beginner surf lessons.
• Water parks: Marrakech has a water park on its outskirts, a good plan for a hot afternoon.
• Workshops: pottery or tile painting in Marrakech, and cooking classes, which many riads can arrange.
• Day trips: waterfalls and Atlas villages, such as Ouzoud, about 2.5 to 3 hours from Marrakech, with monkeys nearby.

Documents for children

Every child, including babies, needs their own passport. Check the validity rule that applies to your nationality: UK guidance asks for a passport valid at least three months after arrival, and France for one valid for the whole stay. French citizens can no longer enter with a national ID card alone.

French official advice for minors visiting Morocco recommends:

• Travelling with both parents: carry proof of parentage, such as a birth certificate or family record book.
• With the mother only: an authorisation from the father is recommended.
• Divorced or separated parents: the accompanying parent should carry the court decision that gives custody.
• A child travelling alone or with another adult: an authorisation from the parents with legalised signatures.

Children of a Moroccan father are Moroccan citizens wherever they are born, and Canadian advice notes that under Moroccan law a parent can prevent a child from leaving the country. Dual nationals are often asked for a Moroccan ID at the airport. If your situation is anything other than simple, check with a Moroccan consulate and your airline before you travel.

Safety with children

Canada's official advice for Morocco is to exercise a high degree of caution, mainly because of the threat of terrorism; family travel writers describe crime against tourists as rare, with pickpocketing in crowds the main concern. With children, the everyday risks are traffic and the sea:

• Beaches. Most beaches are not supervised, tides and currents can be strong, and French advice notes that drownings are frequent. Swim only at supervised beaches and keep children within arm's reach. City beaches can also be polluted.
• Streets and souks. Hold small hands in crowded lanes, walk on the side away from mopeds, and visit the souks in the morning when they are calmer.
• Attention. Moroccans are usually warm with children, and strangers may smile at them, chat or want to say hello; it is friendly, but you decide what your child is comfortable with.
• Emergency numbers. Police 190 (or 19), ambulance and fire 150 (or 15), gendarmerie outside towns 177. Save them in your phone.

Costs and a quick checklist

Children under four travel free on Moroccan trains; ask ONCF for older children's fares. For a family of four, hiring a car can cost less than several bus tickets plus taxis, but add a seat if you can't bring one. The biggest budget choices are a pool, air-conditioning in summer and a true family room, so compare those first. Insurance with medical repatriation is worth its price.

Before you go

• Passports for every child, plus a birth certificate and any parental authorisation.
• A travel clinic visit well before departure.
• Car seat or booster, baby carrier, sun hats, high-factor sun cream.
• Usual medicines in original packaging, oral rehydration salts.
• Confirm cot, pool fencing and stair safety in writing.
• Emergency numbers saved.

Ready to plan? Browse family stays in Agadir and places to stay in Marrakech, or read all our guides.