Relive Romantic Movies and Spy Morocco's Mightiest Mosque in Casablanca
Casablanca may be Morocco's most important international transport hub, but it can also steal your heart if you will, and it provides an interesting introduction to your time in Morocco.
First, it shares the same name with one of the world's greatest romantic films, Casablanca, which was filmed here during World War II and starred Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. There's no more romantic place to start your honeymoon than the movie's fictional Rick's Cafe, where Bogart's Rick Bryan and Bergman's Ilsa Lund meet. Unwind in the charming décor, evoking the glamour of yesteryear, and sip seafood or a cocktail.
The city's most striking attraction is the Hassan II Mosque, the largest mosque in Morocco, located by the sea. The massive complex includes a museum, baths, Koran school, library and prayer room for 25,000 people, and its ornate design ensures it is a picturesque place for people of all faiths. Afterwards, take a romantic walk together along the promenade to get a glimpse of this exquisite building. From the city center, you'll also pass the charming 19th-century old medina, the old part of town, full of winding alleys and lively cafés. Afterwards, explore the Quartier Habous, filled with the perfect mix of Moroccan and European architecture. You can enjoy sweets at Pâtisserie Bennis Habous, a traditional bakery that has been around since 1930.
Step Back in Time in Fes
If you're only exploring a city's souks, traditional markets usually held in the medina or the old town, it should be the ones in Fes. Entering the high walls of this medina is like stepping back in time to the Middle Ages. This is the largest car-free urban area in the world, where you and your loved ones can lose yourself in the narrow, winding alleys, donkeys hauling goods, or enjoy the hustle and bustle with a mint tea in one of the squares. In the labyrinth of the souks, you can pick up extraordinary handicrafts, especially if you or your partner have ever craved anything made of leather. There are also tanneries in the medina, where fabrics still dyed with ancient methods such as pigeon droppings and limestone are hung on buildings to dry. And for those lovers who love literature, a visit to the Qarawiyyin Library in the Qarawiyyin Mosque complex, known as the oldest library in the world, is a must. It houses one of the oldest manuscripts ever written in gazelle leather. While it's not open to the public, if you get the services of a local guide, they may be able to give you a peek inside.
After the hustle and bustle of central Fez, you can head to Moulay Yakoub with your spouse, where the two of you can bathe in traditional Moroccan style in the hot springs.
Bask on the Beach in Essaouira
By the time you make it out to Morocco's 1550 miles (2500 km) of coastline, you are approaching places that see almost 300 days of sun per year. Essaouira, a long-time hippy haunt, is one of Morocco's most appealing beach destinations. A prime example of an 18th-century fortified town and UNESCO-listed as a result, this white-and-blue Atlantic port's name translates as 'little picture' from Arabic, and visiting honeymooners will find a picture-perfect backdrop to their stay here. The beach is perhaps the main attraction: long, sandy, relatively uncrowded and perhaps one of the world's few strands where kitesurfers and camels amicably mix! But you could also linger on Place Moulay El Hassan with your loved one over a platter of grilled just-off-the-boat seafood, explore clifftop bastion Skala de la Ville or visit an argan oil cooperative such as the one outside El Hanchane, 21 miles (34 km) east of Essaouira. Here, you can watch the famous cosmetic product being made (a fascinating process, as goats clamber into the trees to eat the argan fruits, excreting the pits which then get collected, crushed and pressed to extract the oil). You can also buy argan oil products on site.With this 15-day itinerary, you can explore Essaouira and learn more about local food traditions in a private cooking class.
Relax in a Romantic Riad in Marrakech
The superstar of Moroccan destinations, Marrakech is a place guaranteed to make your honeymoon memorable. This is somewhere that assails all your senses: a bright cornucopia of fortress and palace, minarets and museums, squares and souks.
It begins with where you sleep. Bedding down in a riad is the quintessential city experience: these lodgings look like nondescript wooden doors from outside but inside, they dazzle with beautiful courtyard gardens and offer serene, secluded breaks from the city bustle. Of course, your explorations of the city have to begin with the medina and its souks selling everything from babouches (slippers) to lanterns and carpets: haggling for a gift in one of the colorful alleyways is a memorable way to buy your loved one something special. Next, wander the vibrantly blue-painted Jardin Majorelle with your loved one: an oasis with over 300 plant species exploding in a riot of cactuses, bamboo and fountains. And explore the mysterious Fondouks area north of the medina, courtyards closed off behind huge doors that were once important caravanserais on the Trans-Saharan caravan route where merchants once arrived laden with silks, spices and precious gems. You could go for a romantic horse and carriage ride with your partner, too: perhaps around the ritzy Palmeraie, a palm oasis of luxury retreats just outside the city. And be transfixed five times per day as the call to prayer resonates from a mosque like Koutoubia: one of the most moving sounds you can hear in Morocco. Outside the Koutoubia, beautiful gardens invite you and your loved one to linger. And for some romantic downtime in the city, consider a hammam that caters for couples such as the upmarket Les Bains de Marrakech.
Bathe in Waterfalls and Breathe the Scent of Roses in the Atlas Mountains
Flanking Marrakech on two sides, the delightful Atlas Mountains soar in jagged Jurassic peaks for around 620 mi (1000 km) across Morocco. Here is a chance for you and your spouse to escape hectic city life and truly unwind in peace and pristine surroundings.
About 100 mi (160 km) northeast of Marrakech are Morocco's highest waterfalls, the tranquil Cascades d'Ouzoud. At this popular destination, cascades plunge photogenically down a gorge, and you can bathe with your beloved in the pools at the foot of the falls, or take a boat ride. But the romantic highlight of a visit to these mountains is to the town of Kalaat M'Gouna, 177 mi (284 km) southeast of Marrakech, and the nearby valley, Valley of the Roses. A rose festival takes place in the town every May, reflecting the importance of the flower which is grown throughout the valley close by. The journey up the valley to Bou Tharar is a dramatic one of green valley floors and towering red rock cliffs - best taken in April or May to see the roses growing and being harvested. The Atlas Mountains are also dotted with poignant kasbahs (fortifications) like the UNESCO-listed Kasbah Aït Benhaddou in the Telouet Valley: a wonderful place to pause with your partner and appreciate the scale and scenery of this mighty mountain range.
Let your Love Heat Up in the Sahara Desert
You could scarcely ask for a more otherworldly backdrop for your honeymoon than the empty landscape of the Sahara Desert. The most popular excursion is from the village of Merzouga, from where you can take a tour by camel of the swooping amber dunes of Erg Chebbi, the tallest dunes in the Sahara. Some of these sandy summits reach over 650 feet (200 m) high, and watching the magnificent desert sunsets from the top of them is a romantic experience you will treasure forever. For a similar experience with far fewer crowds, the two of you could also go camel-riding and sunset-watching in the wilder Erg Chigaga near M'Hamid El Ghizlane, the Sahara's largest unspoilt area of dunes.
In the western desert, 120 mi (193 km) southeast of Marrakech, one of the main attractions is the city of Ouarzazate, known as the 'door to the desert' and a major movie set for Holllywood blockbusters like Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia. From here, you can take excursions out to see petroglyphs, beautiful desert oases like Fint Oasis and gorgeous swimming spots such as at Tizgui Waterfall. With this 15-day itinerary, you'll have ample time to take in the splendor of the Sahara.
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