Ramadan in Morocco: What Travelers Need to Know

Travel Tips

August 20, 2026

Travelling in Morocco during Ramadan is entirely possible and in some ways better. Here is what changes, what to expect, and how to be a considerate visitor.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset — no food, no drink, no smoking. In Morocco, where the overwhelming majority observe it, this reshapes the rhythm of the entire country for a month. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan shifts roughly eleven days earlier each year, so check the dates for your travel year before booking.

Visiting during Ramadan is not something to avoid. It is different, and it requires a little more planning and consideration. Many travellers who have done it prefer it.

Should you go?

Yes, if you are interested in culture rather than nightlife, you can be flexible about lunch, you want fewer tourists and lower prices, and the idea of a city coming alive after sunset appeals to you.

Reconsider if your trip depends on long restaurant lunches, bar evenings, a packed sightseeing schedule, or a strenuous trek with local guides who are fasting. A beach holiday in Agadir is largely unaffected; a food-focused tour of Fes is not.

What changes

During the day

• Most local cafés and restaurants close until sunset. Tourist restaurants, riads and hotels generally serve meals as normal, often discreetly.


• Working hours shorten. Offices, banks and some shops operate reduced hours, and government offices run a Ramadan timetable.


• Souks are quieter in the afternoon and much busier in the hour or two before sunset, when everyone shops for iftar.


• People are tired and often short-tempered by late afternoon, particularly when Ramadan falls in summer with long fasting hours. This is entirely understandable. Be patient.


• Traffic just before sunset is chaotic as everyone rushes home. Avoid travelling in the 45 minutes before iftar.


• Alcohol service is heavily restricted. Many bars close for the month; supermarket alcohol sections are shut. Some tourist hotels continue to serve residents.


• Monuments and museums usually stay open, sometimes on reduced hours. Check locally.

At sunset: iftar

The fast breaks at sunset with a cannon or the call to prayer, and the whole country stops. The traditional iftar is dates and milk, then harira soup, chebakia (honey-and-sesame pastries), boiled eggs, msemen flatbread and sweet mint tea. Streets empty completely for about 30 to 45 minutes — an extraordinary thing to witness — and then refill.

Being invited to an iftar is a genuine privilege and happens more often than you might expect. Accept. Bring dates or pastries if you can.

After dark

This is the best part. Cities are livelier during Ramadan nights than at any other time of year. Cafés are full until 2 or 3am, families are out with children, souks reopen and stay busy, and there is a sustained festive atmosphere. Marrakech’s Jemaa el-Fnaa after iftar is wonderful.

A second meal, suhoor, is eaten before dawn, and some cafés serve it.

Etiquette for non-Muslim visitors

You are not expected to fast. You are expected to be considerate.

• Do not eat, drink or smoke visibly in the street during fasting hours. Use your riad, a hotel, or a restaurant that is open. Water in a discreet sip is fine; a sandwich on a bench is not.


• Dress slightly more conservatively than you otherwise would.


• Do not offer food or drink to someone who is fasting, even kindly.


• Greet people with “Ramadan Mubarak” or “Ramadan Karim”. It is warmly received.


• Be patient in the afternoon and tip a little more generously.


• Keep music and noise down in residential areas during the day.


• Do not photograph people praying or breaking their fast without asking.


• Avoid scheduling anything demanding late in the afternoon for guides or drivers who are fasting.

Practical planning

• Book accommodation with breakfast and dinner available. This removes the main daytime difficulty entirely.


• Carry snacks and water in your bag for discreet use.


• Plan sightseeing for the morning, when energy is highest and sites are open.


• Do not travel just before iftar. Roads are dangerous in that window, with hungry drivers hurrying home.


• Expect earlier closures on shops and offices, and altered transport timetables.


• Prices are generally lower and accommodation easier to get, except at the very end of the month.


• Eid al-Fitr, the festival ending Ramadan, is a two- to three-day national holiday when almost everything closes, transport is fully booked and cities empty as people travel home. Either plan around it or accept that you will see very little for those days.

Tours and desert trips during Ramadan

Everything continues to run, with adjustments. Our drivers and guides work through Ramadan and most are fasting, so we do three things differently: we start earlier, we schedule the longest driving before mid-afternoon, and we make sure the day allows the driver to break his fast properly. Desert camps continue to operate and serve guests as normal.

If you are booking a trek or a physically demanding day, tell your operator you are travelling during Ramadan and ask how they staff it. A good answer involves either non-fasting staff or a reduced schedule; a bad answer is that nothing changes.

Note that a desert camp night during Ramadan is genuinely special — iftar in the dunes with the camp staff is a memory most guests rate above the sunrise.

Dates

Ramadan begins with the sighting of the new moon, so the start date can vary by a day between countries and is confirmed locally only the evening before. It lasts 29 or 30 days and is followed by Eid al-Fitr. Because it moves about eleven days earlier each year, it rotates through the seasons over time — and summer Ramadans, with fasts of 15 hours or more, are considerably harder than winter ones.

Plan a Ramadan trip properly

We build itineraries around Ramadan every year: earlier starts, restaurants that are open, and drivers who are looked after. Tell us your dates and we will tell you honestly what to expect, including if Eid falls inside your trip. See also our month-by-month guide and our multi-day Morocco tours.