What to Pack for Morocco
What to pack for Morocco is decided by three things: temperature swings that are much bigger than the forecast suggests, a dress code that is social rather than legal, and dust that gets into everything. Bring lightweight clothes that cover shoulders and knees, a warm layer for evenings and unheated riads, closed shoes with grip for medina stone, and a large scarf that does five jobs. Add zip bags for electronics if you are heading to the Sahara and you have covered the real problems.
Turn it into a checklist you can tick off with our free packing list generator, then use the season and region tables below to adjust it.
Updated September 2026. Entry rules, passport validity requirements and local guidance change. Check the US State Department's Morocco information page before you book, and confirm baggage allowances with any domestic airline or tour operator you use.
The Temperature Swing Nobody Packs For
The forecast will tell you Marrakech is warm. The forecast is not lying, it is just describing the middle of the day. Morocco is dry, and dry places lose their heat the moment the sun goes down.
| Place | Season | Daytime | After dark | The layer you need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marrakech, Fes | Summer | Very hot, often past 100 degrees | Warm and pleasant | Sun cover, not warmth |
| Marrakech, Fes | Winter | Mild, sweater weather in shade | Cold, close to freezing some nights | Real jacket plus a warm layer |
| Sahara, Merzouga or Zagora | Summer | Brutal | Warm | Loose long sleeves, head cover |
| Sahara | Winter | Comfortable, sunny | Genuinely cold | Hat, gloves, thermal top |
| Atlas Mountains | Any | Depends entirely on elevation | Cold | Fleece, shell, warm hat |
| Essaouira, Atlantic coast | Any | Cooler than inland, windy | Cool and breezy | Windproof layer, always |
| Chefchaouen | Winter | Cool and often wet | Cold | Waterproof shell |
The second surprise is indoors. Riads are built from thick stone around an open courtyard, which is a brilliant way to stay cool in August and a miserable way to stay warm in January. Most have no central heating, just a space heater and heavy blankets. A packable down jacket you can wear at dinner in a courtyard is not a strange thing to own in Morocco in winter.
What to Pack for Morocco: The Core List
This works for almost any Moroccan itinerary in any month, with the seasonal swaps noted after it.
| Category | Bring | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tops | 4 to 6 loose, breathable, mostly long or elbow length | Linen and cotton blends beat tight synthetics in dry heat |
| Bottoms | 2 to 3 pairs of loose pants or long skirts | Wide legs move air, tight jeans do not |
| Warm layer | 1 fleece or packable down jacket | For riads, desert nights and mountain days |
| Outer layer | 1 windproof, water resistant shell | Coast wind and winter rain |
| Scarf | 1 large, thin, in a color you like | Sun, dust, mosque courtyards, chilly buses, a pillow |
| Shoes | 1 pair closed walking shoes with tread | Medina stone is uneven and often slick |
| Shoes | 1 pair sandals or slides | Riad, hammam, beach |
| Sleep | Light sleepwear plus one warm set | Winter nights get cold indoors |
| Swim | Swimsuit | Riad plunge pools, coastal towns, hammam use |
| Bags | Crossbody bag that zips | Souks are crowded and hands-free is better |
Seasonal swaps. In summer, drop the down jacket and add a second sun hat, more sunscreen and an extra pair of loose pants because you will sweat through them. In winter, add thermals, gloves, a warm hat and waterproof shoes, and keep the down jacket in the day pack rather than the suitcase.
The Modesty Question, Answered Plainly
Morocco has no dress law for visitors. Nobody is going to stop you. What actually happens is simpler and more practical: covering shoulders and knees means fewer stares, easier interactions with shopkeepers, and a more relaxed day, especially for women walking through a medina alone. If Egypt is also on your list, our Egypt packing list covers modest dress for Cairo, the temples and the Nile.
Here is how it works in real places.
- Medinas and old towns in Marrakech, Fes and Meknes. Shoulders and knees covered is the comfortable default. Loose is better than tight, in both directions.
- Small towns and rural areas. More conservative than the big cities. Long sleeves and long pants or skirts.
- Beach towns like Essaouira and Agadir, plus riad rooftops and pools. Relaxed. Swimwear at the pool is completely normal.
- Religious sites. Non-Muslims cannot enter most working mosques in Morocco. The famous exception is the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which runs guided tours, and there you cover shoulders, knees and, for women, usually hair with a scarf.
- Men. Long pants rather than shorts in medinas and small towns. Shorts read as beachwear and mark you as a tourist instantly.
The scarf is the whole solution in one item. Over the shoulders in a mosque courtyard, over your head against desert sun, over your face in a sandstorm, around your neck on a cold bus, rolled up as a pillow on a long drive. Bring one, bring it thin, and buy a second one there because they are everywhere and they make good gifts. Solo travelers may also want to read our guide to solo female travel safety before the trip.
Shoes: The Item People Get Wrong
Medina alleys are a mix of worn stone, tile, packed dirt and the occasional puddle of unidentified origin. There are motorbikes, handcarts and donkeys in some of them. Open toes are a bad idea for a full day of that.
| Shoe | Where it works | Where it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Sneakers or trail runners | Everywhere, all day | Nowhere, this is the workhorse |
| Leather sandals | Riad, rooftop, coast, evening | A full medina day, desert dunes |
| Flip flops | Hammam, riad, pool | Anything else |
| Heels | Nowhere | Genuinely nowhere, the stone will win |
| Hiking boots | Atlas Mountains, Toubkal | Overkill for cities, heavy to carry |
If your trip includes an Atlas trek, the boots earn their weight. If it is cities and a desert night, one pair of well cushioned sneakers plus one pair of sandals covers the entire trip. Two pairs of shoes is also what makes a Morocco trip fit in a carry-on. See how to choose luggage if you are still deciding what to carry it all in.
Sahara Nights: Dust and Cold
An overnight in the dunes is the highlight of many trips, and it is also the leg that damages gear. Sand is fine enough to get into camera bodies, charging ports and every seam of a suitcase.
Pack for the desert night specifically:
- Zip-top bags for your phone, camera and charging cables. Not optional.
- A head covering. Guides often wrap one for you, and a long thin scarf works fine.
- Sunglasses that wrap slightly, because wind driven sand goes around small lenses.
- A warm layer, even in summer. Desert temperatures drop hard after dark.
- A headlamp. Camps are lit by lanterns and candles, and the walk to the bathroom tent is dark.
- Wet wipes and hand sanitizer. Water at camp is limited.
- A small day bag. You leave the main suitcase at the auberge before the camel ride, and you take one bag with you overnight.
- Baby powder or dry shampoo. There is often no shower.
A word on the camel ride. It is usually an hour or so each way, at sunset and sunrise. Long pants matter here more than anywhere. Shorts against a saddle blanket for an hour is a lesson people only learn once.
Toiletries, Health and the Hammam Kit
Pharmacies are excellent and widespread in Moroccan cities, so you do not need to bring six months of supplies. Bring what you cannot easily describe at a counter and what you need in the first 24 hours.
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Prescription medication in original packaging | Carry it in your hand luggage, never checked |
| Rehydration salts | Dry heat plus mint tea plus walking dehydrates you fast |
| Stomach remedy you already trust | New food, new water, new schedule |
| High SPF sunscreen | Sun at altitude and in the desert is stronger than it feels |
| Lip balm with SPF | Dry air cracks lips within two days |
| Hand sanitizer | Souk snacking, limited sinks |
| Tissues or a small toilet paper roll | Public restrooms are hit and miss |
| Flip flops and a comb | For the hammam |
For the hammam, a public one, bring flip flops, something to wear on your bottom half, a towel and a change of underwear. Riad and spa hammams usually supply everything, but the neighborhood ones assume you brought your own. Our travel first aid kit guide covers the medical side properly, and how to pack toiletries has the leak-proofing method that keeps shampoo out of your clothes.
Tap water is generally treated in cities but is not what most visitors drink. Use bottled or filtered water, and a filter bottle cuts the plastic you carry around all day.
Electronics, Plugs and Staying Connected
Morocco runs on 220 volts at 50 Hz with European style round pin sockets, types C and E. Your US plug will not fit, so an adapter is genuinely required rather than optional.
Check the voltage line on each charger. If it reads 100 to 240V, a plain adapter is all you need. If a device is single voltage, usually a cheap hair tool, leave it home. A converter is heavy and hotel hair dryers exist.
A local SIM or an eSIM is worth setting up on arrival or before you fly, because navigation in a medina without data is a genuine challenge. Alleys are unmarked, GPS bounces off tall walls, and the map often shows you standing inside a building. Our guides to using your phone abroad and traveling with electronics cover the setup and the battery rules.
Bring a power bank, keep it in your carry-on rather than a checked bag, and charge it every night. Riad rooms often have one usable outlet, so a small multi-port charger saves an argument.
Worked Example: 10 Days, Carry-On Only, in March
Marrakech for three nights, two nights in the Atlas Mountains, one night in the Sahara, two nights in Fes, two nights in Chefchaouen. March means warm afternoons, cold mornings and a real chance of rain in the north.
Bags: 40 liter carry-on suitcase, 20 liter day pack.
Packed: 5 loose long sleeve tops, 2 t-shirts, 2 pairs of loose pants, 1 long skirt, 1 packable down jacket, 1 water resistant shell, 1 thermal top, underwear for 5 days, 5 pairs of socks, 1 swimsuit, 1 large scarf, 1 sun hat, sneakers worn on the plane, sandals packed flat.
The math: 5 days of underwear covers 10 days because you rinse once, mid trip, on the laundry-friendly Fes night. Three sink washes of about four items each take roughly ten minutes total and save close to half the clothing volume. That is the difference between a carry-on and a checked bag.
In the day pack for the desert night: thermal top, down jacket, scarf, headlamp, wet wipes, phone in a zip bag, charger, power bank, toothbrush, clean underwear and socks. The suitcase stays at the auberge.
Left home: jeans, a second jacket, heels, a hair dryer, and the "nice" dress that would have been worn once. For a general packing rhythm on a trip this length, see what to pack for a week.
Ramadan and Timing
If your trip overlaps Ramadan, the dates shift by about eleven days each year, so check before you book. Practically, many restaurants outside tourist areas close during daylight, hours change, and the evening meal turns into the busiest and most joyful part of the day. Nothing about it stops you visiting, but it does change the rhythm, and it makes modest dress and discretion about eating in the street more appreciated than usual.
For the money side, small notes for tipping are worth having from day one. Our tipping around the world guide covers who to tip and roughly how the custom works, and common travel scams is worth ten minutes before your first walk through a medina, especially the unofficial guide routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do women have to cover their hair in Morocco?
No. Moroccan women in cities wear a wide mix of styles, and visitors are not expected to cover their hair in the street. The exception is inside a mosque you are permitted to tour, where a scarf over your hair is the respectful choice. Carrying one thin scarf handles that and a dozen other uses.
Can I wear shorts in Morocco?
You can, and in beach towns like Essaouira and Agadir nobody will notice. In medinas, small towns and rural areas, long pants are far more comfortable socially and get you fewer stares and fewer hassles. For men, long pants in cities are simply what locals wear.
What should I pack for the Sahara desert in Morocco?
A warm layer for the night even in summer, a head covering or long scarf, sunglasses, a headlamp, wet wipes, and zip bags for anything electronic. Wear long pants for the camel ride. Take only a small overnight bag, because your suitcase stays behind at the auberge before you go out to camp.
Is a plug adapter needed in Morocco?
Yes. Morocco uses 220 volt power with European round pin sockets, so US flat plugs will not fit. A simple type C adapter works for phone and laptop chargers that are marked 100 to 240V. Single voltage appliances need a converter, which is usually more trouble than it is worth.
What is the best month to visit Morocco?
Spring, roughly March to May, and fall, roughly September to November, give you comfortable city temperatures and a desert that is pleasant rather than punishing. Summer is very hot inland, and winter is mild by day but cold at night and in unheated riads. Pack the same core list either way and swap the warm layers.
Do I need to bring a towel to Morocco?
Not for riads and hotels, which provide them. Bring a small quick dry travel towel if you plan to use a public hammam, visit a hostel, or take a desert camp night where facilities are basic. It packs down small and doubles as a beach towel on the coast.
The Short Version
Loose clothes that cover shoulders and knees, one warm layer more than you think you need, shoes with grip, a big thin scarf, and zip bags for the desert. Bring a type C adapter, drink bottled or filtered water, and keep your prescription medication in your hand luggage. Get it all onto one list you can check off with our packing list generator, and the only thing left to decide is how many rugs you can carry home.
