How to dress in Morocco

How to dress in morocco

One of the doubts that tourists often have before travelling to Morocco for the first time is how to dress. As it is a destination with a very different culture to that of other nearby countries such as Spain, we wonder, especially in the case of women, whether we should dress in any particular way. Here I will answer all your questions.

By the way, if you are organising your trip to Morocco and you have not yet booked any activity or experience in Morocco, you can do it here. Now morocco tours, let’s talk about how to dress in Morocco whether you are a man or a woman:

How men should dress

Men are the most flexible. Travellers to Morocco can wear the same clothes they wear every day. There’s no problem wearing shorts or any other type of clothing, although you’ll probably want to buy one of the traditional garments to get around the country in comfort.

How women should dress

This is where doubts arise. As you know, Morocco is an Islamic country. Women who profess this religion usually cover a large part of their bodies, and on many occasions they also wear a hijab, or headscarf, which more or less covers their heads.

Let’s take things one step at a time. Firstly, female tourists are not obliged to dress in any way at any time. Legally speaking, it is not compulsory to cover your head or wear any particular garment. But if you don’t want to draw attention to yourself and avoid problems, it’s best to follow some guidelines.

Depending on the area you are visiting, you will be more or less out of place depending on how you dress. For example, Marrakech is such a touristy city that you will see some visitors wearing very short trousers, tank tops with cleavage… but if you want to be respectful of the culture, it is better not to do so.

In my opinion, as a woman who has travelled to Morocco, the best way to dress is with long and loose clothes, for example long skirts and dresses, loose trousers… I dressed this way mainly so as not to attract attention or cause any kind of conflict (usually nothing happens for dressing differently, but very sporadically there are cases of girls who have been insulted for showing too much, especially in less touristy areas of the country).

That doesn’t mean you can’t wear a short-sleeved shirt or braces, or a skirt that doesn’t go down to your feet. In my case, I combined my clothes in such a way that I was always comfortable and not obviously hot, but without being too conspicuous. In Marrakech and on the coast I dressed a little more “daringly”, for example with a strapless dress that went below the knee, but in the villages in the south I preferred to dress without any cleavage.

On the other hand, it is not necessary to cover your head at any time. What’s more, in many places you will see Moroccan women who don’t cover their heads; it’s a personal choice and very much depends on the individual. That’s why you don’t have to. I only did it in the desert for practical reasons (and because I wanted to feel like a Berber for a day, I won’t lie to you).

As far as footwear is concerned, there is no problem with sandals, trainers, etc., but leave the heels at home as you will need comfortable and safe footwear in Morocco.

How to dress in summer

In many countries, when summer and the heat arrive, in order to be as cool as possible, we wear the lightest clothes possible: shorts, tank tops… we think that if we cover our bodies with cloth, we will be warmer. In Morocco, things are different.

As our guide explained to us, when it is hot in Morocco they wear long clothes that cover a lot of the body. This is not for religious reasons, but for practical ones. By covering their bodies, the sun does not shine directly on their skin, so they protect themselves from the sun’s rays. Secondly, he explained that by wearing long clothes, when they sweat, the sweat stays on their skin and that makes them cooler.

So, whether you are a man or a woman, I advise you to wear cool but long clothes (not as long as them, because we are not used to it, but for example short sleeves instead of straps with cleavage, long and thin trousers instead of very short jeans, etc.).

I hope my experience has helped you to know how best to dress when travelling in Morocco. This advice is based on my own experience visiting the country, but it does not mean that it is the absolute truth. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments.