When I finally booked my trip to Morocco, I was so excited. I looked through my wardrobe though and realised that almost none of my clothes would pass as being appropriate for what to wear in Morocco. I scoured over female traveller blogs online each giving advice of what they wore in Morocco, looked through my female friend’s photos of their Moroccan travels and asked for advice. As a result I spent a good day shopping to find a lot of nice pieces that covered me up a little bit more while also being something I would want to wear in the future.
The hard thing about choosing what to wear in Morocco is the temperature. Especially if you are visiting in August where the temperature reaches the mid 30s (Celsius) and jeans and jackets are out of the question.
Clothes for Morocco that covered up, didn’t make you hot and looked good in photos
I visited in May and therefore the temperature was still cool in the morning and at night; however, it was quite hot in the day and therefore I chose outfits that would be very breezy while still covering. I also wanted to find clothes that would compliment the photos I wanted to take while in Morocco so that was high on the agenda as well.
I visited Morocco as a group tour and found it very friendly towards tourists in group travel. When we were in Marrakech, I found this to be a very touristy city and there were a lot of visitors (male and female) walking around in shorts and shirts. I spent one day in Marrakech by myself at the end of the trip though, and this was the only place that I got harassed on the streets and didn’t feel comfortable so I think experiences will vary and I would err on the side of caution.
The thing that irked me was seeing tourist men walking around in shorts and a t-shirt. While I might be providing a guide to how to cover up as a female in Morocco because it’s the reality, it goes without saying, I am not impressed by the sexist differences in how females and men are treated by this.
What to Wear in Morocco as a Female Traveller
Day 1
I arrived in Marrakech from London the night before, wearing jacket and jeans (and felt the temperature change when I hopped off the plane!). After a good night sleep, we hopped on our mini-bus and headed to Casablanca to visit the Hassan II Mosque.
When going inside this mosque you must wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees.
I wore high waisted lose flowy pants that covered my legs but were very cool and paired them with a light coloured crop top. The crop top did not cover my shoulders as it fastened around the back of my neck, leaving the top of my back exposed so I added a simple scarf around my shoulders to cover me up appropriately.
Day 2
On our second day in Morocco we visited Rabat and a few others on the way to Fes.
Here I wore a white t-shirt paired with black overalls. The overalls were made out of cotton so wear very comfortable and light. They also are great to wear on long haul flights.
Day 3
On our third day in Morocco, I left my group tour (who stayed in Fes) for a day to visit Chefchaouen solo.
I wore a black backless body suit and a long red skirt as well as a plain white hat. I had planned this outfit especially for Chefchaouen due to the brightly coloured blue walls.
I found Chefchaouen to be a very touristy village and as a result, during my day there I experienced no harassment and didn’t feel there was a strong need to cover up. I was originally also wearing the scarf from Day 1 that I had worn in the Hassan II Mosque. However, after about 30 minutes I didn’t feel the need and as it kept slipping off my shoulders (tip: don’t buy a slippery scarf!!) so removed it. I spent the first half of the day walking around by myself and the second half with two Americans I made friends with and both times felt fine.
Day 4
The Sahara Desert! What I was most keen to see. I brought a loose red dress with long sleeves. I also wore (not pictured) knee length bike pants underneath during the camel ride there for comfort. Where we stayed in the Sahara Desert was very touristy and therefore I felt more than fine with a dress that didn’t cover my knees.
During the camel ride we had our scarfs wrapped around in a special fashion by our guide to make sure the sand didn’t fly into our face during.
Day 5
I repurposed the clothes I had bought on the 5th day while visiting Todra Gorge and paired a black body suit with the highwaisted flowy pants I wore on the first day. I wore a scarf around my shoulders walking through here as well.
Day 6
On our fifth day we explored Air Benhaddou. I wore a black body suit and paired it with a long grey patterned skirt.
Day 7
On our final day on the Morocco tour we visited Marrakech. Despite this being a very touristy city and full of tourists wearing shorts and singlets, this was interestingly the only place I was harassed. I was told “put your fucking legs away” even though I was wearing a maxi skirt (the one pictured above). I loved this skirt, it was very breezy and covered well. I have worn it SO many time since returning.
The following day I explored the touristy section of the Marrakech Medina by myself before following directions and getting completely lost. That is the shortened version of what happened but I was almost caught up in a scam which was similar to this experience where there were multiple independent (or what seemed independent at the time) people involved in coordinating it. I ended up being taken somewhere where I was very lost and was not in a touristy part of Marrakech. When I was here I was very aware of what I was wearing compared to the much more conservative clothes of those around me. I had my scarf with me and put it across my shoulders to attract less attention.
While hopefully you never have to plan for ‘if I am getting scammed and taken to places where it is difficult to find your way back’ I do recommend always bringing a scarf, even if you don’t plan on wearing it, just in case you feel the need to cover up a bit more.
Please be careful in Marrakech and Morocco. Although I had this unpleasant experience, I have completely separated from the rest of the time in this city that I really enjoyed. If you read up on common scams and be a little less trusting than I was (especially after a week of meeting really good people) you will hopefully will have a very enjoyable experience in the city.
What to wear for a day trip to Tangier, Morocco
On a separate trip a few years earlier, I had visited Tangier in Morocco as a quick trip from Spain. I was not prepared to visit Morocco on this holiday and therefore had to choose what to wear based on what I already had.
The first afternoon we were then I wore a black tshirt and black bike pants paired with sandals.
The second morning (as we had an overnight stay in Tangier) I wore a long white and blue skirt with a white crop top. I didn’t wear this the day before in fear of it getting dirty as we walked through the markets. I also kept my black cardigan on me, but it was very hot (September) and thankfully, did not need to put it on at all.
What I Wore in Morocco
As you can see Morocco overall is a more progressive country than others. I definitely thought it was important to have clothes that covered myself up more but I also expected to have to wear a scarf over my shoulders everyday. However, most days this was completely unnecessary.
Recommendations
I would recommend long flowy skirts and long flowy pants to keep cool while covered up. You can pair these with body suits or crop tops but I would recommend always having a scarf or shawl with you so you can cover up even more so if needed.
For shoes I would recommend something practical or at least flat. I honestly wore thongs/flip flops almost everyday due to comfort as we had long travel hours by bus.
I hope my pictures and stories help you plan what to wear in Morocco as a female traveller. I really enjoyed my week in Morocco (and actually also enjoyed planning outfits for this trip) and will definitely be heading back in the future.
If you are looking at what to wear in Morocco I also recommend reading: Must Do Morocco: 6 Places in Morocco You Must Visit.