Morocco🇲🇦 | attractionsKoutoubia Mosque77-meter minaret, carved facades, evening floodlights, first-mosque foundations | things to do and best time to go

The Medina's southern half, around Jemaa el-Fnaa, is the best base, since the mosque is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the square. Hostels and budget riads cluster in the lanes between the square and the Mouassine district, so you meet other travelers on rooftop terraces without paying for a taxi. Dorm beds run roughly US$8 to 15, and private rooms US$25 to 45. Lanes are narrow and unlit in places, so arrive before dark on your first night and have your host meet you at a landmark. Guernlike Gueliz, the French-built new town, is the alternative. It sits 20 to 30 minutes on foot from the mosque, has … read more 👉

The Medina's southern half, around Jemaa el-Fnaa, is the best base, since the mosque is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the square. Hostels and budget riads cluster in the lanes between the square and the Mouassine district, so you meet other travelers on rooftop terraces without paying for a taxi. Dorm beds run roughly US$8 to 15, and private rooms US$25 to 45. Lanes are narrow and unlit in places, so arrive before dark on your first night and have your host meet you at a landmark. Guernlike Gueliz, the French-built new town, is the alternative. It sits 20 to 30 minutes on foot from the mosque, has cafes, a modern layout and easier taxi access, but fewer social hostels. Choose the Mouassine and Riad Zitoun side of the Medina if you want an easy social scene and walkable evening food stalls. Pick Gueliz if you need quiet nights and straightforward street grids.