Best Time to Visit Morocco: Why We Went in Winter and Would Do It Again
I spent an embarrassing amount of time on this question before we booked, and I got the answer half wrong.
Everything I read said spring or autumn. March to May, September to November, avoid the summer heat, avoid the winter. So we landed on 13 November and I still went in slightly worried we had cut it too fine. What actually happened is that we got beach weather on the coast, empty riads at low season prices, and a desert sunrise so cold I could not feel my feet.
That is the thing nobody tells you. Morocco is not one climate, it is three at once, and the month matters far less than where you are standing in it.
Best Time to Visit Morocco? My Quick Answer
Spring and autumn are the safe answer. November and December are the underrated one, and that is when we went.
Our window was 13 November to 7 December 2025, and it gave us warm days on the coast, comfortable sightseeing in Marrakech, low season prices everywhere, and a genuinely freezing desert.
If you want one sentence: go in spring or autumn if you can be flexible, and go in November or December if you want the same trip for less money and you pack properly.
Morocco Has Three Climates, Not One
This is the part I wish someone had put at the top of an article for me.
In a single trip, in the same three and a half weeks, we experienced:
Scroll to see the full table →
| Where | What it was actually like | When |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic coast, Tamraght and Taghazout | Warm enough to swim, surf and lie on a sunbed all day | Mid November to early December |
| Marrakech | Pleasant days, jacket needed after dark, unheated pools | Mid November and early December |
| Sahara at Merzouga | 2 degrees at sunrise, 6 degrees mid morning | 4 to 6 December |
You will be packing for a beach holiday and a frost in the same suitcase. That is not an exaggeration and it caught us out badly.
Morocco in November and December
This is our window, so it is the part I can tell you about properly rather than from a table.
The coast is the surprise
We spent sixteen nights in Tamraght and Taghazout across late November and early December, and it was beach weather. Not "nice for winter" weather. Actual sunbeds, actual swimming, actual surfing, and sitting outside for every single meal!
Sunbeds were 30 dirham for the day, about A$5, and we used them constantly. If your image of Morocco in December is grey and closed, the Atlantic coast is the correction!
We stayed at the Hilton Taghazout Bay for the first two nights, then Blue Surf House in Tamraght, then eleven nights in a Tamraght Airbnb. All three were open and busy in late November.
The desert is genuinely cold, and this is the trap
We did our Sahara tour on 4 to 6 December. It was 2 degrees when we rode the camels out for sunrise, and 6 degrees the previous morning.
We had been travelling warm countries for over a year and had packed accordingly, which meant I had one jumper and no thermals at all. I slept in jeans, and I would have paid actual money for hand warmers! Dan wore Birkenstocks on day two and was the only person in the entire group in sandals!
The days out there are lovely, cool and clear and far easier than the summer. The moment the sun goes down it changes completely, and it stays cold until well after sunrise.
If you are going to the Sahara between roughly November and February, pack thermals, a proper jacket, gloves and closed shoes. You can buy a scarf on the tour, and you should, but a scarf is not a coat.
Marrakech is comfortable
Marrakech in this window was the easiest weather of the three. Warm enough to walk the souks all day without wilting, cool enough that you actually want to, and a jacket in the evening.
One catch worth knowing: the plunge pools in riads are freezing and almost none are heated. They are beautiful and very briefly bracing. Do not book a riad for the pool in December!
We stayed in two, and both were lovely in this window because you spend the evenings inside around a courtyard rather than out by the water.
Palais Andara Riad & Spa
A$184 a night with breakfast, which is A$92 each. Ten to fifteen minutes walk to a main souk, with a courtyard pool, a roof terrace and a hammam. The chef hand delivered every plate at every meal and the food here was the best we ate in Morocco.
Riad Zehra
A$91 a night with breakfast, which is A$45.50 each. Smaller and about thirty minutes walk out in a quiet local area, and they upgraded us to a suite on arrival without being asked. Black and white tiled courtyard, a plunge pool and a rooftop.
Low season is the real argument
This is honestly the reason I would go back in the same window!
Our accommodation averaged A$47.03 per person per night across 20 paid nights, and that includes a riad at A$184. The whole trip came to A$63.95 per person per day on the ground. Marrakech was busy but never unbearable, and the coast was quiet.
The full numbers are in what 24 days in Morocco actually cost us.
Morocco Month by Month
We were only there for one window, so I want to be straight with you about which parts of this I lived and which parts I did not. Everything above is ours. Everything in this table is general climate guidance, not our experience.
Scroll to see the full table →
| Month | Coast | Marrakech | Sahara | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec to Feb | Mild, surfable | Cool days, cold nights | Very cold nights | Low season, low prices |
| Mar to May | Warming, good surf | Warm and comfortable | Warm days, cool nights | The popular answer, and busy |
| Jun to Aug | Cooler than inland | Very hot | Extremely hot | Marrakech and the desert are hard work |
| Sep to Nov | Warm, best surf season | Warm and comfortable | Pleasant, cooling in Nov | The other popular answer |
The honest summary of that table: the coast is good all year, Marrakech is good except high summer, and the desert is good except high summer and cold at night in winter.
When to Go for the Sahara Specifically
The desert is the thing that most narrows your dates, so plan around it.
Avoid July and August. Daytime heat in the dunes in high summer is genuinely dangerous and the tours are miserable.
Spring and autumn are the sweet spot if your priority is comfort: warm days, cool but manageable nights.
Winter works, and it is what we did, on the condition that you actually pack for it. The upside is that the days are perfect for walking the dunes and the camps are quieter. The downside is 2 degrees at sunrise.
For everything about the tour itself, that is in our Sahara desert guide.
When to Go for the Coast and Surf
If the Atlantic coast is your main reason for coming, your window is much wider.
We were there mid November to early December and swam, surfed and sat on the beach the entire time. Autumn through to spring is the recognised surf season on this coast, and the towns stay busy with surfers right through the winter, which is part of why the cafes and restaurants are so good year round.
High summer is the one to think twice about, and mostly because it fills up rather than because of the weather.
Everything about the two towns is in our Taghazout and Tamraght guide.
What to Pack for Morocco in Winter
Based entirely on what we got wrong.
- Thermals, if the Sahara is on your list. This is the one we missed and the one I would fix.
- A proper jacket, not a jumper. Every evening, everywhere.
- Gloves or hand warmers for the desert sunrise.
- Closed shoes. Not Birkenstocks. I did warn him!
- Swimwear, because the coast is genuinely warm.
- Layers you can cover up with. Shoulders and knees covered keeps you comfortable everywhere.
- A scarf, and buy it in Morocco. Wait until the gorge stops on the desert tour, where Dan paid 50 dirham for what people were being quoted 120 to 150 for the day before.
Is Morocco Worth Visiting in Winter?
Yes, and I would pick it again!
You trade one thing, which is a warm desert night, for three things: much lower prices, far fewer people, and a coast that is still in full swing. For us that was an easy trade, and the 2 degree sunrise is genuinely one of my favourite memories of the whole trip precisely because it was hard.
The only travellers I would steer away from winter are people whose entire trip is the Sahara and who really dislike being cold. Everyone else, go!
Watch What Morocco Looks Like in Winter
All of this was filmed between mid November and early December, so what you see is exactly what you would get in the same window: the coast, the cafes, the desert and the cold.
Watch the Morocco coastline vlog on YouTube and subscribe to Ell's Passport for the Sahara and Marrakech too.
FAQs About the Best Time to Visit Morocco
What is the best time of year to visit Morocco?
Spring, roughly March to May, and autumn, roughly September to November, are the safest all-round answer because everywhere is comfortable at once. We went 13 November to 7 December and would happily repeat it: the Atlantic coast was warm enough to swim, Marrakech was pleasant, prices were low, and the only catch was a very cold desert at night.
Is Morocco good in December?
Yes, with one condition. On the Atlantic coast in December we were swimming, surfing and using beach sunbeds. Marrakech was comfortable by day and needed a jacket at night. But the Sahara hit 2 degrees at sunrise, so if the desert is on your itinerary you need thermals and a real coat.
Is Morocco good in November?
Very. Mid November on the coast was full beach weather for us, Marrakech was ideal for walking the souks, and prices were noticeably lower than peak season. It is our pick if you want the shoulder season without the spring crowds.
How cold does Morocco get in winter?
It depends entirely where you stand. On the coast it stayed mild enough for swimming through late November and early December. In Marrakech the evenings needed a jacket. In the Sahara we recorded 2 degrees at sunrise and 6 degrees mid morning in early December.
What months should you avoid in Morocco?
July and August, if your trip includes Marrakech or the Sahara. Inland and desert heat in high summer is punishing and the desert tours are much harder work. The Atlantic coast stays cooler and is the exception.
Is the Sahara desert cold at night?
Very. We were there 4 to 6 December and it was 2 degrees riding out for sunrise. The days were lovely and cool for walking the dunes, but the temperature drops the moment the sun goes and stays down until well after sunrise. Pack thermals, gloves and closed shoes.
Is winter low season in Morocco?
Yes, outside Christmas and New Year, and it is the main reason to consider it. Our accommodation averaged A$47.03 per person per night across 20 paid nights, and the whole trip came to A$63.95 per person per day on the ground.
When is the best time to surf in Morocco?
Autumn through to spring is the recognised surf season on the Atlantic coast, which is why Taghazout and Tamraght stay busy all winter. We were there in late November and early December and the water was full of surfers every day.
Final Thoughts: When Should You Actually Go to Morocco?
Go in spring or autumn if you can pick any dates you like and you want everything to be easy.
Go in November or December if you would rather pay less, share it with fewer people, and get a coast that is still completely alive. That is what we did, and knowing what I know now I would book the same window again without hesitating.
Just do not do what we did and arrive at the edge of the Sahara in December with one jumper between you and a 2 degree sunrise!
