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AFAR staffers have some inspirational goals this year

The real foragers aren’t in San Francisco or Copenhagen. They’re tromping through Morocco’s mushroom-gilded forests.

A solo traveler shares why loneliness is an essential part of traveling alone.

A Moroccan artist helps us navigate the inspiring maze of shops, galleries, and restaurants in the heart of Marrakech.

Cookbook author Jeff Koehler shares what it’s like to travel and eat in Morocco.

In this week’s episode of Unpacked by AFAR, three AFAR editors share highlights from this year’s “Where to Go in 2024" list.

I looked at shoes at every souk in every medina in every city and town in Morocco, but ... unfortunately, their sizing did not cover my apparently giant feet. Oh well. I still enjoyed the looking!

There are many things to love about staying at La Tangerina, but the panoramic views from the roof terrace are at the top of my list. In this photo, the Strait of Gibraltar is visible under a cloudy sky. Standing at this viewpoint, if you turn a little to the right, you’ll see the busy Port of Tangier and endless beaches. Turn a bit further to the right, and you’ll enjoy a spectacular multilayer vista, with the White City’s historic Kasbah in the forefront, followed by an array of more modern buildings, with the Rif Mountains as a distant backdrop. The hotel is perfectly located at the highest point on the Kasbah and has been beautifully restored and decorated. We enjoyed large breakfasts and a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the medina.

Tangier’s Ancienne Medina is still a close resemblance of the trading quarter established in this location during the Moorish settlement of North Africa. Spices, olives, leather, vegetables, olive oil are brought everyday from the regions small producers for trade with the settlers in southern Iberia. Not much has changed up to the modern as days as the little narrow cobbled streets are still lined with the sights, smells and sounds of Morocco. On my way up from the port, I noticed a small old man wearing a beige berber Djellaba, who was selling some baked polenta street food. The 5 Dirham a slice, hot polenta was being baked in makeshift oven, he had installed around his bicycle. Incredible! Stall after stall, the bitter scent of fresh ground Pepper, Ginger, Turmeric and Ras El Hanout, contrasted with the sweetness of the harissa being cooked for that one-pot wonder that is harissa chicken. Further ahead you can delight yourself with some spiced bulgur and lamb tagine with apricots and prunes. My recommendation is to avoid the restaurants and stick to the street food! Do not forget to have some Mint Tea, which is made with Gunpowder green tea from china, but instead of the touristic Café Hafá, go to the bar of the Cinema Rif at the top of the Medina, which has an almost exclusive local customer base.

We kicked off our Marrakesh holiday with a visit to Maison MK’s Gastro MK restaurant for its five-course tasting menu. The riad‘s Moroccan chef cooks up a delicious, visually stunning Moroccan-French fusion menu whose highlights included fried quail eggs perched atop an almond and chicken pastilla, and an exquisite asparagus and tomato tart. Dinner begins with canapés on Maison MK’s rooftop terrace and moves downstairs for meal service. Feel free to take your mint tea or coffee up to the terrace to end your evening and enjoy nighttime views of the Koutobia Minaret. Reservations are a must, as there is a single dinner seating and space is limited for those not staying at the riad.

This antiques store, just outside Tangier’s medina, is a treasure trove of Moroccan (intertwined with European) history. You’ll find everything from Roman coins to carved wooden Islamic ornaments—plus more than a few Moroccan rugs thrown in for good measure.

Going strong for more than 10 years, Galerie 127 was the first in Africa to focus completely on contemporary photography. The theme has endured, and owner and curator Nathalie Locatelli now represents more than 30 photographers covering the Maghreb with regularly changing exhibitions, book signings, and seminars. Housed on the first floor of an art deco block opposite the old Marche Central, the gallery has 13-foot-high ceilings, clean lines, and areas of exposed brick recalling the galleries of New York—perfect for showcasing the large-format photography that Locatelli favors. It’s particularly interesting to see the works of Moroccan photographers such as Hicham Gardaf, who captured his hometown of Tangier in intimate detail, and Yasmina Bouziane, whose highly stylized still-life images play with gender. Note: Opening hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 3–7 p.m.

Although medina dwellers tend to favor local markets for their daily shopping, and tourists enjoy strolling them to get a sense of life in the ancient city, the art deco fresh-produce market in the Ville Nouvelle provides a less harried experience. This is where you’ll find premium regionally grown fruits and vegetables, ranging from gorgeous artichokes, peas, and fava beans in the spring; sweetly fragrant peaches, nectarines, and melons in the summer; and earthy sweet potatoes, great bunches of fennel, and Jerusalem artichokes going into the autumn and winter. Haunches of beef and lamb hang from butchers’ hooks, and the catch from Kenitra and Tangier lays glistening on ice-covered wooden slabs. The market is a great place to stock up on dried fruits and nuts, and souvenirs of herbs and spices, handwoven baskets, and Moroccan serving platters. After shopping, stop at one of several cafés on lively Mohammed V Boulevard for freshly squeezed orange juice or a coffee strong enough to make your nerves jangle, and watch the world wander on by.

Tangier is full of history, with every turn holding an ancient secret to the city. The port is a popular place for locals to take in the ocean views, but all the action takes place in the winding streets of the Old Medina. My favorite stop was at the fruit stands. The tangerines are less than fifty cents and the best purchase you can make while in Morocco.

Tangier has a compact medina that’s easy to navigate. From the old port, it inches up an incline through a series of whitewashed alleys. By Moroccan standards it’s a relative youngster (the fortified casbah dates back to the 15th century). Make like a local and head to a café off Petit Socco square, where you can watch street life over a pot of mint tea.