Visiting Morocco During Ramadan

Visiting Morocco During Ramadan

(What Changes, What Stays Open & What To Expect)

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a month of fasting observed by Muslims worldwide. From sunrise to sunset, those observing don’t eat or drink. Evenings are reserved for iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, and for gathering with family.

In Morocco, Ramadan isn’t just religious. It reshapes daily life. Roly and I had already been travelling through Morocco for two months when Ramadan began. We’d crossed from Spain by ferry, moved down the coast, into cities, into desert terrain. By the time the calendar shifted, we were settled in Essaouira.

On February 18th, Morocco moved into Ramadan, and the country adjusted overnight.

We weren’t arriving into it. We were already inside it, and that made the difference.

Does Ramadan Change the Experience?

It Depends Where You Are.

In larger, tourist-facing cities like Marrakech, Essaouira and Agadir, the shift was subtle.

In Essaouira, nothing felt shut down. The beach remained active. Restaurants were open. Cafes were serving. Tourists walked the medina, sat by the sea, filled tables at lunch. Commerce continued.

The difference wasn’t activity, it was who was present.

There were fewer locals out during the day. Fewer children playing in the same numbers. Fewer long cafe sit-ins from residents who were fasting. The city felt lighter in density, not empty.

If you hadn’t known it was Ramadan, you might have assumed it was simply a less busy weekday.

Alcohol was more limited. That was noticeable. In tourist-facing areas you could still find it, but it was less visible and less central to daily life.

I chose to stop drinking entirely for the month. After travelling through France, Spain and Morocco with long dinners, good wine and indulgent food, it felt like the right moment to pause. One month. No alcohol. Long beach walks. Runs along the coast. Hitting 10,000 steps daily. Cooking fresh produce from the market instead of eating out constantly.

With Portugal next on the route, and inevitably more wine ahead, it felt like a reset rather than a restriction.

Ramadan made that easier but daily life, especially in tourist zones, kept moving.

The most visible shift came at sunset. The call to prayer sounded. In some places, a siren echoed across rooftops to signal the break of fast. For a brief window, streets thinned as families gathered indoors. Then the city reassembled.

Evenings carried more weight. Locals broke fast together. Food moved quickly from trays. Streets filled again. Laughter. Music. Plates passed hand to hand.

The energy wasn’t reduced. It was redistributed.

The Clock Change Most Travellers Miss

Ramadan in Morocco doesn’t just shift daily habits. It shifts time itself.

Since 2018, Morocco operates on GMT+1 year-round. But during Ramadan, the country temporarily reverts to GMT (UTC+00:00), then switches back to GMT+1 once the month ends.

In 2026:

• Morocco reverted to GMT on February 15
• Returned to GMT+1 on March 22

If you’re crossing borders, booking flights, or coordinating international calls, this matters.

It’s easy to miss, especially if your phone updates automatically and you don’t realise the change is tied to Ramadan.

It’s not complicated. It’s just specific, and it’s something most travel blogs forget to mention.

Dress Code During Ramadan

Morocco doesn’t introduce new rules for tourists during Ramadan, but modesty becomes more noticeable.

You don’t need to cover your hair. You don’t need to change your identity. But choosing looser silhouettes, longer hemlines, and lighter coverage reduces friction, particularly in non-tourist neighbourhoods.

In beach towns like Essaouira, daytime clothing felt no different from the rest of the year. Swimwear at the beach remained normal. Tourists dressed as they usually would.

In cities like Rabat, the capital or Fes, which feel more traditional and less tourism-led than Marrakech or coastal towns, modesty was more noticeable during fasting hours. Not enforced. Not policed. Just culturally present.

In city centres and medinas, especially during fasting hours, dressing slightly more conservatively simply felt aligned with the environment.

It wasn’t about obligation. It was about awareness.

Final Thought

Ramadan didn’t restrict the journey. It reframed it.

Days felt lighter. Nights felt fuller. Timing mattered more. For tourists in major destinations, very little was taken away.

You just saw Morocco operate on a different internal clock, and it was a layer of the country I was glad to experience.