How do I stay cool in the Moroccan heat?

The locals worked out how to beat this heat centuries ago, and the smartest thing a visitor can do is copy them. Moroccan life in summer splits the day in two: busy and productive in the cool of the morning and again in the evening, with a slow, shuttered pause through the worst of the midday sun. Build your own day the same way — see your sights from opening until late morning, disappear indoors from roughly 1 to 4pm, and come back out as the heat breaks. Fighting the midday sun to tick off one more sight is how people end up sunstruck and miserable.

What you wear matters more than people expect, and the instinct to strip down is exactly wrong. Loose, light-coloured, long fabrics — the kind of flowing cotton you see locals wearing — actually keep you cooler than shorts and a vest, because they shade the skin and let air circulate while blocking the fierce sun. Add a wide-brimmed hat or a scarf wrapped Berber-style, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen, and you can move through a hot afternoon far more comfortably than someone sunburning in a tank top.

Hydration is non-negotiable and easy to get wrong, because in dry desert air you sweat without feeling drenched and dehydrate before you notice. Drink steadily all day, well beyond thirst, and lean on the local tricks: mint tea is genuinely refreshing (hot drinks help you sweat and cool), fresh orange juice is everywhere and cheap, and a pinch of rehydration salts on a big day staves off the headache that creeps up by evening. Carry a refillable bottle and top it up rather than rationing.

Finally, use the architecture and geography that are built for heat. Medina lanes are deliberately narrow and shaded — stick to them rather than crossing open squares at noon — and riad courtyards, with their thick walls, central fountains and shade, stay remarkably cool even when the street outside is roasting. A midday mint tea in a shaded courtyard is the most pleasant way to ride out the peak. And if heat really isn't your thing, plan the trip around the coast and mountains in summer, or simply visit in spring or autumn when the whole country is comfortable.