What do Russian travellers need to know about Morocco?

Russian travellers have an easy entry into Morocco: holders of a Russian passport can stay up to 90 days visa-free, provided the passport is valid for at least six months beyond your arrival and has blank pages for the stamp. You complete a short arrival card on the plane and get your stamp at immigration. Because entry rules between countries can shift, I always tell my Russian guests to confirm the current requirement through the Moroccan embassy or the official Moroccan e-visa portal before booking — treat any second-hand source, this answer included, as a prompt to verify officially.

On flights, there are seasonal direct services from Moscow into Casablanca and sometimes Marrakech, but the most dependable year-round routings go through a single hub. Turkish Airlines via Istanbul is the classic choice and a comfortable one, and the Gulf carriers — Qatar via Doha, Emirates via Dubai, Etihad via Abu Dhabi — connect smoothly into Casablanca. From Moscow it's a manageable journey with one stop, and a layover in Istanbul or Doha breaks it up nicely. Casablanca is the main gateway, with fast onward links to Marrakech, Fes and Tangier.

Money is the part where Russian travellers must plan carefully. The dirham is a closed currency you cannot buy at home, and crucially, Russian-issued bank cards (Mir, and Visa/Mastercard issued by Russian banks) generally will not work in Moroccan ATMs or shops. So the practical move is to bring sufficient euros or US dollars in cash, then exchange them at a bank or licensed bureau in Morocco, or draw dirhams from an ATM only if you hold a card issued outside Russia. Carry your cash securely and keep small dirham notes for taxis, tips, the desert, the mountains and the souks, which are all cash-only anyway.

Culturally, Russians tend to find Morocco's warmth and unhurried rhythm a pleasant contrast, and a few notes help you settle in. Communication leans on French and Arabic, with English in hotels and tourist areas, so a translation app is genuinely useful in the souks and smaller towns; Russian is rarely spoken. Tipping is customary but modest — a few dirhams, not a fixed percentage. Bargaining in the markets is expected and good-natured, so enjoy it rather than treating it as a battle. Dress modestly away from the resorts, with shoulders and knees covered, accept the famous mint-tea hospitality, and Morocco opens up generously.