Should I visit Morocco during Ramadan, and what stays open?

Ramadan in Morocco is a question I always want travellers to understand clearly before they book, because it genuinely changes the trip — not for the worse, but profoundly. Ramadan is the Islamic holy month of fasting from dawn to sunset, and because it follows the lunar calendar it moves about eleven days earlier every year, so confirm the exact dates for your travel year (a Ramadan in spring this decade will creep into winter over time). During it, the great majority of Moroccans abstain from food, drink, smoking and more during daylight hours.

What this means day to day: by day, the country is quieter, slower and a little subdued, especially in the afternoon when people are tired and hungry. Many local restaurants and cafés close during the day or open only for the evening, government offices and some shops keep shorter or shifted hours, and the souks can feel sleepy in the heat of the afternoon. You may find guides, drivers and staff fasting, which is worth being gracious about — energy naturally dips toward late afternoon.

Then comes the magic. As sunset approaches, the streets empty into an extraordinary hush, and at the exact moment of the call to prayer the fast is broken with iftar — traditionally dates, harira soup, sweet pastries and milk. After eating, the whole country comes alive: cafés overflow, families stroll, markets buzz, lights twinkle, and there's a warm, festive, communal energy late into the night that you simply don't get the rest of the year. Sharing an iftar — many riads and families will invite you — is one of the most moving cultural experiences Morocco offers.

The reassuring practical news for travellers: the tourist infrastructure keeps running. Hotels and riads operate normally and serve food and drink to guests, tourist-oriented restaurants in cities stay open through the day, museums and monuments keep their hours (sometimes slightly reduced), and you will not go hungry or thirsty. As a non-Muslim you are not expected to fast — but please eat, drink and smoke discreetly in public out of respect, stepping into your riad or a tourist restaurant rather than munching a sandwich in the street in front of people who are fasting.

So, should you go? If you want vibrant nightlife, long lunches out and maximum daytime bustle, pick another month. But if you're curious, flexible and culturally minded, Ramadan can be a beautiful, atmospheric and surprisingly uncrowded time to visit, with magical evenings and a deep sense of the country's soul. I'd simply adjust the itinerary — gentler daytimes, big evenings — and brief you fully so nothing catches you off guard.