Christmas and New Year in Morocco: how to plan the festive fortnight
Christmas and New Year fall inside Morocco's quiet, clear winter season. Christmas is not a public holiday here, so the city, the mountains and the desert carry on normally — which is exactly why the period works. Below is what we genuinely operate between mid-December and early January, at our published direct prices.
Christmas in Morocco: what actually happens
Morocco is a Muslim country and 25 December is not a national holiday. Shops, souks, restaurants, museums and transport run as normal, which makes the week unusually easy to travel in. There is no country-wide Christmas programme, and we will not imply one.
Hotels, riads and restaurants that cater to international visitors often organise their own Christmas dinners and decorations. That belongs to each venue, so ask your accommodation directly — we can build your days around whatever they are doing.
Christmas in Marrakech
Marrakech over the festive fortnight is busy with international visitors but not with local holidays: the medina, Jemaa el-Fnaa, the gardens and the palaces are open and comfortable in the middle of the day. Restaurants fill up in the evenings, so book dinner ahead.
A full-day private city tour or a food and culture evening works well for arrival and departure days, when you want something good but not demanding.
Atlas Mountains, Agafay and the Sahara over the holidays
An Agafay desert evening with dinner is the most requested festive-week experience we run: 40 minutes from Marrakech, suitable for families and groups, and needing only a warm layer for the evening.
The High Atlas is at its winter clearest, with cold, bright valley days around Imlil. A Sahara circuit to Merzouga uses a full week properly, with comfortable driving temperatures and cold desert nights.
For experienced walkers, the Toubkal winter routes run in this period as a genuine winter mountaineering trip — guided, equipped, and confirmed against conditions rather than sold as a guaranteed summit.
New Year in Morocco
New Year's Eve is more visible in Marrakech than Christmas, mostly through hotels, riads, restaurants and private venues. If you want a specific dinner or venue on 31 December, book it early and directly with them.
We do not currently advertise our own New Year's Eve event, menu or entertainment. If we run a confirmed 31 December programme, it will appear here with the exact inclusions, the price and the cancellation terms — and not before.
What we can do now is plan the rest of your New Year days: an Agafay evening earlier in the week, a mountain or valley day on 1 January, transfers, and a private itinerary around whatever you have booked that night.
Private Christmas and New Year trips
Most festive-period enquiries are private: a family, a couple or a group wanting their own vehicle, guide and pace across several days. We plan those individually and quote before anything is paid.
Book multi-day and private trips early for this fortnight. Vehicles, guides and mountain accommodation are finite, and we would rather tell you in September that a date is tight than sell it in December and fail you.
Prices over the festive period
We do not run Christmas discounts, countdown offers or festive surcharges of our own. The direct price on each tour page, including the standard 5% direct-booking discount, is what we charge in late December as in any other month.
If a supplier applies a genuine seasonal surcharge to a specific date, we will tell you before you pay, in the quote — never after.
Where to go from here
Not sure what December is like before you commit to dates?
A full private day in Marrakech with a licensed guide: the historic palaces and gardens in the morning, the medina, souks and Jemaa el-Fnaa in the afternoon.
A full winter season expedition: snow skills training, several 3,000–4,000 m objectives and a Toubkal summit attempt with crampons, ice axe and a licensed guide.
8 days / 7 nightsPrivate or small group, max 12
Public rate €1920€1824 per personSave 5% when booking direct
Our own direct prices, per person unless the tour page says otherwise, with the standard 5% direct-booking discount already applied. No festive surcharge is added by us.
Private Christmas and New Year trips
Tell us your dates, group size, arrival city, number of days, interests and accommodation preference. We reply with a real itinerary and a firm price before anything is paid.
It is not a public holiday and there is no national celebration. Many international hotels, riads and restaurants organise their own Christmas and New Year events.
Can you organise a New Year's Eve dinner or party?
We do not currently advertise our own New Year's Eve event. We can plan your itinerary around a venue you have booked and handle transfers and the surrounding days.
How early should I book for late December?
As early as possible for multi-day, private and mountain trips — guides, vehicles and mountain accommodation are limited over that fortnight. Day experiences are usually easier to confirm.
Are your prices higher over Christmas and New Year?
No. We charge the same published direct prices with the same visible 5% direct-booking discount all year. Any genuine supplier surcharge on a specific date is shown in your quote before payment.