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Voykit pocket guide · Morocco
Taza
تازة
Stop in Taza for one night on the Fes–Oujda train line: walk the Almohad walls and Bab er-Rih at sunset, then move on. Two nights only if you add the Friouato cave.
Taza sits in the gap between the Rif and the Middle Atlas, the historic east–west passage, and it still works the same way for travellers: a rail halt on the Fes–Oujda line rather than a destination. The old town (Taza-Haut) is a plateau medina with Almohad walls, a Great Mosque and a 14th-century madrasa; the French-built new town (Taza-Bas) below holds the station, the market streets and almost all the beds. Sights take half a day, the Friouato cave takes another, and the town is far less visited than Fes or Chefchaouen.
- Country
- Morocco
- Local name
- تازة
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (inland heat), Jan–Feb (cold, wet, unheated rooms)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- MAD
- Money
- Currency is the Moroccan dirham (MAD). Hotels, larger restaurants and chain shops take cards; souks, taxis, small cafés, guides and tips are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget MAD 250–400 excl. bed · Mid MAD 400–700 excl. bed · High MAD 700+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Maroc Telecom, Orange and inwi sell tourist SIMs at airports and shops with a passport; 20–50 GB costs about MAD 100–200.
- Emergency
- Police 19 · Gendarmerie 177 · Ambulance and fire 15 · From a mobile 112
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 220 V · 50 Hz · European round-pin plugs; bring an adapter for UK or US devices.
- Tipping
- Café: Round up or leave MAD 2–5.; Restaurant: 5–10%.; Porter or bag carrier: MAD 10–20.; Guide, full day: MAD 100–200.; Desert camp staff and driver: MAD 100–200 per day shared.
- Water
- Tap water is treated in cities but most visitors drink bottled; carry water in the south.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels and restaurants; squat toilets in older cafés and on the road. Carry tissue and MAD 2–5 for attendants.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | MAD 6–10 |
| Petit-déjeuner (bread, jam, coffee) | MAD 20–30 |
| Sandwich or grilled chicken snack | MAD 10–25 |
| Tajine or pastilla in a sit-down restaurant | MAD 25–80 |
| Internet café, one hour | MAD 4 |
| Laundry or dry-clean, per piece | MAD 10 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | MAD 100–200 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FEZ · Fes–Saïss
- Nearest useful airport, about 2 h by road or 2–2.5 h by train via Fes
- OUD · Oujda Angads
- Alternative for an eastbound trip, about 3.5–4 h by road
Typical fares
- Petit taxi across the new town
- MAD 15–25
- Grand taxi Taza → Bab Bouidir, per seat
- MAD 12–15
- Train Taza → Fes, second class
- about MAD 60–90, 2–2.5 h (check)
Get around
The two halves of the city are about 1.5–2 km apart and 100 m of height apart: walk it in 20–25 min uphill, or take a petit taxi for a few dirham. Petit taxis cover the new town cheaply; grands taxis leave from near the train station for Fes, Oujda and Bab Bouidir. Trains (ONCF) and CTM buses both stop in the new town.The two halves of the city are about 0.9–1.2 mi apart and 100 m of height apart: walk it in 20–25 min uphill, or take a petit taxi for a few dirham. Petit taxis cover the new town cheaply; grands taxis leave from near the train station for Fes, Oujda and Bab Bouidir. Trains (ONCF) and CTM buses both stop in the new town.
See and do
Known for
- Almohad medina walls and Bab er-Rih
- Great Mosque and 14th-century madrasa
- Grotte de Friouato cave system
- Rail halt between Fes and Oujda
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Grotte de Friouato | Grand taxi toward Bab Bouidir, then a 5–10 min walk uphill from the signpost | About 1 h each way |
| Fes | ONCF train from Taza station, or CTM bus from Place de l'Indépendance | 2–2.5 h |
| Meknes | ONCF train on the same line | About 3.5–4 h |
| Bab Bouidir | Grand taxi from the Bab Bouidir stand | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Ville Nouvelle (Taza-Bas)
- Place de l'Indépendance and Avenue Mohammed V: station, cafés, market and nearly every hotel. Stay here.
- Between the two towns (Quartier El-Messaoudia)
- A few hotels on the slope between Taza-Bas and Taza-Haut; quieter, still walkable to both.
- Medina (Taza-Haut)
- Almost no tourist beds; come for the day and sleep below.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Peace be upon you | السلام عليكمas-salaam alaykum |
| Thank you | شكراshukran |
| How much is it? | بشحال؟bechhal? |
| Where is the station? | فين المحطة؟fin el-mahatta? |
| The bill, please | الحساب عافاكel-hisab afak |
| I don't understand | ما فهمتشma fhemtsh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Salam alaykum' and a handshake; hand on heart after; avoid: Offering a hand to a woman first unless she does
- Eating: Right hand, bread as your spoon; avoid: Refusing all food at a home
- Bargaining: Smile, take your time, walk away kindly; avoid: Naming a price you will not pay
- Dress: Shoulders and knees covered in medinas and villages; avoid: Beachwear away from the beach
- Photos: Ask and accept no; avoid: Photographing women or children without consent
- Ramadan: Eat discreetly indoors in daytime; avoid: Snacking on the street
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat inland: plan the medina walk for early morning or after 17:00.
- Winter rooms are often unheated — ask before you pay.
- Grands taxis are shared and frequently have no seat belts; agree the fare first.
- The Friouato cave has been closed at times and needs a guide: confirm locally before setting out.
- Few English speakers in shops and hotels; French or Darija helps.
Taza is a small, calm provincial city and street crime is rare; the practical risks are heat in summer, cold unheated rooms in winter, unlit medina lanes after dark and shared grands taxis without seat belts. Walk the medina in daylight.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Taza yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Almohad medina walls and Bab er-Rih
- Great Mosque and 14th-century madrasa
- Grotte de Friouato cave system
- Rail halt between Fes and Oujda
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- ONCF — Moroccan national railways: www.oncf.ma/
- CTM — Moroccan long-distance buses: www.ctm.ma/
- Wikivoyage: Taza, revision 5062288 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5062288
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Tazaتازة
لهذا العنوان عافاك
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Taza; most are in Rabat, with consulates in Casablanca. US citizens: the embassy is in Rabat (check the address).
Print or screenshot this card; mobile data inland can be slow.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/taza). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.