What To Wear In Morocco? A Simple Packing Guide For Women

I struggled with what to wear in Morocco as a woman… A LOT! I was very concerned with not over heating in my clothes, while still dressing respectfully.

Here’s my suggestions for what clothes to wear in Morocco, and a complete Morocco packing list at the end! I recommend packing a lot more pants than shorts, no crop tops, and something to cover your arms if you need to!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Outfits For Morocco

There’s no dress code for what to to wear in Morocco as a woman. I saw tourists wearing both more conservative styles but also wearing tighter clothes, shorts, tank tops… etc.

So in theory, you could wear what you would normally wear at home. But that being said, you might be a bit uncomfortable walking around, especially in less touristy areas.

Most local women in Morocco are more covered up, wearing loose fitting full length dresses or longer shirts (with pants). Their arms are covered and sometimes their necks and heads as well.

I’m not recommending to dress like a different culture, but you can try to dress a tad more respectfully compared to your traditional summer outfits. And dressing more conservative in Morocco isn’t just about being respectful, it’s also for your own health and safety!

P.S. Stay organized when planning a trip with my Marrakech travel planner, which includes a packing list!

a very marrakech market scene. It's a bustling square with souvenirs on the ground for sale, umbreallas are set up throughout the square for shade, red square buildings like the right side of the square, and people are walking in every direction.

But it't the two women walking by in front of the camera that mainly catch your eye. An older woman, in her 50s, is wearing a long sleeve, long dress with a green pattern. It's long because she's holding up the bottom of it in her hands. Her head is covered with a wrapped scarf.

In front of her is another woman, but you can't see her face, she has a scarf covering her head and neck. She's wearing a long shirt that goes down to her knees, with long sleeves with a blue and brown pattern, She's always wearing white pants.

Cover Up For Modesty But Also For Sun Protection

It’s always nice when you’re traveling to a new country to dress respectfully. And so you might want to adjust your summer outfits, at least a bit, when visiting Morocco.

I’m not recommending buying a djellaba for Morocco (a traditional Moroccan dress), but you also don’t have to walk around in a crop top and short shorts. This is both for modesty, but also just simply for sun protection.

Morocco is closer to the equator which means the sun is directly above you during the day. Because of that, the UV is also extremely high, the highest I’ve EVER seen!

When I was there in June, the UV reached a high of 11 in the mid afternoon sun! The warning said that any unprotected skin can damage and burn within minutes! So it’s kind of terrifying to be in the sun without any sort of protective layer over your skin.

P.S. Obviously you should still be wearing sunscreen… my sunscreen of choice is the Neutrogena spray, it feels a tad lighter and it’s easy to apply.

wearing pants as a woman in Morocco. A woman is standing in a street with shops on either side in essaouira, no one else is close. Her back is to the camera. You can see her long brown hair below her sun hat on her back. She's wearing a white long shawl, and long green loose fitting pants with running shoes

What Clothes To Wear In Morocco To Cover Up And Not Overheat!

Now this is where outfits for Morocco being a tad tricky. I was concerned with covering up for sun protection, but also not overheating in my clothes. It’s not exactly cold in Morocco, quite the opposite in fact, especially in the summer!

You have to get over the fact that wearing less keeps you cooler, because that’s really not the case. I wouldn’t recommend walking around in jeans in Morocco, but the right type of pants can actually keep you cooler than wearing shorts. And you might actually find your cooler when wearing “more”!

women and men walking away from the camera in the market in essaouria. Shops and restaurants line either side of the pedestrian filled street. The buildings are painted white with blue accents around the doors and windows. In the distance, above the stores and people walking is a mosque tower.

More importantly, the woman is fully covered, wearing a blue patterned long sleeve pant outfit and a wide brim straw hat. The man beside her is in a short sleeve shirt, you can't see what pants he's wearing. — *What to wear in Morocco as a woman – locals are fully covered*

Outfits For Morocco: Long Flowy Pants, Maxi Skirts, Dresses & Shirts

The key to covering your skin and not overheating is to wear the loosest clothes you can find. You’ll notice that none of the Moroccan women are wearing tight fitting clothes, because then you’ll most likely overheat.

Wear flowy, loosing fitting, pants, maxi skirts or dresses to cover your legs. To cover your arms, wear loosing fitted long sleeve shirts, kimonos or shawls. Long skirts and maxi dresses are a great option to feel more like a summer outfit.

Loosing fitting clothes not only protects your skin from the sun, but because of the loose fit, it actually creates a breeze when you walk. So not only does it help you stay cooler because your skin isn’t under direct sunlight, but it adds an additional breeziness too.

P.S. Because Morocco is in the desert, it does cool down quite a bit at night here. So bringing a long sleeve shirt is useful during the day for sun protection, but also at night for a bit of warmth.

A woman walking forward but looking back under a completely covered pathway by leaves. There are vibrant blue beams holding up the leaf roof. The woman is wearing a straw sunhat, a white loose kimono, and a long pink and orange maxi dress that just barely shows her ankles before you see her white sneakers — *What to wear in Morocco woman – kimono or shawl with a long dress*

P.S. I Did Still Pack A Pair of Shorts…

I did still pack a pair of shorts in case I was just too hot in the pants in Morocco (because you never really know until you’re there!). But I didn’t feel I needed to wear them at all, I was totally comfortable in my loose pants and felt better walking around the cities not feeling overly exposed.

I did wear them at my hotel though, but more on that in a bit!

What Clothes To Wear in Morocco: Shop For Cooling Fabrics

Another good option to stay cool but still covered in Morocco is to buy appropriate fabrics, like linen. Linen is a very light fabric that’s known for it’s breathability. The only problem is that it can be on the pricier side, and I find I don’t love the feeling of linen on my skin (it’s quite scratchy).

Pure linen would be the best, but today it’s more common to find linen blend shirts, like this one from Amazon (70% cotton, 30% linen). It’s more cost effective and softer feeling.

The main disadvantage to a linen blend is that it will feel slightly heavier, and be less breathable than pure linen.

The back of a women with long brown hair walking through the quiet streets in the Medina of Marrakech. There's one shop open, the walls are tall and orange pink colour. She's wearing flowy black pants, and a loose fitting blue and white blouse as well as a cream coloured bucket hat — *What clothes to wear in Morocco: loose fitting pants and blouse*

Morocco Packing List Essential: A Wide Brim Hat

You need to wear a hat in Morocco to protect your scalp from completely burning. But I recommend the widest brimmed hat you can find. Either a beautiful floppy straw hat (with UV protection!), or even a bucket hat.

This will protect not only your scalp from the sun, but also you face and neck (depending on how big the brim is!). It’s like portable shade for your face, adding that extra bit of sun protection, and a nice accessory to all your outfits for Morocco!

P.S. I also brought my sun umbrella, but no one was using one (unlike in Japan!). So although I felt a bit over the top in the cities with it, it came in handy on our hike in the Atlas Mountains when there was ZERO shade to be found.

an example of what to wear in morocco as a woman. A woman stands with her back to the camera. She's in front of an old stone wall at the port, it separates the streets from the water. In the middle of the frame, behind the water leading to the short stands a reddish stone tower.

The woman is wearing a wide brim straw hat, a white long loose kimono. You can tell its loose because it's blowing in the wind along with her hair.

Pack Different Clothes For Your Hotel

Depending on where you’re staying in Morocco, you might be able to bring a different set of clothes to wear at your hotel. I stayed at the Club Med Marrakech La Palmeraie, which was very much a resort vibe over the local traditional vibe. So I was able to wear what I wanted when I was at the hotel.

Depending on how traditional your hotel in Morocco is, you can get away with wearing more North American clothes. For example, I felt comfortable wearing a bikini at the pool, and shorts around the hotel grounds.

Also if there’s a pool, make sure to pack a bathing suit, or two, and clothes to wear on top!

a woman walking tours the camera in the middle of a tiled walkway after walking out from a large gazebo. She's wearing espadrille sandals, a floral maxi skirt, a white tank top underneath a linen open buttoned down t shirt with a wide brim straw hag — *What to wear in Morocco as a woman: cover your skin as much as possible! I’m wearing a linen blend t-shirt on top of a tank top*

Morocco Packing List: Bring More Than You Might Think You Need

Depending on the time of year you’re visiting Morocco, you might need to pack more clothes than you’re used to.

If you’re visiting in the summer, you’ll want some backups. Temperatures rise above 40°C (104°F)! I don’t know about you, but I immediately sweat through my clothes if I make any sort of movement in any extreme heat.

So I expected to change a few times per day. For example, I planned to tour in mornings, then head to the pool in the afternoon during the extreme heat, and then I’d change once again for the evening activity.

walking through the market in Essaouira it's busy but the streets are wide enough and its all outside. There are many different people walking by all wearing something different, from traditional djabella to a midi skirt. One of the shops is even selling loose fitting pants and shirts

Normally I would pack two pairs of pants and maybe two shorts for a week away in a hot destination… But for a week in Morocco, I packed five pairs of pants, along with a maxi skirt, and a maxi dress, and I did pack two pairs of shorts! I more than doubled the bottoms I needed.

I also packed way more shirts for the same reason. Packing nearly two shirts per day, instead of only one. I also doubled the bras I packed, packing two regular bras as well as two sports bras.

And as a back up, I even packed some laundry detergent sheets that I can easily rip off a piece and wash any clothes I need to in the shower or sink.

P.S. Stay organized when packing for your trip with my packing guide. Filled with complete packing lists, fillable pages with prompts for what to pack for plane or road travel and more! Check out my packing guide on Etsy!

a woman walking down a corridor with her hands wide open, one is up in the air, the other is down by her legs as she tilts her head back to the camera as though showing off what she's walking towards - two swooping white curtains hang from the ceiling. She's wearing a white muscle tank top and loose fitting pants that are tied at the ankle by a drawcord, she's wearing white teva sandals

What Shoes To Wear In Morocco?

I brought four pairs of shoes for one week in Morocco, and I wore every single pair. My rules is to always bring at least two pairs of shoes to give me feet a change, and I always pack a pair of flip flops (or any waterproof pool sandal).

I packed my On running shoes as my main touring shoes (I could walk for days in these!). As my second pair I packed my On white tennis shoes, for a nice white sneaker, perfect for either touring or to wear in the evenings.

I also packed a pair of Espadrilles as well, which were definitely the extra, unnecessary pair of shoes. I have these without a heel from Handmade, so I could easily walk all day in them to give me feet a breather from completely closed shoes if I needed to, and made some cute outfits for Morocco!

And instead of thong flip flips, I packed my Midform Universal Tevas for the pool, that if I needed to, I could also tour in.

P.S. You might also want to consider packing some packable slippers for your hotel. My hotel in Morocco had unglazed, rough tiles throughout the entire room (not just the bathroom) and I didn’t love how they felt under my feet. I was very happy to have slippers to put on after a shower so my feet would stay clean too!

photo taken of a woman's feet from above. She's wearing black espadrille sandals, that have a rope tied around her ankle. You can't see her legs, they're covered by a long floral skirt. She's standing on zellige, moroccan tiles. It's a patterns of different shaped and coloured square tiles that are titled to look like a diamond shape. The colours of the tiles are green, navy, mustard yellow, white.

Additional Morocco Packing List Accessories

There are a few additional accessories I would make sure to pack for a trip to Morocco.

And by the way, I’ve include an entire packing list in Marrakech printable guide.

A Large Scarf

Although I did not wear my large scarf once, I think it is still a good accessory to pack for a trip to Morocco as a woman. A scarf is just so versatile in Morocco, and not even as an actual scarf…

The scarf to pack for Morocco should be large enough to cover your shoulders and arms, your head and neck, and even your legs.

You can wear it instead of your shawl or kimono over your arms, as a neck and head scarf in the desert, or even as a pool wrap over your bathing suit.

The possibilities are endless!

a woman walks by a cafe wearing a full head wrap that also covers her neck

Sunglasses (Two Pairs!)

Of course you need sunglasses in most sunny destinations, and Morocco is no exception. I always recommend packing your regular sunglasses AND a back up pair as well.

It’s never fun being on vacation without your sunglasses. So this way you always have an extra par in case you break or loose one.

a woman stands triumphantly at high above a valley on a mountain side as other mountains soar in the sky behind the valley. She's wearing a sun hat, with sunglasses.

Shoulder Or Belt Bag

You absolutely need a bag in Morocco (both women and even men!). I recommend a belt bag, or shoulder bag that you can carry in front of you.

Our tour guide warned us of pick pockets in the markets, and they are very crowded so you don’t want to be walking around with a backpack or anything in your pockets.

Even my partner, who always travels with his wallet and phone in his pocket, borrowed my Lululemon Belt Bag for Morocco. I find the Lululemon Belt Bag a tad small for a day out touring, so I used my Uniqlo Round Mini Shoulder Bag.

My only issue with the Uniqlo bag is that there aren’t any zippered pockets inside. I attached my own zippered pouch with a paper clip to the inside of the bag to keep my wallet or extra loose cash.

P.S. If you love the Lululemon Belt Bag, they now sell it in a larger size (it’s 2L instead of the original 1L).

a woman showing off her uniqlo round min shoulder bag. Attached to the strap is a mini bottle of purrell. She's wearing a white wrap, and a straw hat. She's standing in front of a vibrant blue boat and off in the distance is the walled white city of essaouira

Miscellaneous Things To Pack For Morocco

These are just some must have items on my Morocco packing list for anyone travelling to Morocco, not just women!

Refillable Water Bottle

Dehydration is real and Morocco is hot! The tap water is safe to drink in Morocco, I read it can have a funky taste and might not agree with your stomach. Either way, it seemed like everyone was drinking bottled water here anyway.

But I still recommend bringing an insulated reusable water bottle, like the Owala. This will keep your water cold throughout the day and this way you always have water on you. Plus, it’s easier to hold than a plastic water bottle.

Pro Tip: If you order water with lunch and didn’t finish the bottle, get into the habit of refilling your reusable bottle with the rest of the water!

a rooftop restaurant in marrakech. A table is cut off, but you can see one place setting, with a moroccan tea pot next to the forks, and a thermoflask water bottle on the edge of the table. Above the rooftop ledge, you can see two mosques.

Things To Beat The Heat: Handheld Fan, UV Umbrella, Sunscreen

There are a few things that I bought in Japan to deal with the summer heat that I thought would be just as useful in the Moroccan heat.

As I mentioned, I brought my UV umbrella. Although I didn’t use it in the cities, it did come in handy on our High Atlas hike when there wasn’t any shade in sight. And I also recommend bringing a handheld fan, like this one, if you tend to overheat. These were a lifesaver in Japan and came in handy while sitting by the pool in Morocco.

And of course, you will need to pack sunscreen because as I said, that UV is strong (especially in the summer!). I packed both a Neutrogena Dry Touch cream sunscreen AND a spray on bottle. I used the cream at the hotel as my base layer for the day. The spray on was a lot quicker and easier to apply when we were touring in the middle of the day.

Between two people, we ended up going through a good bottle and a half of sunscreen in a week.

The back of a woman as she walks away on a sandy path in the mountains of morocco. She's wearing full length pants and holding up a pink umbrella to shield her from the beating sun

Unique Toiletries To Pack For Morocco

There are a few must have toiletries on my Morocco packing list as well. As I briefly mentioned, you’ll want to pack some laundry detergent sheets, like these on Amazon, especially if you’re traveling to Morocco in the summer.

You could end up sweating through your clothes a lot faster than you normally would. This is nice to have just in case you need more clothes but don’t want to pack more.

The sheets take up barely any space but can save you if you’ve ran out of clothes!

And to go hand in hand with the laundry detergent sheets, I also now always pack some removable (and reusable) wall hooks. A lot of hotels lack a good space to hang your belongings. These hooks come in handy to dry any newly washed laundry or even bathing suits after the pool.

You might also want to consider packing your own shampoo and conditioner. Not only is Morocco heat VERY drying, but they might not provide a good moisturizing shampoo at your hotel. If you already have dry hair, I recommend packing some safety shampoo just in case.

The same goes for your skin, you might want to pack some moisturizer for your face and body.

the bathroom at the club med la palmerie Marrakech in Morocco. the shower is an open shower, tiled with a rich evergreen glaze. There's a wood double sink vanity next to it with two hexagonal shape mirrors on the wall. There's three bottles in the middle.

Get A Data Plan For Your Phone (E-sim with Airalo)

When I travel to any new country, I always buy an e-sim with the Airalo app (use my code MEGHAN4678 for $3 off). You just have to make sure you phone is compatible with e-sims (most phones are these days, I know the newest iPhone and Google Pixels are).

Keep in mind, this is only a data plan (so you won’t have local calling or texting). unless it’s through data, like Whatsapp). You can still use it for messaging or calling over data, like with Whatsapp or Messenger. And you’re still connected to Google Maps to know where you are or research restaurants.

I felt safer knowing that I was always connected, especially while wandering through the Marrakech markets.

a desolate market street in Marrakech, ther eisn't a lot of colour, just a deep brown closed door on the right. In the front, a hand is holding up a phone with it open to Airalo App showing Choukran - the Moroccan data plan

Speaker / White Noise Machine

I started packing a white noise machine to hotels because they’re often loud. Whether it’s outside noise, the elevator, people in the next room or in the hallway. Morocco was no exception, but they also take the need to the next level.

Depending on where your hotel is, and how light of a sleeper you are, you might want to add a white noise machine to your packing list. As part of the life in Morocco, prayers happen five times a day… and are all projected on a loud speaker.

The exact times will vary, but will happen five times a day at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and at night. When I visited during the summer, they happened at 10 P.M. and 4:00 A.M.

I have the Hatch White Noise machine.

two orange red mosques rising above all the other rooftops in Marrakech, they're even taller than the green trees below them. You can see speakers attached to the top of the closer one

P.S. What Should Men Wear?

If you’re traveling with men to Morocco, they can pretty much get away with wearing their normal summer attire. It’s a lot more common for men to wear long sleeves and pants in Morocco, but there are still men wearing short sleeves and shorts.

Complete Morocco Packing List For One Week

Here is my complete Morocco packing list for one week. I wore pretty much all my clothes in Morocco, there were just a few pieces I didn’t wear (one shorter dress and a pair of shorts).

P.S. Don’t forget a thing when packing for Morocco with my printable packing list template. My readers get an additional discount with my code ATRLOVE!

a woman standing in front of an intricate closed doorway. there's a scalloped indent decal around the door within the stone. It's a pinkish colour so it matched with the curved wooden door.
The woman is wearing a loose fitting t shirt blouse with cropped loose pants, running shoes, sunglasses, a bucket hat, and she's holding a pink sun umbrella

Tops

Sweater (for the plane)
4 blouses
4 tank tops (exercise)
4 exercise t-shirts *
Kimono / shawl (a linen blend long sleeve could work too)

*If you have a light long sleeve shirt you could swap a t-shirt for a long sleeve shirt.

Bottoms

cargo pants (thicker pants for the plane)
2 cropped wide leg pants
1 loose fitting, light cargo joggers
1 active loose fitting pants with a side slit
active running shorts
Linen blend shorts (didn’t wear)
Maxi skirt
Maxi dress
Exercise dress (didn’t wear)

Shoes

Running shoes
Nice pair walking shoes (white sneakers)
Walking sandals
Waterproof sandals (for the pool)
Hotel slippers

Extras

10 pairs underwear
8 pairs socks
2 bras
2 sports bras
Pyjamas
2 bathing suits (including a piece)
Bathing suit cover up

Accessories

2 sun hats
2 sunglasses
shoulder bag / belt bag
Pool bag
Belt

Toiletries

Laundry detergent sheet
Hooks (to hang laundry or wet bathing suits!)
Sunscreen (more than you think you’ll need, I brought 1 bottle / person)
Toothbrush, tooth paste, and floss
Deodorant
Hairbrush
Moisturizer
Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner

Miscellaneous

Reusable water bottle
UV umbrella
handheld fan
Book

Technology

Phone (with a Moroccan e-sim)
Charging Cables
Type C or type E adapters (same as Europe)
Speaker / white noise machine
E-Reader

Simple Marrakech Travel Guide

Check out my digital and printable travel guide for first timers to Marrakech Morocco.

Use it digitally on your phone to check off top attractions as you do them. Or print it out in one of three size formates, 8.5 x 11, 5.5 x 8.5, or 2.75 x 4.25 for a packable mini travel planner!

vertical image with text on top: ultimate travel guide: Marrakech Morocco. Underneath is a hand holding up a 4.25 x 5.5 size pocket travel planner. You can see the cover page which has the silhouette of a Moroccan crescent moon doorway. In the background is traditional moroccan architecture in reddish, sand, and light pink hues.

8 Pages included:

Cover Page
Morocco at a Glance: with tips and quick information about Morocco
Marrakech at a Glance: with tips and advice for traveling to Marrakech
Marrakech Top Things To Do Checklist: don’t miss a top thing to do in Marrakech by checking off activities as you do them!
Moroccan food to try checklist
Moroccan souvenirs to buy in Marrakech
Common Moroccan phrases in Arabic and French
Packing list for Morocco

See it on Etsy >>

Must-Haves for a Trip to Morocco

There are few things you’ll want to pack for your trip to Morocco that I didn’t think of in advance.

You want to bring a white noise machine with you to Morocco. That’s because prayers are recited over loud speaker from every mosque. Regardless of where you’re staying in Morocco, you will hear the prayers, and they’re loud, and happen when you may want to be sleeping. The exact times will vary, but will happen five times a day at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and at night. I have the Hatch white noise machine, I know it’s for babies but I like how small it is making it very transportable.

Depending on where you’re traveling from, you might also need a European plug adapter. I like this TESSAN US to Europe adapter that gives you 4 outlet converters and 3 USB ports.

It’s also HOT in Morocco, no matter when you visit. I always make sure to bring a refillable water bottle with me. Although the tap water is safe to drink in Morocco, every restaurant will give you bottled water. I would always fill my water bottle with the leftovers. Or if I bought a water bottle I would still put it in my own bottle to keep it cool. I love Thermoflask water bottles, and always bring my 1.2 L bottle (40 oz) to share between my partner and I throughout the day (but they also have smaller sizes!).

And of course, to combat the heat bring sun essentials like a good hat and sunscreen (and don’t forget to reapply!).