Morocco in December: Weather, Christmas and New Year

What is the weather like in Morocco in December?

Expect clear, mild days and cold nights almost everywhere, with the north wetter than the south. December is early winter in Morocco. The sun is still strong at midday, so a sweater is often enough in Marrakech after lunch, but the temperature drops quickly once the sun goes down. The gap between day and night is widest in the desert and the mountains, where clear skies let the heat escape.

Daylight is the other thing to plan around. The sun rises at about 7.25 am in Marrakech and sets at about 5.30 pm, a little earlier in Fes and Merzouga. Morocco moved its clocks to GMT in September 2026, so sunset is an hour earlier on the clock than it was in past winters. A long road day that starts at 8 am will often finish in the dark.

Is December a good time to visit Morocco?

December is a good month for the cities and the desert if you pack for cold nights, and a poor month for beaches and serious mountain walking. Many travellers prefer it to summer, when inland Morocco is very hot. The honest trade-offs are below.

What is Marrakech like in December?

Marrakech in December is sunny and comfortable by day and cool by evening. Afternoons around 20°C are ideal for the souks, the gardens and the palaces, and the square of Jemaa el-Fna is at its liveliest after dark, when you will want a jacket. Rain is uncommon but does happen. The Agafay Desert, about an hour from the city, is cold after sunset, so dress warmly for an evening there.

If your riad matters to you, ask whether rooms have heating and whether the courtyard is open to the sky. Hassan and his team in Marrakech can tell you which of the riads they use stay warm in winter. Our day trips from Marrakech all run in December, though Imlil can see snow and the Ourika Valley is cool.

What is Morocco like at Christmas and New Year?

Christmas is not a public holiday in Morocco, so shops, souks, banks and sites keep their normal hours on 25 December. Most Moroccans are Muslim, and Christmas passes quietly outside hotels that cater for foreign guests. Some larger hotels and riads arrange a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner, usually at an extra cost, so ask when you book if a Christmas meal matters to you.

New Year is different. 1 January is a public holiday, and New Year's Eve in the Sahara has become one of the most popular ways for visitors to spend the night. Many camps around Merzouga hold a special dinner with music around a fire, and the week between Christmas and New Year is often the fullest of the year in the dunes and in Marrakech. Camps and the better riads can book out well ahead, so if you want to see in the new year in the desert, start planning in late summer or early autumn.

Two more winter dates are worth knowing. 11 January and 14 January, the Amazigh (Berber) New Year called Yennayer, are also public holidays. Expect some offices and banks to close, though tourist sites and tours carry on.

For the holidays themselves, see Christmas in Morocco for where to spend it and what is open, and New Year's Eve in Marrakech for the night itself, from riad dinners to a camp in the Sahara.

Is Morocco crowded or more expensive in December?

Most of December is quiet, and only the last ten days are busy. Until about 20 December you will find short queues at the main sights and plenty of choice in riads and camps. From Christmas to the first days of January, Marrakech fills up, flights usually cost more, and the desert camps near Merzouga can be full.

Our prices are the same all year. A private tour costs €500 to €1,000 per person for 3 to 5 days and €1,700 to €3,800 per person for 7 days, in December as in any other month. The final figure depends on group size, hotel and camp level and what you add. What changes over the holidays is availability, not our price. The full table is on the Morocco tour cost page.

Which tours work best in December?

Desert routes and city-based trips suit December well. The desert is at its most comfortable by day, and the cities are pleasant for walking. The main thing to plan for is the night in camp and the mountain crossing on the way there.

Two warnings apply to every December desert trip. First, nights in camp are cold. Camps provide heavy blankets, but a standard tent is not heated the way a hotel room is, and the gap between camp levels is widest in winter. If you feel the cold, look at a luxury desert camp and ask what heating it has. Second, heavy snow can close the Tizi n'Tichka pass on the road between Marrakech and Ouarzazate, as it did in early January 2026. How long a closure lasts varies with the storm. A private driver can wait for the road to reopen or move a stop to another day, which a fixed group tour often cannot. Browse all our desert tours for more options.

What should you pack for Morocco in December?

Pack layers that cover a 20-degree swing between afternoon and night. You will wear a T-shirt and a light sweater in Marrakech at noon and everything you own at a desert camp at 6 am.

• A warm jacket: a down or synthetic insulated jacket that packs small is the most useful item for the desert and the mountain pass.
• Thermal base layers: a top and leggings to sleep in at camp and to wear under trousers for sunrise.
• A hat, gloves and a scarf: the scarf doubles as sun and sand protection on the camel and as a cover for religious sites.
• Long, loose trousers: more comfortable on a camel than jeans, and they cover the knees, which is the norm in medinas and villages.
• Closed walking shoes: for cobbled medina lanes and cold sand at night. Leave the heels at home.
• A waterproof layer: worth it for Fes, Chefchaouen and the coast.
• Sunglasses and sunscreen: the winter sun is still strong in the south.

For advice on covering up in medinas and at religious sites, and a full packing list by season, see what to wear in Morocco.

A sample 7-day December route from Marrakech

This is the route of our 7-day itinerary, adjusted for winter. It loops from Marrakech to the Sahara and back, so you fly in and out of the same airport, and it includes a full day at Merzouga so no two long drives fall back to back.

1. Days 1 and 2, Marrakech. Arrive, rest, then a guided walking day. Book a riad with heating if you can.
2. Day 3, over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to the Dades Valley. Leave early to cross the pass in full daylight, with a stop at Ait Ben Haddou. If snow closes the road, your driver waits for it to reopen or adjusts the plan.
3. Day 4, Todra Gorge to Merzouga. Aim to reach the dunes by about 4 pm so the camel ride arrives at camp before the 5.30 pm sunset.
4. Day 5, a full day at Merzouga. Sunrise over the dunes, then a slow day around the desert and a warm hotel night after the camp.
5. Day 6, the Draa Valley to Ouarzazate. The longest drive of the week, through Nkob and the palm groves.
6. Day 7, back to Marrakech. A shorter day over the pass. Book an evening flight or, better, add a night.

For New Year in the dunes, start this route on 28 December so that night 4, the camp night, falls on 31 December. A 7-day private tour costs €1,700 to €3,800 per person, the same as in any other month. Holiday dates fill early, so send us your dates as soon as you know them.