Hey @Amparo so, Turkey is my adopted homeland & Morocco was home to a two month house sit last year. Have lived, worked and travelled in both as a solo lady and in a couple. Not been to Tangier but can highly recommend Essaouira for solo travel. Fes & Marrakech more hassle but you’re a well travelled lady so will be fine! Rabat & Casablanca both functional, less appealing. Also Chefchaouen is supposed to be amazing (the blue house city) and you can go from Tangier easily enough. Turkey - well, where to start! The whole Med coast is fab (for me especially off season). Kas, Kalkan, Patara, old town Antalya, Dalyan, Köyceğız, Akyaka & more. Istanbul of course. Epheseus still incredible and often very few visitors off season. Antebbes for food. Trabzon Monastery for wow. Just too many to tell them all. I travelled there alone even when young and have never had any trouble, certainly no more than any big city. Morocco is more expensive than Turkey now for sure. What time of year? How long for? What do you love doing? Feel free to message me if you want some tips or drivers or accomm ideas or links etc - happy to help #solowomentravellersrule
@Cuttlefish oh you have my memory cells spinning! Definitely love all you say, particularly Ephesus, one of the best places I went to in Turkey, and staying in the beautiful little town of Selcuk near there. I really enjoyed Essaouira though many don’t (really windy always) Chefchaouen there are no words lol All of it, love love!
@Amparo yes, it’s a very big country and so much to see. I did a trip as @Knowmad, through the Atlas Mountains, Berber villages, rode the obligatory camel through the Sahara Desert and slept overnight in a tent (incredible) blah blah blah too many beautiful places and definitely deserves many weeks to appreciate the country. Casablanca no thanks, spent a week and a bit in Marrakech and loved it. May definitely sounds like a far better option.
I went to Morocco solo. Had an amazing time.
Was asked to speak at an offsite for a British company and I tacked on a week+ of vacation, because it didn’t make sense to fly there for just one day. I ended up staying in Marrakech and hiring drivers to take me to Essaouira and Casablanca for day trips, arranged by the riad I stayed at off Jemaa el Fna square. The company’s employees stayed at the Four Seasons resort and asked me to join them, but that seemed isolated and sterile to me. Instead, I picked a riad, because they had more character. Plus, I wanted to be able to easily walk to the marketplace and explore, even at night.
In Marrakech, I did sightseeing on foot; rode hop on, hop off buses; took cabs; and hired a horse-drawn cart for a night tour. For the latter two, negotiate price before you get on — my riad told me how much to expect to pay. I also joined a daylong tour to the Atlas Mountains.
I made no plans for Morocco — just winged it, depending on what I felt like and what the weather was doing. That’s how I usually travel.
Separately, I went to Istanbul with my husband and another couple. Would highly recommend it as well and would’ve felt comfortable going there solo at the time, too.