Traveling in Morocco full-stop is certain to be a daily and exciting adventure. But if you are traveling by motorhome in Morocco there are going to be places you venture that are lesser travelled. And surely lesser-documented. Like, Mohammedia for example.
Mohammedia in Morocco is often a city that is overlooked or passed by. And although location-wise that seems fair enough. It is after all only 35 minutes’ drive from Casablanca; Morocco’s largest city.
However, if you are visiting Morocco by motorhome like us then the chances are you might stop for the night(s) in Mohammedia. And no doubt you are wondering what exactly there is to do in Mohammedia…
Read on, friends. We found Mohammedia turned out to be one of our favourite stops in Morocco. Not just for the friendly campsite (see below) or because there are plenty of things to do in Mohammedia. (There aren’t ‘plenty’ as such…).
But we want to tell you our favourite thing to do in Mohammedia. And why the location and timing of Mohammedia being one of the first stops in Morocco makes it so favourable.
Are there any things to do in Mohammedia? Here’s what we recommend.
There is the beach. And there are plenty of vans and kiosks parked selling Moroccan street-food and snacks just beyond. It’s the perfect spot for relaxing really. And catching up on the usual vanlife chores of laundry and showers…
But it’s not for the boring chores that we like it. Mohammedia has truly become a firm favourite stop of ours because of the Moroccan souk; Souk Joutia.
It’s not like there are plenty of ‘sights’ to see in Mohammedia. But a visit to Souk Joutia in Mohammedia is just the right balance of exciting and new culture and foods whilst retaining the small town feel of what really is one of Morocco’s lesser visited destinations. It makes for a fantastic day out in Mohammedia.
And if it’s your first Moroccan souk; that’s even better. Here’s how to confidently visit your first Souk in Morocco; try some of the best Moroccan snacks without the pressure of hawkers.
Try Khringos. AND take your first shared taxi while you’re at it.
Camping in Mohammedia
If you are visiting Morocco with your motorhome and have pencilled in a stop at Mohammedia you are in luck. This is a great plan.
There is a popular campsite in Mohammedia called Camping L’Ocean Bleu. And it is a popular campsite in Morocco for good reason.
Camping L’Ocean Bleu is well set up for motorhomes of all shapes and sizes. The facilities are great. There is freshwater, motorhome services, hot showers, bathrooms, washing machines, and a restaurant onsite (literally on the beachfront).
But the best thing about Camping L’Ocean Bleu is the very friendly Moroccan family that manage the site. You will be warmly welcomed by Hanna and her brother Mohammed in the camping reception. And Hicham in the cafe. Hanna and her family all speak English, French, and Arabic among other languages.
So if like us, Mohammedia is one of your first stops in Morocco, you will be very pleased you chose to stop here.
There is a Carrefour Market in walking distance from the campsite. And depending on the weather, there are small vans and food stalls on the beachfront that serve snacks, Moroccan street-food and coffee.
And as well as information about Morocco and traveling by motorhome, ask in reception about how to get to Souk Joutia.
Souk Al Jouita in Mohammedia
Souk Joutia in Mohammedia is the cities largest marketplace. Here you can buy everything from fruit and vegetables to fresh fish or handmade rugs. There are steelwork alleys and tailors and upholsterors.
There are areas of second hand goods. And there are sweet shops and small tea stands tucked into nooks only given away by the scent.
It’s surely the best thing to do in Mohammedia!
And it’s open every day of the week.
What you need to try at Souk Joutia (and why you need to visit while in Mohammedia)
Here is where things get interesting. And, tasty!
As soon as you walk in you will be greeted by the colourful bustle and energy of a Moroccan souk. It can be likened to a kaleidoscopic assaults on the senses with colours and sweets, green grocers and strongly wafting mint.
There are cats roaming. And you might need to dodge the wheelbarrows of tagines and carts of laden steelwork. All while listening out for donkeys pulling a cart of persimmons and motorbikes with buckets of fresh fish. And that’s all while INSIDE the souk.
Before you even enter Souk Joutia in Mohammedia there are sights to see. And certainly stops that need to be made for tasting before you even enter.
So, welcome to Souk Joutia. And here is something that’s sort of between a challenge and a scavenger hunt as you step out into your first Moroccan souk with an important and exciting list of things to look out for…
Try Khringos – akin to a Moroccan churros – before you even enter
Facing the entrance to Souk Joutia; don’t go in just yet. Instead take a short walk across the road to the left to a line of bread and bakery shops. Here you will see – and smell before you get much closer – the wafting scent of khringos being fried to sweet perfection.
Khringos – along with Sfenj – are two types of Moroccan donuts. Khrings are more like a Moroccan twist on a Spanish-churros. A deep fried donut covered with sugar.
And Sfenj in the iconic donut-shaped fried Moroccan equivalent. Sfenj is often served plain so it’s great to try as a not-too-sweet option of Morocco’s seemingly limitless street food desserts.
With either option you will get a back for just a few dirham. A great way to start your Souk outing. But it comes with instructions to save some room for trying the rest afterward!
Try Chebakiya; the most famous of Moroccan sweets
Chebbakia is another of the delicious sweet scents that wafts through any Moroccan souk. As soon as you enter Souk Joutia in Mohammedia you will see chebakiya and other sweet treats piled high to your right.
Undisputedly the most iconic Moroccan sweet is Chebakiya. It is a time-consuming sweet to make. And is usually served during Ramadan and for special occasions.
It’s seriously sticky. Oscar describes the stickiness of your hands after eating chebakiya that you might be able to climb walls with the stick! But don’t be alarmed.
It’s absolutely another must-try in Morocco. And almost certainly you will be handed a sweet, sticky chebakiya as you enter Souk Joutia.
What is it exactly?
Chebakia is a Moroccan sesame cookie that is shaped into a flower. The dough is shaped and fried, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Stop for a Moroccan mint tea somewhere inside the souk
This is a definitely a must. And depending on where you stop for tea will provide some time take a little breather and watch the world of the souk go by around you.
There is a small tea shop with a table somewhere near the metalwork alley. And a friendly small tea kiosk with a man who can introduce himself in more than six European languages if you can find him!
Bring your bag for some fresh vegetables
Obviously shopping is what the souk is really all about.
There is a huge range of fruit and vegetables spread out through the Souk right from the friendly fruit vendor by the taxi stand outside. All the way in through the sweets and carpet alley that is intermittently dotted with vegetable grocers.
The vegetables are a great price. So grab the coloured plastic bucket that is handed to you and fill it up with your choice.
The vendor will weigh the vegetables and let you know the price. (Which with confidence is one purchase in Morocco that definitely won’t need haggling).
Wander the metalwork shops and mechanics; and the fish market while you’re at it
There is something for everyone here at Souk Joutia! Your entry to the souk will take you through an unlikely mixture of carpet shops and sweet vendors.
There are live chickens and vegetable grocers. There is incense and oud burning next to the second-hand gas fitting stall. And there are sardines not really all that far from the tagines smouldering on charcoals.
But wander through a little further and you will see more specific avenues. There is a whole alleyway of tagines and Moroccan pottery. And just beyond a entire courtyard of mechanics and steelworkers grinding and welding in the path.
There really is everything you could think of. (And a whole lot that you definitely hadn’t). But go for a wander and try an alley of shops you might not see at home…
Try a new kind of fruit
Now this is a challenge if there ever was one. Keep your eyes peeled in the fruit market for some kind of unrecognisable or new-to-you fruit to try.
There are cactus fruit and persimmons. Plus berries and large gourds and pumpkins. And more often than not some that are not recognisable. (Or pronounceable).
But undoubtedly this is the fruit that will give you an instant connection with the vendor. And a good few laughs as you work on trying to repeat the Amazigh or Moroccan Arabic name…
Did you know Morocco prides itself in pastries and biscutis?
Biscuits and cookies aren’t likely the first thing that springs to mind when considering the gastronomical options of Morocco.
But with its blend of ancient and modern cuisine, even on the street Moroccan food is a reflection of it’s incredibly extensive history and rich cultural heritage.
There are patisseries everywhere in the larger Moroccan cities. And here in the souk there is a surprising abundance of biscuit shops to confidently rival the endless sprawl of sweets.
Just as you emerge out of Souk Joutia (you’ve made it to the other side) back onto a road (lined with vegetables and donkey-carts of persimmons).
You will see – and smell – the bright orange uniforms of a cookie and biscuit shop that we can personally recommend. (There has been a lot of trial and tasting for that recommendation!).
Fekkas is the twice-baked Moroccan-style biscotti. And Ghriba Behla are Moroccan shortbread cookies you will recognise for their cracked tops dusted with icing sugar.
There are crescent shaped Gazelle Hornes. These are another iconic staple of Moroccan biscuit-cuisine. An almond paste is delicately draped with a paper-thin dough.
Simple but another on the list of got-to-try’s…
Grab a coffee (and a natural toothbrush at the same time)
Look out for Listen out for the man selling coffee walking through the souk.
You will hear him first and spot him with his flask of hot coffee and basket (literally a shopping basket) with sugar and cups. And toothbrushes.
The coffee is basic but good. But this is a typically North African experience that is much more than the humble cup of black kawha.
Taking up most of the vendors basket is an array of different miswak. These are natural toothbrushes. Made from the bark and small twigs often of a walnut tree, these are the style of toothbrushes used for centuries.
Once you recognise the size of miswak you will start to see it everywhere; most often used as a chewing stick.
Give it chew/try/scrub?
Look out for M’smen. And Amlou.
Have you heard of amlou? This is a type of spread unique to Moroccan cuisine.
Amlou is a thick brown paste with a texture similar to peanut butter. The texture is obtained by grinding roasted almonds and mixed with honey and argan oil.
And M’smen is perhaps the most delicious and versatile of Moroccan breads.
It is a type of flat bread quite similar to a South Asian paratha. With layers of pastry and fried to perfection with the lightest of crunch.
M’smen is a common breakfast snack and you will come to spot it on streets corners around Morocco. But here before you enter Souk Joutia in Mohammedia is a bread shop you don’t want to leave without trying.
- Tip: For just a few dirham, order a M’smen. You can choose a sweet or savoury topping; butter or cream cheese and luncheon, or honey.
We reckon the best topping for M’smen is Amlou. And this gives you the chance to try this Moroccan specialty spread. You are sure to become an instant new fan…
Getting around Mohammedia
If you’ve come through Asilah and Rabat by motorhome you will have seen the medina of each city. And the market stalls that extend beyond the walls.
There are limitless shops and countless carts and kiosks. But the medina of a city is very different to a Souk.
- Note: Souk Joutia in Mohammedia is not near the campsite.
But the distance and means of getting out and about to get there is one of the best things to do in Mohammedia.
Getting around Mohammedia is easy by shared taxi. And with your motorhome safely parked at Camping L’Ocean Bleu it is a great half-day outing.
So let Souk Joutia in Mohammedia be your first Moroccan Souk experience. And here is everything you need to know to get there by shared taxi.
How to get to Souk Joutia, Mohammedia
There are two options for getting a taxi from Camping L’Ocean Bleu to Souk Joutia:
- Book a taxi pick-up from L’Ocean Bleu (60 Dh / 6 EUR)
- Take a shared taxi from the main road (10 Dh / 1 EUR per person)
The reception at the campsite can call a taxi that will pick you up right there. Or you can walk up to the main road and lookout for the light turquoise coloured shared taxis.
These taxis seat 6 people and you literally need to wave one down and tell the driver “Souk Joutia”.
There likely will already be a couple of people in the taxi. But hop in. You might stop to pick up or drop off more passengers. But eventually you will be dropped right outside the entrance to the souk.
- Tip: From Camping L’Ocean Bleu to the Souk takes around 15 minutes by shared taxi.
What about other weekly markets in Morocco?
We can’t rate the weekly markets in Morocco highly enough!
It is a fascinating way to get a glimpse of traditional, rural and weekly life in Morocco. And obviously a good place to stock up on fruit and vegetables or souvenirs and handicrafts.
There are weekly markets in Morocco that take place all over the country. Here are some more of our favourites:
- Zagora Weekly Market
- Tabounte Weekly Market
- Guelmim Camel Market
- Ouarzazate Weekly Market
- Tafraoute Weekly Market
- Anza Weekly Market
- Tamraght Weekly Market
More useful links for your travels in Morocco and beyond…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Make sure you have travel insurance before riding those trains in India!
Read more about travel in Morocco
- Taking the vehicle ferry from Spain to Morocco with your motorhome.
- Driving in Morocco: Everything you wanted to ask.
- Crossing the Morocco Mauritania border from Dakhla.
- Motorhome services in Morocco: What is it like?
- A guide to campsites in Morocco.
- Visiting the famous Guelmim Camel Market.
- Buying a SIM card in Morocco (and how to get unlimited data!).
