School holidays 2026-2027 in Morocco and Europe: when to travel?

Moroccan families and European travellers do not go on holiday on the same dates. When the two calendars overlap, trains, coaches, flights and medinas fill up at the same time. When they do not, you find noticeably quieter weeks. Here, period by period, are the 2026-2027 school holidays in Morocco and in the main European countries visitors come from, with links to the official calendars, and the best weeks to travel between December and March.

School holidays in Morocco in 2026-2027

For Moroccan state schools, ministerial decision no. 047.26 of 3 July 2026 sets the following periods, according to the calendar published by drh.ma:

• Mid-December: Sunday 6 to Sunday 13 December 2026.
• Mid-year: Sunday 24 to Sunday 31 January 2027.
• Spring: 21 to 28 March 2027.
• Then mid-May: 9 to 16 May 2027.

Schools of the French Mission in Morocco follow a different rhythm: Christmas from 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 and winter from 20 February to 7 March 2027, according to the same source. The Spanish Mission plans 21 December to 3 January, then 22 to 28 February 2027.

Public holidays come on top: 1 January, 11 January (Independence Manifesto, a Monday, so a three-day weekend) and 14 January (Amazigh New Year, a Thursday, which allows a long weekend to Sunday). Eid al-Fitr is listed for 10 and 11 March 2027 as provisional: the date depends on the sighting of the crescent moon.

Holidays in Europe, country by country

The table sums up the published dates for the markets most European visitors come from. According to the official or published calendars: Morocco, France, Belgium, Germany, Madrid, Italy, London. For France, dates are the start of the holidays (after classes) and the day school resumes.

Two notes. In Germany each Land has its own calendar: check yours on the KMK site. In England, the London dates come from an aggregator site and academies may set their own: check with the school.

Week by week: when Morocco is full

• November: fairly quiet, apart from the public holidays on 6 and 18 November.
• 6 to 13 December: Moroccan school holidays. Families head to Marrakech, Agadir, Fez, Tangier or Ifrane: fuller trains and coaches, especially on both weekends.
• 14 to 18 December: the quiet window before Christmas.
• 19 December to 4 January: the winter peak. All of Europe is on holiday, so is the French Mission, and New Year draws crowds to Marrakech and Tangier.
• January: quiet overall, except the long weekends of 9 to 11 and 14 to 17 January, then the Moroccan holidays from 24 to 31 January.
• February: European breaks are spread from 1 February (Berlin) to 8 March (zone B in France). Ramadan is expected around early February 2027: some shops and restaurants change their hours.
• March: crowds around Eid al-Fitr (around 10-11 March, provisional), then maximum overlap from 21 to 28 March. 28 March is also the day Europe moves to summer time: Morocco, on GMT all year, will then be 2 hours behind Paris and 1 hour behind London.

Trains, coaches, flights: how to cope in busy weeks

• ONCF trains: book Al Boraq and Al Atlas trains early on oncf-voyages.ma for holiday weekends and Eid. Our guide to travelling light on Al Boraq has the right habits. Around Casablanca, high-speed line works have changed some timetables since September 2026: check your train before each trip.
• CTM and Supratours coaches: on the Marrakech, Agadir and Fez routes, buy your ticket in advance during the Moroccan holidays.
• Flights: around Christmas and Easter, direct flights from Europe fill up first. See also our article on new flights to Morocco this winter.
• Hotels and riads: on peak days, early arrivals and late departures do not always find a room ready or a free reception to hold suitcases.

The quiet weeks to aim for

1. 14 to 18 December 2026: between the Moroccan holidays and Christmas.
2. 5 to 22 January 2027, avoiding the long weekends of 9-11 and 14-17 January.
3. Early February, for travellers outside French zone C, Berlin and Bavaria, keeping Ramadan in mind.
4. The week of 15 March 2027: after Eid, before the spring break and Easter.

Travelling with bags at peak times: where to leave them

On busy days a suitcase costs you time: queues at the station, room not ready, noon check-out and an evening train. BoxSpot lets you leave your bags with a partner shop. You show your booking, the partner scans the QR code and takes a timestamped photo, and you get them back with the same QR code. A few points by city:

• Marrakech: the hair salon at Bab Aghmat, just outside Bab Aghmat, daily 9:00 to 17:00.
• Tangier: RS Valises, near the Gran Teatro Cervantes, daily 11:00 to 23:00, less than 10 minutes from Tanger Ville port.
• Casablanca: Troplo Coffee Casa Voyageurs, about 17 minutes on foot from Casa-Voyageurs station.
• Rabat: Saberbest, near Place de Russie, daily 9:00 to 22:00.
• Fez: Barber Shop Alami, daily 12:00 to 22:00.

Price example

A family leaves its Marrakech riad on Saturday 27 March 2027 at 11:00 and takes the evening train. They leave two suitcases at the Bab Aghmat point for the day: 59 MAD for the first (an hourly booking never goes above 59 MAD) and 49 MAD for the second, 108 MAD in total. For a single bag and 4 hours, count 36 MAD.