Etiquette & CultureBy Clever Tourists · Published · Last updated
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February 2027 and end around 9 March 2027, with Eid al-Fitr on about 9 or 10 March. Morocco fixes both dates by its own moon sighting, so the start can be a day later than in the Gulf. You can visit normally: tourists are not expected to fast, riads and tourist restaurants keep feeding guests, and the medinas come alive after sunset. What changes is the daytime pace, opening hours, alcohol availability and how discreet you should be about eating in public.
Astronomical projections put the first day of Ramadan 2027 on Monday 8 February. The month lasts 29 or 30 days, so it ends on about 8 or 9 March, and Eid al-Fitr (Aid al-Fitr) falls on about 9 or 10 March 2027. Morocco's Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs announces the start the evening before, after the crescent is sighted, and Morocco has often started a day after Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Treat every date as provisional until that announcement.
Morocco used to switch its clocks from GMT+1 back to GMT for Ramadan; in 2026 that ran from 15 February to 22 March. Since 02:00 on 20 September 2026 the country has been on GMT permanently, so there is no Ramadan clock change in 2027. Some older apps and printed schedules may still show the old offset, so check times before booking trains, tours or flights with tight connections.
Fasting from dawn to sunset applies to Muslims, not to visitors. Nobody will expect you to fast, and your riad or hotel will still serve breakfast. Moroccan law penalises Muslims who break the fast publicly, and while it is not aimed at foreigners, eating, drinking or smoking openly in the street, on a bus or in a souk during the day reads as rude.
In practice: carry a water bottle in your bag and drink discreetly, eat lunch inside a restaurant or at your accommodation, and skip the street snack while walking through the medina. Ramadan also falls in Morocco's cool season, so dehydration is less of an issue than it would be in summer.
In Marrakech and Fes, many local cafés and snack places in the medina close during the day or open only in the late afternoon. Restaurants aimed at tourists, hotel restaurants and most riads stay open for lunch, so you will not go hungry, but choice is narrower, especially in smaller towns.
Everything stops at sunset for iftar (ftour in Morocco), the meal that breaks the fast: dates, milk, harira soup, chebakia honey pastries and boiled eggs. Expect streets to empty for 30 to 60 minutes, taxis to be scarce in the run-up and kitchens to be busy. Many riads and restaurants offer a ftour menu to guests, and it is worth booking at least once. After ftour the medina fills again, shops reopen and squares like Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakech stay busy late into the night.
• Alcohol: supermarkets and liquor shops generally stop selling alcohol for the whole month (and often for a short period before it). Licensed hotels, some riads and some tourist restaurants in the big cities still serve non-Muslim guests, but bars may close or be quieter. Do not plan a trip around evening drinks.
• Shops and souks: many stalls open later in the morning, slow down in the afternoon, close before ftour and reopen in the evening. Government offices and banks work shorter hours.
• Sights: palaces, museums and monuments stay open but can close earlier than usual; mosque visits that admit non-Muslims run fewer tours. Our mosque dress code guide covers what to wear.
• Transport: trains and CTM buses run, but timetables can shift, and travel peaks sharply in the days around Eid as people go home. Book long-distance seats early for early-to-mid March 2027.
Pros: fewer tour groups, often softer hotel prices, quieter daytime streets for photos and a lively, family-heavy night scene you do not see the rest of the year. February and March are also good months for Marrakech and the desert, and our Marrakech and the Sahara guide works at this time of year with small timing tweaks.
Cons: shorter opening hours, reduced alcohol, slower service late in the afternoon when people are tired and hungry, and short tempers in traffic before sunset. Touts and scams do not disappear; the usual advice in our Morocco safety and scams guide still applies. If you want normal hours and a full nightlife, go after Eid instead.
Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday of one to two days. Families dress up, visit relatives and eat together after morning prayers. Many shops and restaurants close for the first day, some for longer, and transport is busy before and after. If your trip overlaps Eid, stock up on snacks, confirm that your riad serves meals and do not plan a long intercity journey on the day itself.
It is expected to run from about 8 February to about 8 or 9 March 2027, with Eid al-Fitr around 9 or 10 March. Morocco confirms the dates by moon sighting, often a day after the Gulf states.
Tourists are not expected to fast, but eating, drinking or smoking openly in the street during daylight is seen as disrespectful. Eat inside restaurants or at your accommodation and drink discreetly.
Yes. Tourist restaurants, hotel restaurants and most riads stay open during the day, while many local cafés in the medina close until late afternoon. Everything pauses at sunset for ftour.
Shops and supermarkets generally stop selling alcohol for the month. Some licensed hotels and tourist restaurants still serve non-Muslim guests, but availability is limited.
It can be: fewer tour groups and lively evenings, in good weather for Marrakech and the desert. The trade-offs are shorter opening hours, little alcohol and some closures around Eid al-Fitr.
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