What Makes Each Trip
Morocco's highlights are lived-in places and landscapes. In Marrakech you haggle for lanterns in the souks, then retreat to a riad rooftop. In the High Atlas you walk between Amazigh villages. At Merzouga you ride camels into orange dunes at sunset and eat by the fire in a candlelit tent. Fes shows a working medina where tanners and coppersmiths still run family workshops.
Egypt's highlights are monuments on a scale nothing else matches. The pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum with the full Tutankhamun collection, Karnak and Luxor Temple, the tombs of the Valley of the Kings with color still bright after three thousand years and Abu Simbel in the far south. A felucca sail around Elephantine Island in Aswan is the gentle counterpoint.
Morocco feels like a journey through places. Egypt feels like a journey through time.
The Safety Conversation
Egypt first, because it matters. The State Department rates Egypt Level 2, exercise increased caution, because of terrorism, with the Sinai Peninsula except Sharm el Sheikh by air, the Western Desert and border zones marked Do Not Travel. The Nile Valley and Red Sea resorts sit outside those zones and draw millions of visitors, but those warnings are a real signal. Most honeymooners who go use an established operator with licensed Egyptologist guides, avoid self-driving and enroll in STEP.
Morocco is rated Level 2, exercise increased caution, also citing terrorism. Day to day, visitors mostly meet petty theft and hustle in busy tourist areas.
In both countries touts can be persistent and women may get unwanted comments in crowds. Dressing modestly, walking together, a calm la shukran and a licensed guide on day one make a big difference.
Timing Your Trip
Morocco's sweet spots are spring (March to May) and fall (late September to November). April and October are about as good as it gets. Summer is very hot inland, with Marrakech and Fes passing 100°F in July and August. Winter is bright by day but cold at night and riads can feel chilly.
Egypt is best from late October to early March. Daytime highs in Luxor and Aswan sit in the 70s and low 80s Fahrenheit and evenings on deck can call for a sweater. December and January are busiest. By April the south is hot and from May through September Aswan averages above 100°F. The Red Sea is best for snorkeling in spring and autumn.
For a December or January honeymoon, Egypt has the edge. For April or October, Morocco is hard to beat. Both shift with Ramadan, which moves about 11 days earlier each year.
Sleeping Arrangements
Morocco's riads are a reason to go. Many have five to ten rooms, a tiled courtyard, a plunge pool and a rooftop for breakfast. In Marrakech, El Fenn links several riads around a rooftop facing the Koutoubia, La Mamounia is a 1920s palace hotel in twenty acres of gardens and the Royal Mansour is a cluster of private riads with their own plunge pools. Kasbah Tamadot sits on a hill in the High Atlas. Luxury camps in the Erg Chebbi dunes offer en suite tents and Heure Bleue Palais in Essaouira has a rooftop pool above the ramparts.
Egypt's stays come in three kinds. Historic grand hotels in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan carry old-world atmosphere. Nile cruise ships and smaller sailing dahabiyas handle the river. Red Sea resorts in Sharm el Sheikh range from simple to lavish, with good all-inclusive deals.
The Money Side
All figures are approximate and move with exchange rates.
Morocco is one of the rare places where mid-range money buys something special. A riad with character costs roughly $120 to $300 a night for two. Top riads and palace hotels start around $500 and pass $1,000. Good desert camps with private tents run about $250 to $600 a night with dinner and breakfast. A private driver costs around $150 to $250 a day. A comfortable ten days for two often lands at $4,000 to $8,000 before flights.
Egypt is good value too. A comfortable trip with private guides, four or five star hotels and a good Nile cruise often runs roughly $350 to $700 a day for two before flights. Dahabiyas and grand hotels push that higher. Budget a few hundred dollars per couple for site tickets and keep small notes for constant tipping.
Flights and Getting Around
Royal Air Maroc flies nonstop to Casablanca (CMN) from New York JFK, Washington Dulles and Miami, about seven hours overnight from the East Coast, with Los Angeles also on the route map. Many couples connect through Paris, Madrid or Lisbon straight into Marrakech (RAK) or Fes (FEZ). Trains link the cities, but for the mountains and desert a private driver is the way to go.
EgyptAir has flown nonstop from New York JFK to Cairo (CAI) in roughly 11 hours, with other US routes appearing in some schedules. Otherwise connect in Europe or Istanbul. Inside Egypt, domestic flights save time: Cairo to Luxor is about an hour. The overnight sleeper train is a fun alternative and the river itself carries you between Luxor and Aswan.
Morocco involves more road time. Egypt involves more early starts.
Respect and Romance
Both are Muslim countries with long habits of welcoming visitors and both ask similar courtesies. Cover shoulders and knees in medinas, cities and villages. Holding hands is fine; kissing in public is not, even on a honeymoon. Ask before photographing people and in Egypt never photograph police, soldiers or checkpoints.
Alcohol is available in both, in licensed hotels, bars and restaurants. Morocco makes its own wine around Meknes. Egypt has local beer and wine and cruise boats serve drinks on deck.
The romance comes in different forms. In Morocco it is a private hammam for two, a sunrise balloon over the palm groves near Marrakech or a night in a Sahara camp under more stars than you knew existed. In Egypt it is dinner on deck as the boat moors beneath date palms, or a felucca drifting past Nubian villages at sunset.
