A month in Marrakech

Citizens of EU countries, the UK and the US are on Morocco's list of nationals exempt from an entry visa. The national tourist office gives 90 days as the longest tourist trip, with an extension of another 90 days requested at the nearest police station. UK advice gives the same 90 days, and France's foreign ministry counts three months as 90 days exactly.

A month booked with a hotel, a riad or a guest house remains a tourist stay: the taxe de séjour applies to every night and the registration form applies on arrival. The Ministry of the Interior's portal says Law 07-20 extended the tax to flats rented by their owners to tourists, including through online booking platforms.

Morocco has a separate law for residential leases, Law 67-12. Its text could not be checked for this guide, so nothing here covers deposits or notice periods under it.

Guéliz suits a month with a car. The tourist office describes it, with Hivernage, as the modern part of the city, with boutiques and airy avenues, and Jemaa el-Fna is about 2 km away by road. The commune plans an underground car park under Place du 16 Novembre with 457 places, not yet described as open, and no street-parking tariff was found, so a flat with its own space settles the question.

Hivernage, about 3 km by road from Jemaa el-Fna and about 6 km from the airport, suits a month in a hotel. The Palmeraie, about 11 km out, suits a villa month where the car makes every trip into town.

The medina and the Kasbah suit shorter riad stays. For a month there, the car belongs in a gate car park such as Bab Lkhmis, Bab Ghmat or Bab Ahmar, and the commune's fee for guarded parking at city parking stations is 2 DH for the day and 4 DH for the night.

Expect to show a passport at check-in and to sign the individual registration form, which the host sends to the police electronically. Hotels, riads and guest houses hold an operating authorisation under Law 80-14, and a homestay in the host's own home needs a five-year authorisation from the local authority. No authorisation scheme for a whole flat rented by its owner was found, so ask the host how the stay is declared.

The tourist tax adds up over thirty nights. Marrakech charges 15 DH per person per night in a riad or guest house and 20 DH in a house rented to tourists, so two adults in a riad for 30 nights pay 900 DH in tax (15 DH x 2 x 30). Children under 12 pay nothing.

Which rate applies to a flat booked on a platform was not found. The national ranges run from 2 to 5 DH for other forms of tourist accommodation and from 10 to 25 DH for riads and houses rented to tourists.

Airbnb calls a booking of 28 nights or more a monthly stay. The guest pays the first month, then monthly payments follow; a long-term cancellation policy applies, and changes generally need 30 days' notice.

Hotels, riads and guest houses price a month as a run of nights, with the tourist tax on each one. Quub compares and books stays for the dates entered, with prices and availability set by the sellers.

A riad deep in the medina, a car and no plan for it. Ask which gate car park the riad uses before paying.

Counting the tax once. It runs per person per night, so it grows with every guest and every night.

Staying past 90 days. The tourist trip ends at 90 days unless the police grant an extension.

Negotiating the airport taxi fare. At Menara the kech.cab desk sells rides at fixed fares set by the authorities, paid in advance.