Is Ifrane worth visiting in winter?

Ifrane is worth a short visit or stop in winter if you’re curious about its unusual Alpine character — nicknamed "the Switzerland of Morocco," it’s a tidy, chalet-style mountain town that sometimes has snow, and it’s a novelty stop rather than a destination in itself. It often features as a brief break on the Fes-to-desert route.

The appeal is the surprise of seeing pitched roofs, clean streets and cedar forests in Morocco, plus the nearby Azrou cedar woods where you can see Barbary apes. There’s a small ski resort, Michlifen, for a taste of Moroccan winter sports.

Don’t plan a whole holiday around Ifrane, but as a scenic, curious stop en route between Fes and the Sahara it’s pleasant, especially with a dusting of snow. An hour or two, plus the cedar forest, is usually enough.