11 Days, 5 Cities, $1,700: A Russian Blogger’s Morocco Budget Breakdown

A Russian travel blogger named Sasha Konovalova recently set out to answer a simple question: Is it cheaper to tour Morocco on your own, without a package deal? She and her partner spent 11 days exploring five cities—Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Fez, Marrakech, and Essaouira—and stayed mostly in traditional riads. The total cost for two people? About 154,000 Russian rubles, or roughly $1,700.

Konovalova broke down the numbers in her personal blog on the Dzen platform. Accommodation for more than 10 nights, including breakfasts, came to 65,900 rubles. Transportation—taxis and buses between cities—added another 19,900 rubles. She noted that hailing a cab is easy: just raise your hand and negotiate the fare. And don’t be surprised if a taxi already has other passengers—that’s perfectly normal in Morocco.

Excursions and entertainment cost about 15,000 rubles, while food ran close to 20,000 rubles. “Every meal came with a free basket of flatbreads, and sometimes olives too—it’s just the custom,” she said. The biggest savings came from skipping a tour operator: round-trip flights with a layover in Istanbul cost only 31,000 rubles for both travelers. In the end, the couple spent about $850 per person for an 11-day adventure.

Konovalova, who previously made headlines for describing a heated scene at a Turkish hotel where a guest complained about limited poolside snacks, says Morocco proved that independent travel can be both affordable and rich in local culture. Her advice for anyone considering a similar trip: embrace the chaos, haggle with confidence, and never skip the free bread.