I am American and live here in Oujda with my husband Mohamed. Oujda is not necessarily a tourist destination as Casablanca, Tanger etc..are so you can expect no overcrowding and can be in the "real Morocco."
We have some gorgeous hotels here such as the Hotel Orient and Hotel Oujda; and others which offer exceptional service at reasonable prices.
Eat where the locals do! Otherwise if you use large hotel restaurants your food will be more French with Moroccan influences; not what we eat daily. The food is good, plentiful and very inexpensive. Use street vendors with clean equipment and/or where you see many people buying. Oujda is known for it's street food safety and I eat at all places.
Oujda is extremely safe as far as crime goes, your handbag is safe and women are treated with great respect here. Oujda is a lovely mix of modern city and daily living history. We have a couple of nightclubs where young and older have a nice time together, a few bars which need male accompaniment, well at least for me they do, we have a cinema, plenty of pharmacies, a very good hospital and private practicing doctors who accept seeing anyone for $4-$10.
Public transport consists of a few busses, though we taxi most places. A 5 mile taxi ride in the famous "petit taxi" will cost you just over $1.
We are part of the Rif and the mountains are within earshot and can be seen surrounding Oujda. There is nearby hiking, holy sites in the mountains to see and farms stretching as far as the eye can see immediately outside the city. Not far outside the city is a wonderful brazier called Riaha, use a Grand Taxi to get there; large white Mercedes sedans, serving gorgeous food and lots of it for less than $10 for 2-3 people. You pick out your fresh meat, by the 1/2 kg and upwards. 1 kg of 2 meats feeds 4 nicely, and it is cooked over charcoal fresh for you with all of the accompanying salads (slatas), olives, fried potatoes, bread to eat it with, and a fork for your salad; eat the rest with bread! etc.. Have a pot of mint tea after your meal! Kefta, ground meat, and thin cutlets are the most popular of meats there or at any brazier and many local's restaurants. The ground meat may be beef or young beef which is like veal though raised free ranging. It is mild juicy and yummy as are the cutlets, usually lamb. If a place appears to be a hole in the wall and you would tell your children not to touch anything; then that is where you should eat!
Also, 35km to the Mediterranean resort of Saidia. Oujda is on the major train link to nearly anywhere and the most expensive train ride is the overnight to Casablanca at $25. The trains are statistically known to be one of the safest in the world and you will find workers most helpful. We tip waiters at cafes, taxi drivers and assistants at train stations 1 dirham.
Oujda is a lovely, safe and quiet place to relax and experience what non-touristy real Morocco is all about. The people are warm, open, welcoming and friendly and you will find a few who speak some english. Best to brush up on your french or bring a french dictionary though! Oujda has wonderful old souks (markets) where you can buy anything from food to a bed inexpensively and be prepared to haggle! Nobody pays the asking price!! Oujda is also one of the most open and tolerant of Moroccan cities as it has Mohamed V University. We are diverse, friendly and a wonderful sized city to visit. Be sure to enjoy the very good street music here as well.
As all Moroccans who speak english and I would say,,,,,,,,You are welcome! (here)
Hajar
