Marrakech is a vibrant, colourful city with a rich history and lively culture. However, like any destination, there are certain things that travellers should be mindful of in order to have a seamless and enjoyable experience.
Bargaining is a common practice in the markets of Marrakech. While it may feel uncomfortable at first, it's an integral part of the local shopping experience.
Be prepared to negotiate prices, but do so respectfully and with a smile. Remember that it's all part of the fun and charm of the souks. As a guide you should be looking to pay no more than 30-50% of the starting price.
Marrakech is a conservative city, and it's important to dress modestly out of respect for local customs. This means avoiding clothing that is too revealing or provocative, particularly when visiting religious sites or venturing into more traditional neighbourhoods.
Marrakech is a paradise for food lovers, with its diverse and flavourful Moroccan cuisine. Make sure not to miss out on sampling local specialties such as tagine, couscous, and pastilla.
Embrace the opportunity to savour authentic flavours and immerse yourself in the culinary delights of the city.
While Marrakech is undeniably picturesque, it's essential to be mindful of people's privacy and seek permission before snapping photos, especially of locals.
Respect the boundaries and cultural considerations of the community you're visiting. Another point to note is that often around the Medina, locals will try to charge you for a photograph if they catch you doing it without permission, especially the snake charmers!
It's advisable to stick to bottled water even when brushing your teeth to avoid any potential stomach issues. Staying hydrated is crucial, especially in Marrakech's warm climate, so be sure to regularly purchase sealed bottled water to stay refreshed.
Make sure the water is factory sealed before consumption, as it is known that venders will try and sell bottles refilled with tap water.
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Marrakech’s medina is a maze of narrow alleyways, and it’s easy to get disoriented. Make sure to have a map or a guide to help navigate the labyrinthine streets and alleys, especially if it’s your first time visiting.
Avoid locals offering to help you, they will often lead you further in to the Medina to get you disoriented, where they will then demand a fee to get you where you need to be. See point 7 about internet data and Google Maps.
Consider booking a local guide beforehand to enhance your experience and reduce the risk of any scams.
We recommend purchasing a Moroccan sim card as we found roaming rates very high for most UK networks. Most don’t include Morocco within their free roaming packages. If you have one of the latest phones, you can purchase and download a Moroccan e-sim loaded with 1GB of data before departing the UK, the average cost for this is around £6-£11.
Once in Morocco we switched to our e-sim and found coverage to be good. Alternatively, you can pick up a physical sim card at the airport or local shops. Most hotels and restaurants provide free Wi-Fi which is good for catching up with family and making plans before leaving your accommodation.
However, without internet, when out and about we would not of bring able to book taxis and check Google maps when we were lost. Google Maps was a valuable resource for us as once within the Medina as most alleys looked the same, particularly at night and it was more discreet than using a traditional map.
While taxis are a convenient way to get around the city, it’s important to negotiate the fare beforehand or ensure that the metre is used. This can help avoid misunderstandings and ensure a fair price for your journey.
To avoid situations where the price is increased once you reach your destination download the ‘inDrive’ app which is similar to Uber and order a taxi this way instead of hailing one. Fares are calculated before your journey and paid by card via the app. Taxis are very cheap within Marrakech, for a 15 minute journey expect to pay around 30 MAD (£2.37).
We used a driver provided by our Riad, and although more expensive than using the inDrive app at €15 for most journeys, we found it took the hassle out of finding transport and the risk of being scammed. Most Riads and hotels will have a transport options available to you.
A well known scam, you are approached by ladies offering beautiful henna work as gift. Even on refusal they will grab your arm and try to put a mark on your skin and demand payment. For henna work without being scammed, we recommend visiting Henna Café who offer fixed priced designs with food and drinks available whilst you wait for your henna to dry.
Moroccan dirham (MAD) is a closed currency. This means that it’s generally not possible to obtain Moroccan dirhams outside of Morocco, and the currency is not widely available for exchange in other countries. Therefore, it’s advisable to plan to exchange your currency upon arrival in Morocco or withdraw dirhams from ATMs in the country.
Additionally, major hotels and banks in Morocco typically offer currency exchange services for the convenience of visitors. If you haven’t pre-paid a taxi to your accommodation then you will need to plan getting some currency beforehand as card payments are not widely accepted.
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