First and foremost, Marrakech is an amazing city full of lovely friendly people, however it can be overwhelming to navigate a new country that is so different from our own. So I’ve summed up the do’s and don’ts we learnt whilst travelling.
As long as you are clear on pricing, and saying no to people trying to sell you things you don’t want, travelling around Morocco can be an exciting and cool thing to do. And as three girls we never felt particularly uncomfortable as people mostly left you alone if you ignored them or refused to buy things. If in doubt look for other tourists for help, and we found that people are usually always happy to help, so don’t be afraid to ask. We only went for 5 days and felt this was the perfect amount of time to get the feel for the place.
Top 5 tips for Morocco:
- NEVER ever take accept the first price you are given, despite what the person is saying it is not going to be that expensive. For a taxi ride the average amount you want to be paying is 20-60 MAD which works out to around £5. If you are offered a taxi for 100MAD, walk away! Before you get in a taxi- petit taxis are in Marrakech and are red- agree on a price so that they don’t overcharge you when you reach your destination.
- The app Careem is a good alternative to uber in Morocco and has set prices on the app so you don’t need to haggle to know you are getting a fair deal.
- If you are lost and someone offers to direct you to where you need to go they will try and ask you for payment after getting you there. So just say no and after enough refusal they will leave you alone.
- Nothing is free so if someone is trying to give you something or in our case decorate your hand in henna they will try to get payment. All you need to do is say no and walk away.
- In the souks shopsellers will start unreasonably high when trying to get you to buy stuff. We found the best way to come to a good price is to start with countering their offer by half, and then eventually work your way to a middle ground. And as a last resort the walk away method is effective. Many of the shops will be selling the same sort of thing so if a price is too high in one shop carry on walking around the souk and you’ll be bound to find another place with cheaper prices. Pro tip- go to Souk Semmarine.
Day Trips:
In Marrakech we found that it was nice to have some day trips planned out for us, as navigating a new city can be a bit overwhelming after a while and it was great to not have to think about travel for a day.
- Ouzoud Waterfalls. Through Get Your Guide we booked an entire day excursion to Ouzad waterfalls that included a van picking us up and driving us to the village, a tour guide, hike, boat ride and Moroccan tea. The total cost, £17 each. Even for uni students on a budget this was extremely affordable. Once there you can see the monkeys at the top of the waterfall, then walk down for a boat ride through the waterfalls. Lunch was not included but we spent about £12 for a three-course meal for three in the restaurant that was delicious. The van dropped us off back home at the end of the day.
- Camel riding and dinner show in the Agafay desert. Again the cost was pretty cheap only £18 per person and included; a camel ride, van pick up and drop off, dinner, fire show and dancing. The camel riding was in the Agafay desert and was a cool experience. We were assured that the camels were well looked after; only working 5 hours a day with plenty of food and rest, but you can’t truly know whether or not this is completely true. The dinner was really yummy including; chicken tagine, a Moroccan specialty, couscous and even more tea! After dinner there was dancing and a fire show. There are lots of day excursions out of Marrakech and we made the mistake of getting in the wrong van at first, luckily the people who he meant to pick up showed up and we got the right van after. So always make sure to double check you’re in the right van!
- Casablanca. Having watched the movie I had a somewhat romanticised view of what the city would look like and was a little uninspired by its reality. We were told by multiple people, including our taxi driver in Casablanca, that it was a boring place and we didn’t need to be there for longer than a night. Having said that there are some things that are very cool to do in Casablanca. Namely the Hassan II Mosque. Built in the 1980s this mosque is the only one in Morocco open to tourists and non-Muslims. The mosque itself is very modern with underfloor heating for the winter, a roof that can be opened and titanium loudspeakers so that prayers can be heard throughout. The cost of the mosque was $800million yet only took 6 years to build. Look up prayer times before you go as you won’t be allowed in during those times. Tickets are fairly cheap and they do student discounts, this is a must-see in Casablanca.
Accommodation:
- Riads. We found that staying in a riad, a combination of a hotel and B&B was beyond helpful for tips and kindness from hosts, but too cramped for 3 people for longer than 2 nights. So if you want to do a combination of air bnbs and riads the place we found the best was a place in the middle of Marrakech called Riad 111. The host spoke amazing English and later let us store our bags for the day and print off our boarding passes.
- Air BnB’s, if you want more space and a kitchen then air bnb’s are the way to go! However, look closely at pictures as they may be taking very flattering pictures that exentuate the size of the place. Also, the second air bnb that we booked claimed to have a kitchen but when we arrived all they had was one electric hob and the only sink was in the bathroom. Having planned to eat a bit at the place this was less than ideal, as was the fact there was only one bin, also in the bathroom. But overall, it was okay for a few nights and its location was ideal. So as long as you thoroughly check the amenities and read a few reviews you will be okay.
Clothing:
As we were in a Muslim country we tried to dress respectfully. I mostly wore long flowy skirts or trousers with a shirt unbuttoned over a tank top. We saw other tourists mostly dressing the same and never felt particularly uncomfortable. Also I suggest if you don’t want to wear a hat but also don’t want to burn your head, bandanas are the way to go and can be matched with the rest of your outfit. These were a life saver for me.
Overall:
Per person we spent just under £300 for 5 nights including flights, accommodation, day trips, train tickets, taxi costs, food and souvenirs.
Apps to get before you go; currency converter, Careem for booking taxis, ONCF for booking train tickets and splitser for calculating how much each person has spent and splitting it later.
Also, on the way back you need to print off your boarding passes before flying, so make sure you find a place to do this beforehand.
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