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Original poster

Marrekesh would you go on your own?

62 replies

Eggybreadwithnuts · 28/12/2025 14:36

DS is going trekking for 4 days. Hotel 1st day then off on his guided trek tjen back to hotel. Im wondering whether to go with him on the plane but stay in the hotel and chill and enjoy the sites.

Few friends have said not safe for lone female. Now not sure

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 28/12/2025 22:46

I went with 2 other younger women just before lockdown and had no problems at all. I went again last year with my husband and the whole vibe was very different. There’s a great deal of homelessness, huge groups of young men who’ve migrated up from sub Saharan regions who constantly harassed both me and DH, and the prices were really high. We stayed in riads both times in the medina and both were lovely. The owner of the last one we stayed in (who was from Marrakesh) said that crime had massively increased since covid, particularly theft and attacks on females.

HerVagestyTheQueef · 28/12/2025 22:50

Went last year, not alone admittedly. Felt safe all the time.
Marrakech has cleaned up its act considerably in recent years. There are plain clothes tourist police milling around and asides from some “friendly encouragement“ to buy things, I felt largely unbothered. Never felt remotely unsafe.

There remains the potential to be scammed, but violent crime against tourists is vanishingly rare.

ScrummyDiva2 · 28/12/2025 22:51

Wonderful place! Felt totally safe. A lot has changed in recent years.much more acceptance of westerners. Would totally recommend.

HarrietofFire · 28/12/2025 23:17

I’ve been on my own and I loved it.

MrsCoyote · 29/12/2025 05:48

Those od you who went on your own lately, where did you stay?

Mymanyellow · 29/12/2025 06:10

Friendlygingercat · 28/12/2025 15:49

Ive been solo all over Morocco and to many other Islamic ME countries (Egypt, Syria, Iran and UAE). I usually wore hijab when out alone and never got a second look. Wonderful for shopping and wandering around the markets. If you go into a restaurant or cafe as a solo sit at the back in the "family" section and you will not be bothered.

As other posters have said take all the kinds of precautions you would when travelling alone anywhere. Get a door lock gadjet from Amazon to secure your hotel door from over friendly house boys. In Islamic countries most of the room cleaning is done by (often very handsome) young men. Sometimes they will chance their arm with solo women. The gadjet wills secure your door at night even from someone with a passkey or key card. Also a good idea to unplug your room phone. Oddly the only country I had trouble from an over friendly room boy was Italy!

Edited

If you have to do all that why go? It’s not safe then is it?

Holluschickie · 29/12/2025 06:14

Yes, I would. But I am a 50 something brown woman. The pervs aren't interested and the peddlers think I am poor ( brown often means poor in the world)..It's so liberating.

NewUserName2244 · 29/12/2025 06:57

I travelled on my own extensively in Morocco, including a long stay in Marrakesh and felt safe.

Very touristy parts can sometimes have a bit much hassle/pickpockets etc but no more so than the touristy bits of London. And it felt safer to me at night than a uk big city because there is no public drunkenness.

Wearing long trousers or skirts and tops which come past your elbow and cover your chest will reduce hassle massively.

NewUserName2244 · 29/12/2025 07:00

I wouldn’t recommend wearing a hijab in Morocco unless your skin is of a colour that you could be local.
There is a fair percentage of Moroccan women who don’t, especially in big cities, and if you are obviously european and hijabi you will get an awful lot of hassle from men wanting to get to know you!

rookiemere · 29/12/2025 07:47

We went in November and it wasn’t somewhere I would rush back to although our second hotel at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains - The Capaldi Hotel - was amazing and peaceful and had big grounds.

Do you have to stay in a Riad? We stayed in one and it was up an alley that felt dreadfully unsafe to get to, it was nice but as it’s all enclosed apart from the roof garden on top, it felt a bit claustrophobic to me and I didn’t want to spend loads of time there, plus the swimming pool was right in the centre so I didn’t use it.

If you plan to spend time at the hotel I would recommend one of the western chains situated outside the main city. You can go in for a guided tour - we did a great walking tour where we weren’t hassled much at all - but go back and relax properly at your hotel grounds.

You probably would be safe enough in the centre, but I just didn’t enjoy it as ideas of personal space are different and the market sellers are for me too pushy.

rookiemere · 29/12/2025 07:50

Or actually reading your itinerary, just get a taxi - approx £60 and 45 mins - and book yourself into The Capaldi for 2 nights. It’s owned by a UK couple, has a lovely outdoor heated pool and a good restaurant and would be lovely to waft around for a couple of days, although there isn’t much to do.

rookiemere · 29/12/2025 07:58

CalmShaker · 28/12/2025 22:05

My next door neighbour went in the 90's, she lost all her belongings and had to join a hareem to pay for her return ticket. The British consulate didn't want to know

If that’s a true story she needs to write a book about it. Are you sure she didn’t enjoy some medicinals when she was there?

Sugarfish · 29/12/2025 11:46

greencrab · 28/12/2025 20:56

@Sugarfish what do you mean "take photos of them, their market stalls or whatever else they’re doing for money. They won’t physically harm you as they know they’ll be in so much trouble with the police if they do."

I couldn't understand if you were suggesting you take photos as evidence you show police or warning that taking photos is a bad/taboo thing to do as on some places and that advice isn't related to next sentence in that way? Genuine question as I was confused

Oh no, nothing like that, I should have explained it better.

At night, especially around the main square you get a lot of street entertainers. What I meant was don’t try and sneak a photo of any of them. They will have someone watching out for this and if they see someone point a phone towards the entertainer they will be over like a shot to get money out of you.

The police thing was more that they try really hard to make Marrakech safe for tourists. So the locals know there are serious consequences if they touch or rob a tourist. This does not include scamming a tourist out of their money though. So you do still get this unfortunately. But don’t engage with it, even if you are lost in the souks and a friendly local tries to guide you out, just walk the other way. They might get you out eventually but they will want payment and probably lead you to a dead end where their mates are waiting first to apply pressure. I fell for this one when I first went there.

Sugarfish · 29/12/2025 12:00

Just to add to the above, I blame myself for that. I knew the scams before I went over there but I didn’t have my wits about me that day! There is a lot of poverty and most of the street scammers are doing what they do to get by. I think he got the equivalent of £15 out of me. My pride was more dented than my bank balance.

princesspadam · 29/12/2025 12:39

No I hated it
ive travelled a lot but would never go back to Marrakesh
I felt naked when I went out, hoards of men & women sitting around just staring
I never felt safe, from anything, very uneasy feel about the whole place

bittertwisted · 29/12/2025 12:46

Yes, I absolutely loved Marrakesh and wouldn’t think twice about going alone, but I’m not remotely risk averse. I would go out early evening to get the crazy atmosphere but it does get a bit overwhelming later on so I would probably chill in the hotel after sunset.
where are you staying? There are so many beautiful sites to see

XiCi · 29/12/2025 12:46

I wouldn't go on my own no. I went with DH and a man latched on to us in a cafe and wouldn't leave us alone. Followed us everywhere. Even when we tried to evade him he caught up with us. Eventually flagged a cab and got away. DH is 6ft 4 ex heavyweight boxer and this didn't deter him. If I'd been on my own I'd have been petrified. We backpacked round the world for 2 years when we were younger and nothing like this happened anywhere else. A friend said this also happened to her and she had to invent a fictitious husband waiting at the hotel to get away from him.

TheCurious0range · 29/12/2025 12:47

Not if you plan on going out and about. I got groped twice in 4 days as a modestly dressed woman in my twenties and I was with DH, both times he had stepped away to do something.
Essaouira is beautiful and very different atmosphere.

WanderlustMom · 29/12/2025 12:48

I wouldn’t, no. And I’ve been to 40 countries so I’m not ignorant to other countries / cultures but I wouldn’t feel safe there as a lone woman.

bumphousebump · 29/12/2025 13:35

Been twice once with a girlfriend and once with DH, no issues at all. Stayed in a raid both times and loved it. Dressed modestly and wore sunglasses, also if you don’t engage it’s fine.

notacooldad · 29/12/2025 13:42

Ive been to Marrakech as a solo female also been with a group of female friends and another time with my husband.
While I didnt feel threatened for my safety, I got fed up of having to be scam aware all the time.
A few of the scams were tried on me but I was wise to them.
I didn't have this issue in other parts of Morocco.
Saying that I do like Marrakech and will go back, maybe this year for a long weekend.

Sidebeforeself · 29/12/2025 13:46

I had an awful time there with DH! Ignored, hassled, accused of disrespecting my husband, stared at , grabbed so hard it left bruises … and so on. We only went for a long weekend! I will never go back.

It was ten years ago so maybe things have improved but I wouldn’t take the chance.

saraclara · 29/12/2025 13:50

OnlyCosy · 28/12/2025 14:44

The fact that you're asking should be your answer.

It really isn't.

I travelled to Marrakesh on my own a couple of years ago. I stayed in the Medina (so as central as you can get) and I was out in the main square until midnight some nights.

There've been big changes since COVID, and the tourism police are very evident 24/7, ensuring that touts etc are no longer a problem for tourists.

I loved it and would go back like a shot.

Christmaseree · 29/12/2025 13:54

I haven’t been to Morocco but have visited Tunisia and Egypt on my own and had lovely holidays. I booked organised excursions and enjoy my own company and often eat out and go to shows etc on my own in the UK.