Marrakech tips for scaredy-cats, please!

[TwoWimminGoingWildish]

We are two women going on a week-long break to Marrakech to escape stressful jobs and demanding kids.

we

can’t

wait

However, my appearance is quite “alt” (I have rainbow coloured hair) and my friend is a pasty-white ginger. I’m quite worried that we’ll stand out a mile as targets for pushy salespeople etc. - would appreciate hints and tips on how to “be” in Marrakech!

To add. Do not go with anyone who wants to direct you to the tanneries. It’s a scam. Quite a few people we know, were scammed and ended out forking out £100+ pounds to get out. If you must go, go with an organised tour.

Ps I also carried a card with “I can’t drink or eat mint” in all relevant languages and still got given “non mint” tea with mint in it! If you have any food issues you need to speak to chef directly and explain because the waiters seem just to say ok, good, yes we can then it’s not communicated back. Thankfully i don’t get anaphylaxis only sickness!

It’s a glorious place, one of my happiest holidays
the square at night is quite overwhelming, however once you get over the madness it is such an experience
souk wise, look ahead, firm ‘I’m not buying’

that said I did make the rooky mistake of asking a straight out of casting Aladdin for directions, and ended up politely handing over my cash and soul in his ‘father’s apothecary’ 🤣

Haggling shortcut: when offered a price "maybe, I'll look around, I'll come back later", smile and start to walk away looking at other stalls and shops. If they chase you and offer a lower price, take that price. Unless it's still actually more than you're prepared to pay, of course, in which case smile and say no thanks again, they will keep chasing if they're still overcharging.

If they don't chase, and you still want the item for the original price, go back in a bit like you said you would.

This approach won't get you the lowest prices but it will get you lower prices and it feels less stressful and unnatural if you're not used to haggling. You do get a bit of being chased but only where you actually wanted to be.

If you don't really want the item, don't even ask the price.

Haggling-

Just decide how much you personally are prepared to pay for the item then stick to it.

Don't concern yourself with getting a 'good price' as such- it sucks the joy out of it.

Walk away if you can't get that price.

Sometimes they will chase after you offering you that price- happy days if so- no worries if not.

Main thing we were told was to be aware of places and keep track so as not to get lost. Or as pp said use gps. Do not under any circumstances ask a local to help if you get lost. Unless you are happy to pay of course. We made that mistake and got threatened because we had no actual cash with us and the local guy tried to walk us back to our hotel and got very threatening when we said no thanks, a bouncer on a bar came to our rescue.
other than that have a great time and don't be afraid to eat in the square at night, its very entertaining listening to the stallholders trying to drum up business. During the day in the square be aware of the touts with snakes and monkeys, they are likely to take you unawares by putting the monkey on your shoulder and charging for a photo.

We actually did ask a local kid to take us to our road after we got lost. Money on arrival obviously. It was fine.

I enjoyed it ! There is one hassle but didn’t find it anything like Egypt Asan example - more good natured kind of hassle .

Amazing advice! Thanks so much, everyone!

We were staying in a riad in the old town and worked out quite quickly they were nice friendly and wanting to help. We asked them to organise a guide for the day and stipulated that we didn't want to go shopping (though if we had wanted to that would have been fine) - so we paid a bit more as he wasn't going to get commission from shops - but he took us on a proper tour with no carpet shops. This was my 3rd of so time of visiting but still saw stuff that I hadn't seen before - he was an economics teacher and told us a lot about modern morocco.

One time I went with a friend and we organised a women's tour as it is quite hard to talk and meet with local women - and that was great fun.

What is the chicken district?
And why is it best avoided?
I have a feeling I don't want to know ....

Loved marrakech. Myself and my husband took my parents (both 74) and kids 12 &16 at the time there for a long weekend. We stayed in a a beautiful road in the medina. No issues really with smarmy men (was bad in Tunisia!) it was a fab break. Loved the main square. I’m blonde so stuck out and wore denim shorts and T-shirts and had no real issues. Just be firm and say no. The only time I felt uneasy is very late at night we got a bit lost in the medina, what everything is closed it all looks the same, groups of men hanging around. Didn’t feel safe during that time. Would definitely go back. Go into the dessert and experience the camel rides and dinner, cheap but brilliant. Enjoy

Live overcrowded (worried looking) chickens clucking away at the back.
Chicken meat at the front.

At some you can pick which clucking chicken they briefly take out of view, and return it to you definitely not clucking.

TBF, if squamish avoid the open air meat districts entirely. Usually all congregated together and easyish to avoid or hotfoot it away once you get sight or whiff of it.

It's culturally very different but a fascinating place.

Actually, avoid the tanneries full stop. There is fuck all to see apart from stinky ancient pits. My mate dragged us there with the romantic notion of buying a hide direct. This did not happen. Then we got lost and the "friendly" guys who showed us back tried to extort 50 quid. Luckily the riad manager came out and shooed them off. And tge little boys who almost got us lynched by taking us through a mosque!(was open air so don't know if it was, but lots of men praying)
But like everyone else, we stuck together, stayed alert. And were fine. I wish id bought a few of the big hamman mitts. And some of the regional toiletries they use in the hamman.

Oh and the riad manager was great for organising tours and taxis. Paid him so no haggling with drivers. Ours to the airport(getting through is another flavour of hell. No online checking, print out boarding pass before you leave)was lovely, was telling us all about how people were being displaced for the world cup.

To add, I went with my attractive 27 yo daughter. Not blonde, but clearly N European, and looks young for her age. I expected trouble, and there was none. She wandered around solo and reported zero hassle. Unlike London 🙄

Have your hotel arrange to pick you up from the airport, it’s a lot easier than navigating the taxis.

I would recommend faim d'espice - it is an amazing cooking class. They pick you up from your hotel / riad and drive you to their farm and return you later - its run by a French chef. Ive done it a few times as I enjoy it so much and gives you a good basis of moroccan food and how to but spices (how not to be ripped off with fake saffron)

Go on a walking tour of the markets

Peppermint tea is beautiful

The ysl garden is lovely

Leather slippers are good to buy as well as spices

I’m ‘alt’, visible tattoos etc and I respectively covered them with kimonos while walking about as I did get some stares from older gentleman! I also got accosted by henna women who gave me henna on my arm to ‘match’ one of my tattoos before I could say no! So be careful in the markets but apart from that everyone is lovely.

I also had in my opinion some of the best reasonably priced food ever - and I’m reasonably well travelled - and neither of us was ill at all . If I can recommend tea on the Sofitel terrace too - that was really nice .

I wore long kaftans and treated everyone with friendliness and respect and I adored Marrakesh.
I find London overwhelming and was worried about how I'd cope, but despite all its wonderful noisy chaos I didn't feel overwhelmed at all.
It has a rhythm you can slot into if you let yourself. The roads are so busy, and the little motorbikes zip through the souk but they seem so good at instant reactions as they weave to and fro.
The medina is an incredible experience at night.
I felt very safe, much more so than in cities in the UK.
I think with haggling, decide what you would be willing to pay. If it is ridiculously lower than the asking price, walk on.
No one tried to lead me to anywhere for a price. I think I was just so intoxicated by the sights and sounds I was happy to wander so didn't look like I was poring over my phone trying to work anything out.
I do echo what others say about the monkeys and snakes in the medina.i wouldn't even look in their direction. Idiot tourists who take photos with monkeys and pay allow this to thrive. Tourists need to show they will not condone, stand and look, or otherwise engage and hopefully this particular aspect of the medina will end.
The food is delicious, and as a pp mentioned you don't get great roving mobs of obnoxious pissheads. You will love it ( and I was went as just 2 females together, so you don't need a man with you)

Expect rude men hissing etc at night especially if walking about. Go to a hamman spa there are lots there. And the the YSL garden. And book a jeep trip into the Atlas Mountains. Le comptoire is a fun restaurant with belly dancers.

Be aware that often it's not actual henna but the chemical in v dark hair dye that can cause a serious reaction/ inflammation for weeks after. Avoid.

We enjoyed

Free walking tour with sandemans. Guide was so knowledgeable and nice, he was a university lecturer. You just pay him a tip at the end. Was great to get our bearings and find out more about the city and it’s history. The tour did involve a stop in a traditional Moroccan pharmacy for a sit down, mint tea and talk from the pharmacist about the natural remedies they use in Morocco- got to test them all as well. it was actually v interesting and there was no hard sell at all, several people in our group didn’t buy anything and that was fine.

A hamman

Trip into the desert - lots of options like dinner, camel riding, dune buggies, walking, chilling- so you can pick whatever suits. We just booked via get your guide or one of those tour websites.

drinks/ dinner at a rooftop bar or restaurant- beautiful views especially at sunset.

The food. All of it. All meals we had were lovely especially chicken pastilla which we’d never had before😋

Jardin Majorelle

Maison de la photographie

medersa Ben youssef

stay in a riad - beautiful places and cheaper than the big hotels!

you probably won’t have time but would agree with previous posters that essouaira is really lovely -we preferred it to Marrakech- but that’s probably one for next time as need a few days there.

id personally avoid the YSL garden - hideously busy and tbh I didn’t much rate it.

😲

Seriously? I loved it and it wasn't crowded at all. The timed ticketing system works really well in my experience.

I loved Marrakech. I stayed in a riad in the Medina. Lovely and peaceful yet only a couple of hundred years from the square and it's amazing buzz at night.

Stall holders in the bazaar can be very pushy. On my last day I found a shop selling the things I wanted with actual fixed prices, and I wanted to hug the sales staff!