AIBU to think Marrakesh was far worse than I expected?

[LondonLass37]

I'm 40. I went to Marrakesh for a week with a female friend of the same age. Both white, both blonde. Just looking for some warmth, culture, and a proper break.

What I experienced was genuinely awful.

We were harassed constantly , not just persistent sellers, but followed, hissed at, and touched. A man spat at my feet because I wouldn't give him money for directions I never asked for. Later, a drunk local chased us through the medina. We had to hide in a shop for nearly half an hour.

The medina is filthy. In the markets, animal carcasses hang next to food. Live donkeys are visibly mistreated and beaten. I'm still upset about what I saw.

The food was bland and lukewarm. My friend got food poisoning.

I wanted mint tea and beautiful tiles. Instead I felt unsafe and miserable.

So – AIBU? Or is Marrakesh genuinely as terrible as I found it?

It's strange that you class Malta as being in the same culture as it is most definitely not ! I went to Malta just after Covid and found it a beautiful place - relaxing , you can walk on the corniche for miles, lovely food , just lovely.
Now as for the North African countries then yes you will experience this - badgering, leering, selling stuff, trying to get a quick grope while wrapping a scarf round you etc. They don't have much respect for women and they do see Western women as an easy target.

@LondonLass37 If you want mint tea and beautiful tiles, try southern Spain, away from the beach resorts.
It was a Muslim area for a few centuries, and you can see the influence.
Try Granada, the Alhambra, Cordoba, Seville.

Yeah. As an older woman I wasn't harassed but all the other stuff. After some young kid shouted " fuck you" when I politely declined to enter his shop, I employed my schoolgirl French to ask whether he spoke to his mother like that. I know they're poor but manners cost nothing.

YANBU OP. And fair play to you for being honest. For some reason people like to talk up a lot of these Muslim majority tourist destinations as if they are exotic and exciting places , and if you don’t like it then you dont ’get’ it, nah mate it’s a poverty stricken shit hole where tourists live in luxury and the locals are pretty much slave labour.

And I cannot get my head round women thinking that holidays to these places are in anyway fun - covering up and keeping your head down , you are cosplaying the shitty oppression that women in these countries have to live by and think it makes you worldly and interesting. It does not.

I've been twice - loathed it the first time (had in laws with me and 3 kids plus 6 months pregnant and I got a chest infection) but it was so much better the second time. Was just with youngest dd and she was about 15. Stayed in a lovely riad where we were given great tips about what to see/avoid. Maybe my expectations were realistic rather than romantic. Wouldn't go back though.

My friend (who is a pretty seasoned traveller so not likely to put herself into silly scenarios) went with her partner for a long weekend. They got mugged twice in three days!

I hated Marrakesh so much - dirty, animal cruelty, couldn’t walk a few steps without being harassed. Men peeing openly in markets. Truly a culture shock.

This alone makes it horrible.

I'm struggling with the "well the first time I went it was awful but the second time I went it was ok" type posts.

Why? Why go twice!!!?

Its on my list of places that I really don't fancy. There's plenty of other places in the world so why would I?!

You've got to be the only solo women travellers who haven't been harassed, unless you didn't leave the hotel of course.
I loved Marrakesh. I went to the medina with my two DDs. I'd had to tell my eldest to put a kaftan over her strapless dress. At first she wouldn't stop saying hello etc, but quickly got nervous. We were cat called, but still enjoyed the visit, except for the tortoises in tiny cages, in the sun all day. Agadir was better. I enjoyed Sharm, but spent a lot of time snorkeling. Hurghada was run down, but the hotel was good. The dogs on the beach, with puppies were upsetting.

@HazelMember a woman went to leave the hotel alone, at night and the security had the police have a word. Where did you walk alone, at night?

Another one here - friend and I (both female) got threatened with violence because we wouldn't pay for uninvited directions to somewhere. If it ever happens again anywhere I travel to, I'm just going to scream the word 'POLICE!' as loud as I can and hope that they just scarper.

I went as part of a tour group it was part of a Spanish language course and we escourted everywhere. However, we were still not immune from hasstle and warned not to stray from the group. We travelled from Spain and all had to 'accidently' leave a banknote in our passports (10 Euros minimum) for the officials to find else the group would be held up for hours. (It's a scam that is known to the Govt, Police etc but just ignored.) At the hotel the staff (all male) couldn't do enough for the young female members of the group and a few were propositioned. Us older ladies were ignored - to the extent that we were still waiting for our meal when the others had finished!
I enjoyed the trip. I got on very well with our official Moroccan guide, an older man about my age, comparing lives etc but even he was intrigued that my DH would allow me to travel without him! However, I wouldn't go again and certainly not without a man in tow.

It depends where you live in the UK. I feel very safe going out at night, but everywhere is different.

There are a lot of places on my "don't go"list

Probably more than half the world 😂

This has always been on there

But I had a colleague go as part of a group trip, with her husband.

She said it was so bad that women in the group had to join couples with men in them. So there were no single women in the group she said, but the common factor seemed to be that you needed a man with you

and she said as a couple, they didn't feel particularly safe either. I think she was quite shocked because she just happily goes everywhere. They ended up going round in this larger group for most of the time because it was safer for everybody

It’s been years since I’ve been to Marrakesh and Morocco. Entire trip I was also constantly sexually harassed. Won’t be back.

My worst ever holiday was in Turkiye, I'll never go back.
Constant harassment.

Have been in 2 minds as to whether to go - not sure l will bother tbh

This ⬆️

I was in Marakech a couple of weeks ago for a few days with my sisters. We all all 60+ (and not beautiful) so not of interest to men but after reading some awful stuff I was dreading going. We were on high alert for scams and hassle but we were actually very pleasantly surprised. Yes everyone we encountered on the streets was male, and yes they were pushy if you stopped to look at anything, but they were also unfailingly polite and actually kind to us. We asked directions a couple of times to historical sites and were not only helped to find them but given information and advice about them. We stayed in a riad in the back streets of the medina and never felt unsafe at any time, aside from the motorbikes and scooters that whizzed past us non stop. We saw some horse drawn carriages which we stayed well clear of but didn't see any actice cruelty as such. There was lots of stray cats around, but we saw evidance that food and water is left out for them. We were in the main square and I was dreading seeing monkeys and snakes etc but we didn't see anything like that thank goodness. The food in the cafes wasn't great, but we went to a couple of nice restaurants and they were lovely. I probably wouldn't go back, and I would advise anyone going to be cautious, but we really enjoyed our trip.

I love Marrakech.

Ive travelled all over Morocco, Egypt and the Mid East solo. At the time I had waist length red hair so I took pains to cover it. When I went to Iran I bought myself two long robes of the kind that women there wear. They cover a multitude of sins and you can get off with wearing little underneath. I also wore a scarf to cover my hair completely. Consequently I did not rate a second look in the soukh. Two women walking around with blond hair showing are bound to attract attention. I can recall walking through the soukh at Aswan. Two fellow travellers from my party were being hassled in the manner you describe. I walked right past them and they didnt even recognise me. Its like I was invisible. Thats how I like to shop.

One may argue that most tourists are not going to want to wear hijab. However you are in their country and its wise to dress in a similar manner to local women so as not to attract unwelcome attention. If you take a couple of coverall outfits thats your daytime dress problem solved. I should add that I am not interested in beaches and pools. My interest ies in the art, architecture and culture.

I'm surprised at that poster's experience too. My daughter worked in Malta for a few months in 2024. She travelled around solo for much of the time with no problem. She loved it, and we're planning a trip there soon, so I suppose I'll find out for myself.

I’ve been several times and this wasn’t my experience at all. I walked through the medina at around 10pm at night alone (I’m female, for the avoidance of doubt) and apart from a few pushy sellers i had no bother at all. Neither did I get ill. The animal welfare/abuse is upsetting but you have to take that in the context of history, culture, poverty, suppression of Indigenous culture - you can’t go to a country where poaching and abusing animals is some people’s only source of income and demand it stops without also looking at systemic issues around it. I hate seeing it too so I’m not excusing it. People in Marrakesh are generally very open, friendly and welcoming people if you actually talk to them.

Absolutely love Marrakesh and Morocco and regularly take myself off there for an adventure - travelling all over. I have never felt unsafe. Yes there’s poverty and dirt as there is here. I am no more harassed there as I am here but I don’t suffer fools gladly so nothing to worry about

Yep. Unfortunately true.