Is Marrakesh nice? Or will I be constantly harassed?

[Polarbearflavour]

Thinking of a week in Marrakesh with DH in January.

Just worried I’ll be constantly hassled walking around the souks? I plan to wear maxi dresses and scarves / pashminas to cover up.

One thing that does happen is if you are loitering looking lost - and this will happen a lot in the medina, it is a rabbit Warren - people will approach suggesting they can guide you to whatever the nearest tourist attraction is. They want payment for doing that naturally. A polite and firm refusal is sufficient IME.

Hey there! I'm from Morocco, from Essaouira to be exact, so I live near Marrakech and this is my honest opinion, I found your question on my Google Feed and created this account specifically for this question. First, Morocco is overall a very inclusive country ( I'm saying this as an irreligious agnostic ) , and so Marrakech ( fun fact : The name Morocco comes from Marrakech, the actual name of the country is Maghreb ) being the very touristic city it is , is a very welcoming city , and understands that people have their own personal freedoms, ( There are issues in the country with the LGBT rights tho , that's another discussion ) , so you mostly won't be harassed because of your clothes or ethnicity ( if anything you'll be less sexually approached ) , now , I say most because there're always ( unfortunately ) people who may shout words at you hoping that some will stick and that you'll magically become in love with them , so don't expect 0 harassment . Second , Marrakech is a city that is known for ppl that will insist on selling you stuff and who won't let you go until you do so, This is a VERY negative point , and you should consider it before you go to Marrakech. I also suggest you visit Essaouira , it's windy , yes , but it has its charm, as a small calm city Essaouira is the best of its kind in Morocco. If you need more infos , PM me ( if this website has private messages ) , otherwise just answer this reply :)

aimingfor2019 we had the same thing happened with a taxi that we had booked from the hotel fortunately I speak very good French so was able to get the taxi driver to take us straight back to the hotel.

I was blonde and very attractive when we went about 20 years ago and was harassed constantly even though I was with my husband and my in-laws. And yes I was covered up with long skirts and long blouses.

I really didn't like the place you didn't see any local women either it was just men men men.

I went in february and it was incredible weather, but yes, in the souks and in the main square you will get constantly harrassed. I found it really overwhelming actually. You quickly learn that you cant make eye contact, cannot browse the souks, cant be polite to people, cant be friendly. Everyone thinks youre rich. Its also very polluted
Having said that, it was an experience, and it was out of my comfort zone and im glad I went. It was beautiful.
If I went back to Morrocco I wouldnt stay in Marrakech. We did a day trip out to the most incredible waterfall in Ouzoud, which was spectacular and a couple of hours drive out of marrakech, and im so glad we escaped the hustle. People still begged, but not even on the same level. If I went back to Morocco I think id go somewhere like Essouira and then maybe do a day trip to Marrakech

I didnt feel unsafe by the way, in that nobidy made any sexualised comments or anything. I covered shoulders and wore cropped jeans 3/4 jeans, and longer tops that covered bum etc. Nothing clingy or skimpy, but there were people in skimpier clothes. Its not like you cant wear them, but they will attract more attention because you look more touristy and god, i didnt want more attention.
It wasnt sexual harrassment. it was just everyone wanting money, even small children, who I ended up ignoring and then feeling awful, but I was just so overwhelmed by it.

You will be harassed constantly to buy stuff. People following you around giving you nonsense like, "No, the ruin isn't that way. And it's closed today anyway. Come to my carpet shop instead." And if you stop to look at one of the snake charmers or whatever in the Jma El Fnaa you'll be asked for money. Fine, and you give something, but they're back wanting more money from the foreigners 10 seconds later. It wears a bit thin.

At least the drug dealers only ask you once and take no for an answer. We spoke to some people who had been to Tangier and got followed around by drug dealers.

Agree with a pp about Essaouira.

I wanted to add one thing , as for the weather, Marrakech is veery hot these days ( at least for someone from Essaouira ) , it averaged 29°C at max in the last week , and it will continue to do so for the next one

We went to Marrakesh a couple of years ago and had absolutely no issues apart from polite sales banter from a distance (‘we have the best spices here’ etc), in fact I found the harassment much less than the bar or restaurant touts when you walk down a street in some European resorts (and we were staying in a very central riad so spent a lot of time in and around the medina). It may have helped that DH is quite a tall guy and I always had my shoulders and knees covered, but I never felt unsafe or hassled.

I went in my twenties with a couple of friends (all women) and Marrakesh was fine.

We actually stayed at Agadir where we were constantly followed around/"catcalled" by men. I hated it and it made me not want to leave the hotel. I dressed respectably, so it's not like I was encouraging it.

I love Marrakesh - so much to see, the people are lovely and amazing food. Yes they want you to shop(I bought a lovely lamp) but a polite but firm ‘no thank you ‘ works fine.

I went to Essouira which was fantastic, and travelled to Marrakesh for 2 nights. No hassle really - only from a woman trying to sell me a henna tattoo and one man asked ‘how much’. Maybe because my BF is 6’6”, I wasn’t hassled so much. I was surprised how relaxed the dress code was for holiday makers there - plenty of women in normal holiday clothes. In Essouira it was more conservative and I covered up. Had no hassle in Essouira either. I much preferred Essouira to Marrakesh, it was beautiful and the off beaten track beaches were superb. Marrakesh great, but I wouldn’t want to spend more than two nights there, it’s a bit touristy and the souks are good but many stalls sell the same stuff.

We were conned several times too. I hated having to be really focussed on the risk of being conned all the time, it made it really hard to engage in things waiting to be tricked.

I was pretty, but I wouldn't go again.

Hello mummies!! I'm half moroccan and lived there for a while. Men can not shut their mouth and are constantly trying to flirt to get you your attention. It is like that in all over the country. Hopefully, nowadays there is a law against harassment they can go to jail for that. So ladies don't hesitate to scream at them or push them if some of them gets to touchy or really disrespectful, you can also try to ignore those dogs, because as I always tell them : "the dogs bark but the caravan moves on".
Please be careful from the scammers, taxi drivers, in restaurants and bars etc. They scam everyone even the other morrocans who come from other cities. Enjoy your time there, there are many beautiful things to discover and don't mind people, those are you vacation you have to enjoy them to the max. If you need anything just message me. Best regards
Clara