Please tell me about Marrakesh!

[Thingsthatgo]

We are going to Marrakesh in October. We have been given the holiday as a birthday gift from family and I am so excited! What do I need to know? (I am not widely travelled!).
Do I need to cover up? And my 12 year old DD? I think I need some jabs, and I need to sort insurance.
What else? DC’s passports run out in March, is that ok? Gives us a clear 3 months.
Tell me all the things that I might not have thought about!!

It's a hole. Somewhere Id never go again. Keep your children close to you, cover up and in the main square you will be charged for some much as looking at anything on display which is usually abused animals in cages.

Cover up, try not to look like a tourist and don't drink the tap water. Be prepared for multiple people at once trying to sell you things or services, eg taking your suitcase from your hand to help you get to your accommodation.

I really enjoyed our trip to Morocco but didn't love Marrakech, but that may have been because I was unwell while there.

Never been, but from from what I've read female tourists in holiday clothes are liable to be stared at/groped/verbally abused in crowded places.

I have been to Tunisia and had a similar scary experience outside of the hotel.

I've been twice and the second time I went I really didn't like it at all. Harassed left right and centre (despite dressing sensibly), had someone draw on my hand with henna even though I said many times I didn't want it, she then swore at me when I said (again) I didn't have any money and didn't want it, and then she messed it all up so I had a brown shitey mess on my hand. Everyone hassled us for money non stop, my husband and I were exhausted and stressed out by the end.

Animal cruelty everywhere which was really upsetting.

oh and our hotel tried to defraud us with fake room service bills. Nice.

there's way better bits of Morocco if you can get to one of those instead?

You will get harassed but it’s just part of the sales culture in tons of countries. Don’t respond if you don’t want to engage. If you do do want to buy something, pay 1/3 or less of the price they first offer. Wear modest clothing.

it’s great, don’t let anyone put you off.

go to the ysl garden

Yes, when I was at the main square, a man came out of his stall grabbed my shoulder turned me around, forced me to shake his hand and try to pull me inside his stall. I snatched my hand away from him and said, leave me alone and he followed me verbally abusing me for quite some time. I was with a friend too.Thankfully I wasn't alone.

Don't go anywhere alone and it's a hole I would never go back to.

To enter Morocco, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the date you arrive.... That's all you need to know about passports.But to be honest with you, you're better looking at FCDO rather than asking people on the internet who might not get it right.

It might be a bit of a shock if you’re not used to travelling. Maybe watch some travel documentaries etc before you go to get a sense of the place.

Everyone saying “it’s a hole” is a) not used to travelling outside Western Europe and the US and b) not interested in doing so, clearly. This is an exciting trip OP, please don’t let this thread put you off.

We absolutely love it and go at least once every six months! Dress modestly. Don’t engage with anyone if you’re not interested in buying. Dont take photos in the square or engage with people with snakes etc as they will expect money.

enjoy the souks, they are insane, crazy and wonderful. Have a good, traditional meal at your riad. Maybe have a hammam.

we did a sunrise balloon ride. It was a small group one (approx 10 people). It cost around £90 per person and was incredible.

Never pay more than 50% of original starting price in the souks. If you keep saying no to their price and walk away, nine times out if 10 you will get it for that price.

as it’s your first time you will probably take around 24 hours to acclimatise to it and may well find it very intimidating at first but hopefully after that you will fall on the side of finding it wonderful. People love it or hate it. I’m most definitely in the love it camp!

We went as a family group a few years ago and it was ok. We did get a bit hassled in the market though — particularly by a man with a snake who wanted us to pose for photos, and a henna lady! Who chased after me when I said No thanks by saying “I’m not a man”
We also got lost in the souk but that was all part of the experience. I’d say just be prepared for people trying to sell you things and don’t feel rude saying no.
We did a tour of the Kings Palace. And rooftop meal at sunset was a highlight
Get the jabs and I’d renew the passport now. I’m risk adverse!
We covered up. my DD who was about 12 at the time, wore a headscarf. No hassle but DH was with us.
If you can get out of the city and see some other places there are nicer places. The Atlas Mountains are spectacular

Hope you have a lovely time!

I love it too and have been multiple times - we've always had a lovely time
Be prepared to engage with people, yes they will talk to you / try to sell you something but it is part of the experience, just go with it - i found no one was rude to me
Do cover up a bit but I had shoulders on display when in a maxi dress and that was fine

It is a different way of life so horses and donkeys are working animals and you will see chickens hung upside down - its just part of their culture

It's visually stunning and very interesting. It's full on but worth it.
Yes there are some persistent people but most Moroccan people are lovely. Our nice driver we used for trips out invited us to his house where we met his family and had mint tea and traditional cakes, lovely.
The souks are amazing and like nowhere else on the planet.

I loved Marrakesh.
Dress modestly, thats just respectful.
Do not engage with the snake charmers etc in the medina. If they can't make money from tourists hopefully it will stop.
I found the people friendly, the food delicious, and the country fascinating.
Be firm, friendly and polite.
Don't drink the water obviously, or fuss the animals.
Enjoy!!!

I’ve been twice with my DH and DD and we absolutely loved it! Don’t recognise the accounts of the markets - they are bustling but we found everyone friendly and more like good-natured bartering than thieves and pickpockets. We’d both travelled elsewhere and spent ages advising our daughter not to talk to anyone or pick anything up in the souks and she was scared to death in advance but it was absolutely fine. If you’re not happy with bartering or don’t want to buy anything, I’d just steer clear of the markets as there are plenty of other things to do - so many beautiful gardens including the YSL garden.

It’s quite an affluent country in many ways, they will co-host the next World Cup. It’s Muslim but we saw all kinds of religious sites including Catholic Churches and Jewish temples around the souk and they all seem to co-exist.

Go for a hammam but do your research so you know what happens as it’s quite unlike a British spa experience!

I've been a few times. Like all of north Africa it's a bit rough around the edges, but go with the right expectations and you'll have a lovely time.
You don't need to cover up in tourist areas. I always wear at least short sleeves and knee length shorts/ skirts, but you'll see plenty of tourists in vests and hot pants.

Only been once but had a great experience.

However, you do need to dress relatively modestly outside the hotel (to respect local customs and draw less unwanted attention). You should also be careful of your valuables, especially in crowded spaces like Jemaa el-Fnaa square and the busy local markets (but this is also true of many big cities). Street vendors do hassle you along with fake guides and lots of unsolicited help with directions. There are lots of Police, as the tourist trade is important to them, so we never felt unsafe.

Did your family ask you where you wanted to go or was this a " here's a holiday for you as you don't travel" ?
TBH , I haven't been but having read a thread on here a couple of months back it isn't somewhere on my To Do List.
I've been to Egypt and the animal husbandry was sadly minimal. These are working animals but god knows how the droughts will have affected them .

We went to Turkey when my DD was 16 , I was worried but they were outwardly respectful ( my DD is tall and stunning) but we (DH, DS and I) were like bodyguards.And us females covered up. They might've said things we didn't understand though ?

I am now wondering about these snakes but don't really want to ask ...!

I loved Marrakesh I did spent the first 12 hours thinking what the f... had I dont going ther either is very different. It was amazing we stayed at a lovely Riad and the manager became our tour guide and taxi driver. He was lovely. They met us from iur transfer at the city wall to walk us into the Riad it's like a maze and an assault on the senses but thats what I went for.
I dressed modestly out of respect and choice and because we weren't staying in a hotel complex the whole trip. We had a couple of amazing meals (celebrating my birthday) amd trips exploring and it was just brilliant.
Exercise due caution and courtesy and you'll be fine im sure.

Worst place I've ever been as a female traveller. Anyone I've met who has been and loved it went with a man. You'll be asked repeatedly what you do for work, whether you've visited before and how big your family is. This is converted into how much you can be scammed ... eg. Never been before, so they can make prices/scams up on the spot; job info again to guess at income; and family, to convince you to buy for brother/sister/cousin etc even if you don't want whatever they're flogging for yourself. It's exhausting.

Keep a very close eye on DD. Females are openly groped in public spaces even if you cover up. I bought a headscarf within hours of arriving and even that didn't help.

Sorry, prob not what you want to hear. Hope you have a different experience. Oh and you'll likely come home having bought a carpet.

I agree.

Loved Marrakesh, but it’s pretty full on. No hassle, no aggression. Wonderful food, great sights, happy to return.

It’s a bit of a marmite place I think. One of my (male) DCs hated it - thought it was too busy and crazy - but the other DC found it really interesting as did I!

i’d suggest booking a walking tour for your first to get you orientated, especially in the souks as it’s easy to get lost! Just check reviews to make sure you’re getting a decent tour and not a tour of shops where the guide gets commission! I loved our tour, it was great to hear about the history of the city from a local guide.

rooftop bars and restaurants are fab, should still be nice and warm in October.

The kids might like to take a little trip out to the desert?

Oh no. I’m shocked to hear that.

Ugh - last place I’d want to take a daughter ….

It is culturally very different so be aware of that. We enjoyed it, though our hotel was in Palmerai, so we weren’t full on in the medina constantly. The ability to speak reasonably fluent French was a benefit. Don’t think we needed any jabs before going.

We went as part of tour group and it was fine, but then transport, hotels, restaurants, etc. were all organised by the tour operator. It was really good.

Take some hand gel, and use it frequently.