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!!

We went for a long weekend in February and absolutely loved it. We stayed in a riad on the northern edge of the Medina which meant we were very close to taxi drop off and didn’t have to lug our bags for miles. The Medina can be pretty full on and it’s very easy to get lost around the various souks. There are absolutely very pushy sales people and you need to just keep moving and not engage. I’m in my 50s and was travelling with my husband and we didn’t feel harassed, but I can absolutely see why people would feel that way. Just go in with an open mind, accept it will be full on, and enjoy! And make sure you get to the Jardín Majorelle for a change of pace from the Medina. Where are you staying?

Six months on passports is better.

Central Marrakech has hundreds and hundreds of tourists, it’s like central London.

it’s a good idea to be reasonably covered up (bikinis etc fine at hotel swimming pool but not out on the street) but you don’t need a burka or a head covering.

most tourists just wear trousers or shorts and t shirt or a dress.

the culture over there of sales takes a bit of getting used to. In the markets people will try to talk to you and get your attention in the hope you will buy something, this is normal and they do it to pretty much everyone (not just women).

if you don’t want to buy just totally ignore them. If you do then talk to them. Haggling is expected but it took me a couple of trips before I could bring myself to do it,

I use a wheelchair and people were very helpful.

Me and dh went two years ago.
Dh is a big, scary looking bloke ( super soft with me and family) and can be quite intimidating to look at. That didnt stop constant approaches asking for money quite aggressively
I versed up on scams so knew which ones to expect and they were tried on us.
Eg Being followed and when you eventually get to your restaurant or where ever a bloke demanded money for being our 'guide'
There were loads more.

I am well travelled including places such as Serbia, Siberia, Jordan, etc but this place was worse than places like Egypt.
We moved from Marrakech and stayed in the Atlas mountains for a week, no problem with where we stayed but we had groups of kids following us or another time surrounding our car wanting money. They wouldnt move from in front of the car to let us pass.
I swore id never go back but since then I've been to Tangiers and Agadir, Fez snd Essouria ( think I've spelled that wrong) and had much better experiences.
My colleague, who is a Muslim warned me that we would struggle in Marrakesch being white foreigners and did say to go to other places in Morocco. I wish we had listened as I felt exhausted when I came back.

I didn’t like the hassle travelling with another female & we covered up

There were parts I like but there is no escaping that many men there think women are beneath them & are open about it

I loved it!

Be aware that a lot of the horror stories date from a while ago. Since COVID ended, the Moroccan government has tightened up hugely on touts etc in Marrakech. They wanted tourists back and discovered that the thing that put people off was the hassle from touts etc. So they took really firm action to stop that.

There is now a constant presence of the tourist police in the square and the Medina, and anyone pestering tourists faces very heavy fines. I'm told that a tourist is always believed over a local, so no-one wants to take the risk.

I was in the square and surrounds until midnight every night and felt absolutely safe and comfortable. There was such a buzz, send no-one ever pestered me.
Some stall holders in the bazaar can be annoying. It's very difficult to browse and pick up an item to look at without a hard sell, but that was the only irritant.

I absolutely loved Marrakech and I'd go back in a heartbeat. Regular visitors have confirmed that since 2020 the experience has been transformed.

Worst place I've ever been as a female traveller. Anyone I've met who has been and loved it went with a man

I'm female and I travel solo and independently. And I loved it.

I loved it, DH hated it. Didn’t get any jabs (went aware we had to) and dressed normally. No hassle (and I’m blonde and conventionally attractive) but I was with DH. You can say no politely and that’s enough. Obviously be street smart with your bag like any city. The scruffy donkeys and monkeys were sad to see, that’s true. The YSL gardens incredible. Ignore anyone who tells you a road is closed, it’s a scam. Actually look up the scams in advance and then you’ll know to ignore them when you’re there.

I’m sorry you’re getting such negative responses - I’ve been to Marrakesh a few times, including as a single female traveller - and I love it.

Definitely cover up outside your hotel. poorly dressed tourists get a lot more hassle than respectfully dressed ones! Men should wear long trousers. Women should wear long trousers or skirts and long sleeves tops - nothing too tight or with cleavage on show. You don’t need to cover your head. If you’re worried about hassle sunglasses are good because they stop eye contact.

The food is amazing! And cheap! Try some of the traditional Moroccan dishes and look up a couple of Moroccan restaurants with good reviews. The most fun place to eat (although food isn’t amazing) is in the main square by the markets where there are lots of little food stalls.

Places to visit the markets are amazing for wandering round, and the botanical gardens are stunning - probably my favourites.

It was great as a family, and adult DDs went earlier this year and had no issues. Maybe consider staying away from the square a little further out - they stayed in the La Palmeraie area and it was peaceful.

To answer your questions @Thingsthatgo , I went in November and mostly wore light 3/4 length trousers and tops. There's no need to go full on modest.

I thought you needed six months on your passport? Though I just checked and it says three months from arrival BUT done airlines won't let you board without six months. So I'd definitely check that with your airline

Also I'd stay in a riad in the Medina, for easy access to and from the sights. The square itself is noisy, but the riads in the alleyways are really quiet, even if they're just 100 yards away. A riad is a big chunk of the Marrakech experience. They're beautiful, as is the hospitality.

I did go pre covid, I could handle the sales patter - some is quite amusing & the shouts/heckles etc but I did not like being grabbed by the hand to “show you where to go” & when you say no, you would get a torrent of abuse which was often very aggressive.

We stayed in a Riad & it was beautiful.

Contributing to this thread makes me want to go back 😅

Is it just you and your daughter going?

Nope. Not everyone. I have travelled very extensively outside Western Europe and the US and I still think Marrakesh is a shithole.

I've been twice. The first time was interesting but after being shown around by an unwanted guide who eventually got tired of me not buying anything in shops I didn't want to visit, and which ended up with a knife to my throat unless I paid 200 dirhams (£12 at the time), I vowed never to return. However, I went again a few years ago and decided to throw myself into the trip - I visited the tanneries, went around the 101 thousand spice market, watched carpets being made, enjoyed the food and went out into the Atlas mountains. Yes, I was pestered but I was much firmer this time and to be fair, there were a lot more tourism police around. It was a great experience and even small things, like drinking mint tea from small roadside cafes with the locals, was wonderful. I stayed in a riad near the main square and like to think I made a few friends.

The picture, which may take a while to appear, is one I painted of the tanneries and it's a great slice of life.

I travelled with just another woman and was in my twenties at the time. Of course I got asked all those questions - the trick is to not answer them!

I went this year with a female friend. We were on full alert to be harassed etc but absolutely nothing happened at all. I was almost disappointed!

The marketplace was a real experience, an absolute maze, with people riding mopeds and motorcycles through the crowds, absolutely crazy.

The weather was great and the food in our TUI hotel was superb. We didn’t eat outside of the hotel.

I had a great time.

I've been twice in Decembers pre-Covid, and enjoyed it (mostly) the first time, but hated it the 2nd.

An English friend (that lives and owns a riad in the Kasbah there) showed my husband & I around the first time and gave us a few tips.

One was not to eat in the main Djemaa El-Fna square of an evening, as there's obviously no running water for hand washing / washing up of plates etc., between customers. Mostly involves not much more than a dunk in a bucket.

He also said that regarding the souq & street hassle (being called at to buy and so on) it's perfectly acceptable to just walk on and ignore, otherwise they will persist.
It felt rude at first, as we have been to other countries where a polite "no thank you" sufficed, but some of the people in Marrakech are relentless. The mainly male sellers will often grab you and expect you to buy something just for making eye contact!
The women hawkers in the square are particularly handsy too & rather aggressive at any refusal!

The 2nd time we did more things on our own. To avoid my cross-body bag being tampered with, I kept it inside my closed jacket. But a man just tried picking my pocket instead!! Hope he enjoyed the snotty tissue. I hated the fact that I was targeted in that way though.

We walked past one shop outside the medina, where the owner seemed relaxed and friendly, he said there was no obligation to buy, but then became quite unpleasant when we did not.

There are so many scammers. I found it exhausting being on my guard all the time, and not being able to take photos freely, or look at our street map without unsolicited help (always involving wanting money, or a diversion to a cousin's (stinky) tannery instead of our intended destination which we were informed was "closed" that day. It was not.).

Wouldn't recommend a horse carriage ride as they spend time on streets full of thick traffic fumes.

Do be prepared to see things from Moroccan culture that cannot be unseen (mostly involving animals).

There are of course some interesting and more peaceful places & things to see within the city that others have mentioned, but for me personally, Marrakech is generally just 'too much'.

Take care and I truly hope you enjoy more than I did, OP :^)

I went with just myself and my daughter and would happily do so again.

Where are you staying OP ? We stayed in a riad in the centre and it was one of the very few places I have ever been to, where I absolutely wished I was staying at a western style hotel a couple of miles out from the centre.

We did an organised walk around the markets - Marrakesh city tour by abdul, booked through tripadvisor- and I would highly recommend that as a safe way to experience the sights and sounds. Many people also did a camel trip in the desert and a dune buggy ride, which might be fun if it was your sort of thing.

I have to admit it wasn’t a location I would go back to, just too much noise and activity but if we had been staying in a hotel with a pool outside the centre I would have enjoyed doing a trip to the centre and then relaxing at the hotel afterwards.

Went to Agadir in July and did a day trip to Marrakesh. It’s an experience, be prepared for bartering, bit of hassle from sellers, avoid the snake and monkey people in the main square, avoid tap water, ice and fruit smoothies.

Good bits architecture, history (tours are good), food (need some research). The country is changing and you can see progress.
Bad bits historical women’s rights (they are improving), many male attitudes to women, the driving.

You will have a great time just be prepared that it is a very different culture.

I went last year and wouldn’t rush back tbh