About Marrakech
Marrakech is the most overwhelming city in Africa and one of the most intoxicating in the world. The medina's souks are a navigational challenge by design — leather tanners, spice merchants, lantern makers, and carpet sellers packed into lanes too narrow for two people to pass. Get lost. Eat kefta from a street cart in Djemaa el-Fna at midnight. Sleep in a riad with a roof terrace. Hire a guide for the tanneries and skip one everywhere else. Budget more time than you think you need — the city has a way of making days disappear.
Highlights
Djemaa el-Fna at dusk — the square transforms into a vast open-air kitchen Jardin Majorelle — Yves Saint Laurent's cobalt-blue garden retreat The tanneries of Chouara — ancient craft, best viewed from a rooftop with mint in hand Bahia Palace — 19th-century Moorish architecture at its peak Souks before 10am — the medina before the crowds, with actual locals Hammam Dar el-Bacha — a historic bathhouse open to visitors
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Practical Info
EU, UK, and US citizens can enter Morocco visa-free for up to 90 days with a passport valid for at least six months.
The local currency is the Moroccan dirham (MAD), with roughly 10 MAD to 1 EUR/USD. Cards are widely accepted in hotels and larger restaurants, but cash is essential for markets and small vendors.
Tipping is expected; leave 10% in restaurants, 5-10 MAD for porters or drivers, and small change for guides or service staff.
Marrakech is generally safe for tourists, but watch out for pickpockets in crowded souks and be cautious of aggressive street vendors or scams.
Buy a local SIM from Maroc Telecom or Orange (around 50 MAD for 5GB) at the airport or official stores for the best coverage.
Arabic and Berber are official languages, but French is widely spoken; English is common in tourist areas but less so elsewhere.
20 Local Tips
The live Gnawa music you'll stumble across in small squares or courtyards late at night is the real thing — it's spiritual and hypnotic and you should stop and stay for a while rather than treating it like background noise to walk past.
Alcohol exists here but it's not the social currency it might be at home — plenty of great evenings involve none of it at all, and if you're out with local Moroccan friends, don't assume they drink or make it the focus of the night.
Fresh-squeezed orange juice from the square vendors is what everyone drinks in the evening and it costs almost nothing — it's a ritual, not just a drink, and standing there sipping one while watching the chaos around you is a very Marrakchi experience.
The medina streets narrow and twist in ways that are genuinely confusing even after years of living here, so screenshot your riad's location on maps before heading out at night — getting lost at 1am in the souks is atmospheric for about five minutes and then it's just stressful.
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