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Dos And Don’ts For A Marrakech Trip No Less Than Perfect

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Published
11/21/2018

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the greatest person to travel with. I need pristine bedding in climate controlled rooms. I need food that suits my tastes and hate walking for too long. To put it bluntly, I’m a snob, the kind who would never even consider glamping, let alone camping, and whose comfort zone has a tiny, inflexible diameter.

That said, in the right conditions, I enjoy seeing new places. Different cultures fascinate me, and in another life I may have been an anthropologist. So I spend a lot of time in museums and look for places which offer both comfort and novelty.

Marrakech is not one of those places. I loved my Marrakech, Morocco vacation, and to be honest, I stayed in luxury accommodation. But I couldn't resist walking the streets of the medina, no matter how crowded and dusty they seemed.

It was well worth it, but I do have some advice to help you avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way.

Here are some basic dos and don’ts when visiting Marrakech, Morocco.

Do: Wander the Streets of the Medina

The medina, or old part of town, is where the chaos of Marrakech comes to life. It is like entering a whole new world. Snake charmers share street space with musicians and acrobats. Beggars crowd you and hustle for some spare change. Impromptu tour guides try to make a quick buck.

It may sound disorienting, and it is, but in the best way possible. You reorient in a time unlike your own. With people who live such different lives to you. You get to experience an environment free from the familiarities of the world we live in. Some people meditate to get away from it all. For me, the hecticness of the medina took me as far from my job as it was possible to go. It took me out of the neverending news cycle. For a few hours, I didn’t even think of social media.

The medina is a great place to explore without having your phone out. As long as you stick around somewhat busy areas, you will not have to worry about getting lost. There will always be someone who can point you in the right direction.

Don’t: Tour the Tanneries

We learnt the hard way about a common Marrakech scam. A tour of the tanneries. If that sounds unappealing to you, it sounded that way to me too. But locals were telling us that it was the number one tourist attraction. That we’d get to see firsthand how beautiful dresses and handbags were made. They told us not to worry about the smell.

We should have worried about the smell. Unfortunately, that was not the only problem. The “guide” who took us there became aggressive when we wouldn’t fork out the exorbitant 200 dirham he wanted for a fifteen minute “tour.” The tour itself was nothing to write home about. We saw people dying leather. It’s as exciting as it sounds.

And as for “number one tourist attraction,” the tanneries were empty of tourists. This probably makes it easier to harass people for more money, but it also means that most tourists aren’t as naive as we were.

Maybe: Eat the Street Food

I don’t usually eat street food. No matter where in the world I am, I’m all too wary of the risk of food poisoning. But for better or worse, in the medina I was tempted. My friend was gung ho about it, and ate foods that smelled delicious but terrified me. I risked eating a dessert – a pastry that was at once sweet and spicy – and I did not regret it. It tasted great. I had a fresh fruit juice as well, and left it at that.

I’m glad to say that my stomach survived. Unfortunately, my friend wasn’t as lucky. He spent the next day camping out in the bathroom.

My temptation is to say that street food isn’t worth the risk, but I know that millions of people eat street food every day without getting sick. If you're careful and know what to look out for, you won’t have a problem. On the other hand, I will continue playing it safe.

Do: Bargain at the Souks

The souks, or markets, are the classic definition of markets. They sell everything from fruits and fish to clothing and accessories. They also sell the sort of “cultural” junk that looks the same no matter where you are. You've got to decide for yourself what actually looks to be worth it. You can find some lovely stuff at ridiculously low prices.

When you're shopping, make sure to bargain. Don’t feel guilty and don’t be afraid of offending. The vendors expect you to bargain and their opening offer is very far from what they're actually willing to sell for. Go low. Go very low. Ultimately, they are only going to sell at a profit, so none of your bargaining is doing any harm, even if they act like you're robbing them!

Try haggling even if you don’t think you'll be any good at it. It’s quite a rush bargaining someone down to a price you didn’t think they’d accept. It’s worth the effort for the experience alone, even if most of what I brought home will sit on a shelf for posterity.

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