Things to know before visiting Marrakesh | Morocco

Updated: Mar 2, 2022

In this article, you will find out things to take into consideration when travelling to Marrakesh.

One of my 'must visit' places on the list for a long time was the Marrakesh famous market - the big main square of Marrakesh and I am so happy I went there and experienced the incredible atmosphere but I definitely wasn't ready for it!

This place is wild, it is a people jungle where everyone is for themselves and a tourist is seen only as a walking money bag. Trading in the market is on another level, where you have been literally pulled in by arm in and approached by every single seller on the strip. Not even talking about the people with monkeys and parrots on their shoulders and Kobra charmers in between busy markets.

What an experience! Honestly, I have never been to a place like Marrakesh, it is a completely different world!

There are definitely a few tips I want to share with you if you planning to visit this place to avoid some really bad moments.

1. Be careful of what and where you photo. Local people are very protective and aggressive when it comes down to getting that perfect Marrakesh shot. Avoid photographing local people as you can be attacked by them or others who see you doing that. I had a very unpleasant moment when I was filming the street, the vibe of the city and a car passed by, obviously, I got it in my shot. When the car was passing and the passenger in the back of the van saw it, he jumped out and run to me and aggressively asked to delete the pics, when deleting them he still kept shouting at me, I got out of the situation but it left a very bitter memory of Marrakesh to me.

2. If you do not have direct flights from your area to Marrakesh, do not worry to take a cheaper or better flight to the South of Spain, as getting from the South of Spain to Marrakesh is very easy. First of all, you take a ferry from Spain (Tarifa or Algeciras) to Tangier for a max of 35 Eur, then a taxi from the port to the airport (around 10 Eur, make sure you bargain) and then fly to Marrakesh! Airports are very tourist-friendly, I had the best experience, no delays, no queues, cheap internal flights. Honestly, if considering spending more time in Marocco and travelling from city to city, consider internal flights - a very good and easy way how to travel around Morocco!

3. Don't be guided by general travel blogs on what to visit. I definitely do not recommend visiting Menara Garden, which will be on many travel guides. Waste of time and taxi funds. The top 3 places, in my opinion, to visit and experience the culture and architecture are Bahia Palace, Badi Palace Ruins and Marrakesh Medina with all that it involves.

4. If you like to have a cheeky drink on your holiday then be prepared to search and pay a lot! In the main tourist area that includes the above-mentioned places, alcoholic drinks are really hard to find.

5. Taxi within the tourist area is quite cheap if you bargain of course. Please do bargain! Even if you think you are not that good at it. I never bargain, but even I got really into bargaining as it is like a national sport there! A really fun experience that guarantees cheaper rides. As long as you at least try to bargain, you will always get a lower price!

6. For me, the best part of the trip was finding cool chill rooftop terraces around the area to enjoy the busy vibe but from a distance haha... literally every single food or drink break we had we found a new rooftop terrace for that, so I really do suggest to check them out as you can get pretty good views!

I hope these tips will help you prepare better for your trip, meanwhile check out the video below: