Is Marrakesh the real Morocco? Is Marrakesh worth visiting? What to expect as a tourist in Marrakesh: all your answers and three tips from a full-time traveler!
How to get to the Marrakesh medina
When we arrived in december with our van in North-Morocco, the weather wasn’t great. We changed our plans, so we picked up my sister from the airport in Casablanca and we drove the same day straight to a campsite in Marrakesh, because we longed for some sunshine and adventure. ☀️🌍
From our campsite (Le Ferdaous) we got a 25 min shuttle to the centre of the BIG city. It costs us 100 Dirham for three persons (return ticket) to take this shuttle, so don’t settle for outrageously higher prices than 50 p.p. Of course there’s also public transport, but we opted for an easier and more relaxed fare.
Marrakesh is not the capital city of Morocco, -Rabat is-, but this city just felt way bigger than Rabat. We were still in our shuttle bus and we already goggled up all the sights. The main road around the city centre is PACKED. Cars, taxis, pedestrians, donkeys with wagons, horses with carriages, buses, campers, cyclists, stray dogs and cats: everything!
How to safe yourself from chaos: three tips for Marrakesh
The first tip: the earlier the easier
We braced ourselves when we got into the medina, but because it was still early (10:30), the markets on the big square were still a bit abandoned. Fjew! A lot of little shops were just opening and the vendors still had to warm up their throats. It was interesting to see them all prepare themselves for a busy and long day and this way we could warm up with them. After a while (around 12) it got busier and louder, so tip one if you want a more quiet experience: start early!
Second tip for surviving Marrakesh: have a shopping list
There are a lot of streets with little booths and there is also the covered/indoor market. If you want to know what kinds of souvenirs they have in Marrakesh, check my other post! This way you can decide beforehand what you’re going for and let me tell you: that comes in handy.
All the options are overwhelming and it helps when you can wave vendors off because you’re certain you don’t want a leather pouf/ottoman. Because if you show any interest at all; you’re done for. The vendors will show you their entire store before you can find your way out. You’ve been warned! 😉
Last travel tip: know your way around and don’t take directions from strangers
We made the mistake to follow someone’s lead when asking him for directions and he brought us to a tannery where they make all the leather products. We entered the grounds and they closed the door behind us. My husband of course didn’t notice, received the mint leaves (against the smell) with open hands and thus we took the tour around tannery with all the different baths.
When he wanted to take us to another tannery I stopped him (before we got locked in again) and obviously he wanted money for the tour. We gave him some Dirhams, had a discussion and we walked away. Looking back it was quite interesting to see the craftsmanship and the ‘behind the scenes’ of Marrakesh, but in the moment it was quite scary. My advise: don’t ask for directions and don’t go out of the city centre (unless you want to).
Is Marrakesh worth a visit?
We got compliments, we got shouted at, we got scarfed up, we got tricked, we received patience, we received rudeness, we’ve seen beauty, we’ve seen sadness, we’ve laughed, we’ve felt uncomfortable, and so on and so on: Marrakesh is a city of contradictions.
We have walked a lot and we have been to many restaurants. We had a fun day, but I couldn’t say Marrakesh is THE city you must visit if you want the Moroccan-experience. We have traveled through Morocco with our van for three months and Marrakesh doesn’t really mirror the rest of Morocco. It’s more like a gathering of all the souvenirs, charm and riches you can find in different parts of Morocco. It’s made for tourists and that makes it easier to see everything all at once, but do know that the rest of Morocco is maybe more poor & filthy, but also more quiet and more welcoming.
When you’re in Morocco you have to visit Marrakesh, but if you can only visit one city in Morocco, I would pick another one for more peace and quiet. I personally would go for Essaouira, because it has the Marrakesh souvenirs & charm, but not the madness. But that’s just my cup of (Moroccan) tea.
What’s your favourite city in Morocco?
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