Marrakech is so far my favourite place, I am re-visiting this place next week and also for the city of Fes and Chefchaouen the entire blue village. stay tuned. I have gathered some important information here that I know. Please share with everybody if you know some other important information for travellers to Morocco.
COMMUNICATIONS, MOBILE NUMBERS, WIFI AND INTERNET
Most people here speak fluent french and some English, it is not a huge issue. You can get your local sim card after your baggage claim. I highly recommend to get one, I paid 10euro and it was enough for me for two weeks trip in Morocco! Bring drones to Morocco are forbidden, so don’t even try. You can buy here if you have to or hire drone or drone operator locally.
TRANSPORTATION, TAXI AND HOTEL TRANSFERS IN MARRAKECH
Taxi in Marrakech can be really tricky. Make sure you hire a local tour guide (who you can trust) or understand how much it should be before you get on to a taxi. I heard that they usually over-charge tourists. You should always know where you are going and how much it should be. and confirm with the driver before you get on to it. And do not over-pay them, try to have exact change for them, as sometimes they do not give you the change back or give you whatever they think’s right. If they ask for more than agreed on arrivial, you can refuse to pay that amount.
VISIT THE SOUK
I am not sure if I am really obsessed with the Souk itself or just because I am a shopaholic. You can have all kinds things exotic, artistic or decorated with time and colours. From handmade woven bags, shoes and baskets to carpets, cushions and home decos. Sellers, stall owners and artisans here in the market are extremely talented, tell them the shape, colour, material as you wanted, they will make them for you, another great thing? cheap. So Souk (Marrakech Media Market) is my favourite pick of Marrakech. I think lots of people are going to take photos in the souk, people here are very friendly and interested in foreigners, but please do ask for permissions before you take photos at a stall or shop, the easiest way is to buy something first! The souk is where very easy to get lost, so get a tour guide is definitely a smart choice. There are lots of people will come to lost tourism and offer helps, saying they know where is the place that you are looking for, and they will take you to the wrong places and asking for money.
VISIT AIT BEN HADDOU, OUARZAZATE
The kasbah Ait Ben Haddou at Ouarzazate is experience of lifetime. The only thing you may not like is that it is a 3 and half hours mountain ride from Marrakech. The road to Ouarzazate is extremely tough, i do not recommand you drive a car by yourself unless you are familiar with the road condition there. I booked a private driver and photographer guide via @dy_anas It costs as low as $600 for the whole day including photography, guide, translation of Arabian and French and return to Marrakech. You get to pick whenever you want to go and how long you want to stay there, where you want to stop and take photos. You can also avoid the morning peak hours from the bigger tourists group at Ait Ben Haddou. I got there around 2pm in the afternoon and the whole kasbah is almost empty! That is why I got to enjoy the whole cafe by myself. You can also visit the site where the Game of Thrones were shot, only 30 minutes drive from Ait Ben Haddou.
EXPERIENCE THE LOCAL LIVING BY STAYING AT A TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN HOUSE – RIAD
Most of the riads in Marrakech are gathered in or near the city centre medina, you can find hundreds of private riads to stay at. My top picks are HERE. You can get A$50 cash back when registering a new AIRBNB account with THIS LINK.
[FOR the best luxury hotels and resorts you can experience in Marrakech, check out my reviews in THIS blog post]
TAKING A TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN HAMMAM
You can find traditional Moroccan Hammam in may spa, hotel facilities. If you having a wedding coming or urgently need to lose weight, try the healthy way at the Selman Marrakech Spa.
TAKING A TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN COOKING CLASS
This is something I missed out during my last trip to Morocco, but I am going to try it next week! You can check them out here1, here2, here3, here4
(DON’T) RIDE A CAMEL
I do not recommend you do it unless you are guided with professionals. I did it near Marrakech (on the way to Jnane Tamsna resort) and my camel was scared by the car noises and it started running while I was on its back! If I didn’t “hold tight enough for life” I could have been badly injured! The camel was about 2.5 metres tall! Also please get insurance before you come to Morocco.
Shot at a cute little cafe outside a museum in Marrakech city, it is not too far from Ben Youusef Madrassa. Photo by my photographer and tour guide @dy_anas.
Above: Marrakech city. Photo by my photographer and tour guide @dy_anas for @Bloggers_Boyfriend.
Above: Marrakech Market, the Souk. Photo by my photographer and tour guide @dy_anas for @Bloggers_Boyfriend.
Above: Marrakech city. Photo by my photographer and tour guide @dy_anas for @Bloggers_Boyfriend.
Above: Marrakech city. Photo by my photographer and tour guide @dy_anas for @Bloggers_Boyfriend.
Above: Marrakech Souk. Photo by my photographer and tour guide @dy_anas for @Bloggers_Boyfriend.
Above: Marrakech city. Photo for my photographer and tour guide @dy_anas by @Bloggers_Boyfriend. The jewellery here are so beautiful and there are a huge variety. Most of them are hand-made by local artisans. They will ask for a higher prices as 20-30euro each maybe, but if you are good at negotiating or if you hire @dy_anas as your tour guide, you can get them as cheap as $5 or so.
My favourite shoe shop in side the Media Souk. Some of the artisans here can make shoes as you wanted.
