One of the things we hated the most was people trying to scam us every minute. And that is not an exaggeration. Are you walking in the busy area of the Medina, admiring the shops? You will be stopped at least 60 times by locals who tell you that you have to go to that square, in that building, that museum, and that they will take you there. Even though you had no intention to do so and did not ask them. Then, they will ask you for money. I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone in the city, and it was very frustrating. The owner of the riad we stayed in confirmed my feeling: he explained that if we were lost, we could only ask the police for indications and no one else.

Prepare yourself to be scammed at least once during your trip. Apparently, it’s part of the real Moroccan experience. And it’s very annoying.

If you want more info before travelling to the city, check out my other article: All you need to know before travelling to Morocco.

Forget the hotels: if you’re after an authentic experience, sleep in the Medina. Here, you will find many traditional “riad“, typical Moroccan houses with two or more floors surrounding an internal garden. Also, they usually have very nice panoramic terraces and serve a delicious typical breakfast (which we then found out it was identical through all Morocco).

Check out the map below to find accommodation deals! 

Moroccan cuisine is characterised mainly by many, many spices. If you, like me, are not a fan of spiced food then be prepared to starve (honestly, cumin was even in the breakfast!).

The main dishes are:

• The tajine, a typical dish with meat, fish or vegetables (and, of course, spices!) served in a ceramic vessel.
• The Moroccan cous cous, one of the most diffused dishes in the area.
• The pastilla, sweet and sour puff pastry filled with meat and topped with almonds.
• The Baghrir, typical Moroccan pancakes served for breakfast.

Food in Marrakech – What to avoid

One of the things to absolutely avoid is stopping in the Medina to buy food from the shops on the street; the food here is not covered and is left for hours next to the thousands of motorcycles, so I guess everything tastes like smog (even though we didn’t dare to try). Be careful also with the sweets sold on the street, these are often covered by clouds of insects, usually flies and bees.

Other tourists told us about their bad experience in Jema el-Fnaa, where most of them stopped to buy some food or drinks and paid four times more than what it was actually worth.

Besides these few things to be careful about, Moroccan food is full of fresh ingredients and the smell will accompany you throughout your walks in the souks (traditional markets).

Marrakech is divided in two parts: the old city (the Medina, surrounded by walls) and the new city, completely different. The majority of the attractions are situated in the old city.

Let’s find out the best things to see in Marrakech!

Starting your visit from the main square and the Medina is a must: Jema el-Fnaa, the principal square, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is the true essence of Marrakech. It’s always busy, day and night, and it’s the city’s stage: besides the many merchants and the food trucks, it’s full of snake charmers and monkey trainers. It was a bit painful to see animals treated this way: snakes with mouth sewn shut, monkeys with diapers and chains… it looked more like a creepy circus than the main square of a big city.

The Medina is probably the biggest market I’ve ever seen. It’s full of colours and smells, craftsmen, artists and merchants. It’s really fascinating, but some people could find it very challenging: it’s not easy to get lost in its labytinthic small alleys, and the sellers are very insistent, so much to result terribly annoying.

We explored the Medina by ourselves and we didn’t love the experience; it’s very stressing and the merchants are very unrespectful, some even followed us for more than 30 minutes trying to sell us something we didn’t even want.

I highly suggest you visit the Medina with a guide, as this will allow you to have a more relaxed experience and will prevent to be annoyed every second.

If, however, you decide to go by yourself, the general rule is to not stare at the shops for more than 10 seconds if you don’t wish to buy anything, and to ALWAYS bargain. Be careful of your belongings and don’t trust strangers that offer to bring you somewhere else – a couple we spoke to got lost in the Medina and a guy offered to bring them back to the hotel, however, he brought them in an isolated area and robbed them.

Don’t let this discourage you. Besides the essential precautions, walking through the Medina is an unforgettable experience: it’s the heart of the city, it’s the vibrant part of Marrakech, and you should definitely visit it!

Find some of the highly rated tours below:

The Madrasa is situated in the Medina, and its beauty is just breathtaking.

One of the most beautiful buildings in Marrakech, with an amazing architecture, the Madrasa was once a Qouran school built in th 16th century. Nowadays, it’s one of the most important historical buildings of the city.

It’s beautifully designed with an incredible detailing of the decorations, a masterpiece of craftmanship which will drag you to a tranquil and calm athmosphere.

It took us about 1 hour to visit it all. The place is full of perfect spots for taking stunning pictures, so take your time!

The tickets can be bought on site and are 40dh (less than £4).

After the visit to the Ben Youssef madrasa, a visit to the beautiful Maison De La Photographie is a must. In fact, the two attractions are very close to each other.

The Maison De La Photographie (situated in a riad) is a hidden gem unknown to many tourists – but absolutely worth it! The beautiful pictures explain the history of the country; these will take you to the past and help you to better understand the present.

Don’t leave before going to the terrace and enjoy the typical mint tea (they also serve food), while admiring a stunning view over the city!

The place is not too busy (we went about one hour before the closing time), and tickets can be bought on-site.

Less crowded than the close Bahia Palace (also worth a visit), El Badi Palace is huge, and it hosts many exhibitions. During the visit, videos will show you the magnificence of the palace at the time, nowadays partially ruined.

The Palace was built in the late 1570s, commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty

Mind the rattle sound above your head and look up – the walls are full of stork nests!

The beautiful terrace offers great views over the palace and the city. Make sure to find the hidden tunnels, very interesting to visit!

It takes about 3 hours to visit the entire palace, and the tickets (70dh) can be bought on site.

Check out some of the best rated tours in Marrakech! Most of these include the entrance to the main attractions, and give you the possibility to admire the city in complete tranquillity.

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