7 Things I Wish I Knew About Marrakech

Visiting Marrakech was nothing short of a dream. From the signature Moroccan hammam to the breathtaking architecture, I was completely blown away by everything Marrakech had to offer. Even as I’m writing this, I’m literally falling in love all over again. Although my experience was absolutely incredible, there were still some hiccups along the way. To save you from making the same mistakes I made, here are 7 things I wish I knew about Marrakech before I got there:

1. You need a tour guide in the medina

Prior to our arrival, I knew that no trip to Marrakech was complete without experiencing the magical medina. When it was time to call a taxi, we were advised that as women and foreigners it wouldn’t be a good idea to explore the medina alone. After much convincing, we finally decided to hire a driver/tour guide and what a gem he was! If you’re ever in Marrakech and need someone kind, patient and funny to take you around, I’d be happy to refer you to our new friend, Abdelghanni. He took us to the shops with high-quality products and would give us a certain “look” when people tried to rip us off.

2. Beware of fake argan oil!

If you leave Marrakech without liquid gold, did you even go? Argan oil, that is. For those who don’t know, this multipurpose oil is amazing for skin, hair and even food! To avoid buying vegetable oil disguised as argan oil, buy from certified pharmacies and/or look for the ECO CERT certificate on the bottle.

3. Leave room in your suitcase

This tip is applicable to just about any trip if you’re a shameless shopaholic like me. Leave about 10 pounds (5 kg) free in your bag so that you can bring souvenirs back home with you. Argan oil is not light, so I had to do a lot of rearranging to get my bag under 50 pounds. Don’t be that girl (me) doing the suitcase shuffle at the check-in desk.

4. Check the business hours before you go!

As I’ve said before, I’m such a planner when it comes to vacations. The daily itinerary for this trip was created monthsss before we arrived in Marrakech. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not checking the business hours of places before arriving. Imagine my immense dismay when we arrived at the YSL museum on a normal Wednesday afternoon, and it was closed. Please be sure to check for random closures or unusual hours that you need to account for when making your plans.

5. Finesse or get finessed

As a tourist, merchants will always try to finesse you out of your money. Accepting the first offer price is the #1 rookie mistake of bargaining. But we’ve all been there. Upon arrival at our hotel, we found out we paid 5 times what we were supposed to pay for our taxi ride. Always ask the hotel concierge or locals for the appropriate price for items so that you can bargain accordingly.

6. Getting taxis is a HUSSLE

Unfortunately, there is no uber in Marrakech. If you’re staying at a relatively nice hotel, be ready for greedy taxi drivers that will try to charge you extortionate “fixed” prices. So basically, allot about 20 extra minutes to taxi bargaining. We actually witnessed taxi drivers physically fighting over who would take us to our destination – probably because they thought they would get a pretty penny off us.

7. Make time for Morrocan hammamS

With emphasis on the “s”. Had I known how incredibly relaxing it would be, I would have definitely scheduled more than one! This amazing (but inexpensive) spa treatment consisted of sitting in a steam room, then being rinsed with warm water, exfoliated with authentic African black soap, and then massaged delicately. The utter tranquility that followed this treatment was indescribable. Afterwards, I was directed to the spa’s outdoor pool for some mint tea, and before I knew it I was napping by the pool. If I haven’t made this clear, this is an experiencing that I would highly recommend!