First time in Marrakech: 12 tips to enjoy the Red City

How to get around the medina, haggle with a smile, avoid common tourist traps and choose the best experiences in Marrakech, from local guides who live there.

Marrakech is thrilling, noisy, beautiful and sometimes overwhelming. A few simple tips make all the difference on a first visit.

Getting your bearings

1. Stay in a riad. These traditional houses built around a courtyard are calm havens in the middle of the medina, and many serve breakfast on the roof terrace.

2. Use Jemaa el-Fna as your compass. The great square, whose storytellers and performers UNESCO recognised as part of humanity's intangible heritage, is the landmark from which most lanes start. The Koutoubia minaret next to it is visible from far away.

3. Offline maps help, a guide helps more. GPS is unreliable in narrow lanes. A half-day with a licensed guide on your first morning shows you the layout and the essentials: Hidden Medina guided tour.

What to see

4. The classics: the Bahia Palace, the Ben Youssef madrasa, the Saadian Tombs and the Majorelle Garden. Tickets are paid on site, but Majorelle often requires booking a time slot online in advance.

5. Go early. Palaces and gardens are much quieter at opening time, and the light is softer for photos.

Shopping and haggling

6. Haggle with a smile. Bargaining is expected in the souks. Decide what an item is worth to you, start well below, and walk away politely if you cannot agree. Fixed-price shops and cooperatives are a good reference.

7. Watch out for friendly redirections. A stranger telling you that a street is closed, or offering to show you "the tannery", usually expects a fee or a commission. A polite "no, thank you" is enough.

8. Tip performers you photograph. Snake charmers, musicians and water sellers on the square expect a few dirhams for photos. Agree before you raise your camera.

Practical matters

9. Carry small notes. Dirhams in small denominations make tips, taxis and snacks easier. The dirham can only be obtained in Morocco.

10. Taxis: small beige taxis should use the meter; if the driver refuses, agree the price before getting in.

11. Dress comfortably and respectfully. Light clothes that cover shoulders and knees are best in the medina, for men and women alike.

Make it memorable

12. Choose one experience off the beaten track:

• A vintage sidecar ride through neighbourhoods tourists never see.
• A three-hour guided bike tour that covers far more ground than walking.
• A sunrise balloon flight over the palm grove, with breakfast in a Berber home.
• A street food tour by night, from tangia to pastries.
• A Fantasia dinner and show in the palm grove.

Marrakech is also the perfect base for day trips: see our guide to the best day trips from Marrakech.