Everything you need to know
before coming to Marrakech.

Driving in Morocco

Driving in Morocco

This is the question we get most. The short answer: yes, it works perfectly well, and it is the best way to see the region. Main roads are in good condition, signs are bilingual Arabic-French, and the motorway network towards Casablanca or Agadir is on a par with Europe.

Driving is on the right. Your national licence is enough for a tourist stay — an international permit is not required.

The rules that really differ

• Priority to the left in roundabouts — the opposite of most of Europe. Traffic already in the ring gives way to traffic entering, unless signed otherwise. In practice: go slowly and watch.
• Speed limits: 60 km/h in town, 100 km/h on open roads, 120 km/h on motorways. They often drop to 40 km/h at village entrances, with little warning.
• Speed cameras are common and often mobile, especially on the Essaouira and Agadir roads. Roadside checks are frequent and entirely routine.
• Seatbelts are compulsory front and rear, and phone use at the wheel is penalised.
• Tolls are paid in cash at most barriers. Always keep a few dirhams in the glovebox.

What takes getting used to

• Scooters appear from everywhere, often unlit at night. That is the real hazard in town, more than cars.
• Carts and pedestrians share the road outside town. Cyclists sometimes ride against the traffic.
• You do not drive into the medina. The lanes are too narrow. Park outside and walk.
• The parking attendant in a hi-vis vest is an institution. Expect 3 to 5 dirhams by day, 10 to 20 at night. It is normal and worth the peace of mind.

Fuel

Stations are plentiful on main roads, scarcer in the Atlas and towards the desert. Fill up before heading out on a day trip. An attendant serves you — a tip of 2 to 5 dirhams is customary. Most stations take cards, but not all in rural areas.

Money and exchange

Money and exchange

The currency is the Moroccan dirham (MAD). Key point: the dirham is a closed currency. You cannot buy it before you travel, nor legally take much out. So you change money on arrival.

Where to change

• Exchange offices in town generally give the best rates, with no commission. Those in Gueliz and Hivernage are reliable.
• The airport works for arrival money, but the rate is poorer. Change the minimum there, the rest in town.
• ATMs are everywhere and take international cards. Watch your own bank's fees and the local charge, often 25 to 40 dirhams per withdrawal.

Paying

Hotels, restaurants and shops in Gueliz take cards without issue. In the medina, the souks, taxis and small shops, it is cash only. Always carry notes, in small denominations: nobody ever has change for a 200.

Useful benchmark: €1 is worth roughly 10 to 11 dirhams. A coffee costs 15 to 25 dirhams, a taxi in town 20 to 50, a good meal 150 to 400 per person.

When to come

When to come

Marrakech is a year-round destination, but the experience changes completely between February and July. Temperatures below are averages — a July afternoon can pass 45°.

Ramadan

Ramadan

Ramadan lasts a lunar month and shifts back about eleven days each year. Travelling during it is entirely possible — it is even a beautiful time — provided you know what changes.

• Tourist facilities keep working. Hotels, riads, villas and restaurants aimed at visitors serve normally throughout the day.
• Local cafés and small restaurants close until sunset. Plan your lunches around places used to visitors.
• Eating, drinking or smoking in the street during daylight is best avoided out of respect — nobody will say anything, but it is noticed.
• Traffic gets tense just before the breaking of the fast. Everyone is rushing home. Avoid driving in the half-hour before sunset.
• The evenings are magnificent. The city comes alive after iftar, the souks stay open late, and the atmosphere is unlike any other time of year.

Common scams

Common scams

None of these is dangerous. They are annoyances, and knowing them in advance removes most of their power.

• "That way is closed." Someone tells you the street ahead is shut, or the square is closed for a festival, and offers to guide you. It is almost never true. Keep walking politely.
• The improvised guide. A helpful stranger walks you somewhere, then asks for a substantial fee. If you did not agree a price, you owe nothing — but expect insistence. Decline from the outset.
• Taxis without a meter. Agree the fare before getting in, or insist on the meter. A city trip should be 20 to 50 dirhams; the airport, more.
• Henna in the square. A woman takes your hand and starts drawing before you have agreed to anything, then names a price. Keep your hands to yourself.
• Monkeys and snakes in Jemaa el-Fna. An animal is placed on your shoulder, then payment demanded for the photo. Say no clearly before contact.
• Prices in the souk. There is no fixed price. Starting at a third of the asking price is normal, and walking away is part of the conversation, not an insult.

The one rule that covers all of them: agree the price before, not after. For anything.