First of all, I must say that I absolutely loved this trip.
Because I got many questions in Instagram DMs about our trip to Marrakech, I decided to to the Q&A about our trip, so it’ll be easy for you to plan yours.
Where do you search the plane tickets? I find Momondo.com to be the best option for looking for plane tickets lately. I have found so many good ones in there and even right now if I search for tickets to Marrakech I found a 227€ roundtrip ticket on November with the beginning from Tallinn. I can tell you that it’s a pretty good price with the fastest flying hours.
PS! Definitely, take one extra luggage with you, because you will find some amazing things to buy in Marrakech. We only travelled with hand luggage and I did regret it later.
Where to stay at Marrakech? When we started to look at hotels in Marrakech, I immediately fell in love with colorful riads. Riads are small hotels which are mostly located inside of the Medina and Old Town. There are not that many guests so we felt more at home and more private, away from the busy street noises and hordes of tourists.
- Riad Dar-K – Literally, the best place where I have stayed in many years. It’s such a cozy riad with the most beautiful rooms and please could we take a moment to appreciate their bathrooms. Also, they have the cutest upstairs balcony with the coolest chilling area. We ate breakfast there, chilled at the night time and we loved to take pictures in there when the sun started to set.
- Riad Maison Belbaraka – It’s a small riad in the middle of the maze. But they have the dreamiest patio I have ever been to – turquoise tiled pool with Moroccan style interior. If you want that famous Morrocan Instagram shot, it’s the place to stay.
- My fellow British blogger Natalia (IG: @natinstablog) also recommended me two gorgeous places to visit: Riad Be Marrakech and Le Riad Jasmine. Both of these places were, unfortunately, booked, but next time I would love to stay at least one of these places.
What currency they have in there? The Moroccan dirham is the official currency of Morocco. You can take it out of the airport cash machines or in the city center. They also accept dollars and euros in different restaurants and at the market and most of the restaurants you can pay by card.
Did you use taxies or rent a car? We used taxies because their traffic is crazy, but if you are used to that kind of traffic, you can rent a car as well. But be aware that you can’t park in front of your riads because Medina area is a maze with tiny narrow streets and they have special parking lots nearby where you can park your car. Also, the taxi comes in these parking lots/squares because they can’t drive inside of the Medina.
A taxi from/to airport is around 150-200 dirhams (15-20€) and if you are taking a taxi to/from popular sightseeing, it’s around 70 dirhams. We mostly walked because you know I like to hit my 10 000 steps a day goal and you can see more by foot. Take water bottle with you because it’s super hot and you don’t want to pass out on these streets.
Is it dangerous in Marrakech? I would not say that it would be more dangerous than to visit London and New York. We were two blond girls from Estonia and we tried to avoid any empty streets by night time. Other than that, I would say that try not to make eye contact with salesmen and men on the street. Also, there are many men who try to give you directions on the street and later on they will ask you money from their service, so don’t start a conversation with them.
What activities should we book? I would recommend you to book a quad or camel ride with @marrakesh_excursions because we seriously had the
- Agafay Desert – I would love to stay overnight in the luxury tent in there.
Ourica Valley and River- Essaouira city
- Ouzoud Waterfalls
- Cactus Thiemann
What to buy at the market and what not? There are so many nice things to buy. I would literally buy so many things to my apartment from there and redecorate the whole place in Moroccan style.
- At first, I saw so many nice carpets in there that I would have like to buy but I have no clue where to put it because I traveled with hand-luggage.
- Then I saw beautiful blankets and pillow covers and I bought one hand-woven blanket to our bedroom (don’t even ask me how did I fit that into my hand-luggage).
- I loved all the golden lamps and straw lamp covers, but I was reasonable and I knew that these couldn’t fit anywhere.
- Everything made from straw is a hit in there, so you can buy anything starting from hats and bags to mirrors and stools.
- If you’re a fan of ceramics, you can buy beautiful ceramic plates and cups and so much more at the souk. So please take an extra suitcase, if you’re traveling there.
- If you like spices and herbs, souk is the right place for you to got the best ones. Ask to try the products to be sure that it’s the real deal.
- Do not buy Argan oil on souks because mostly it’s not pure argan oil. Try to find a shop that specializes in Argan Oil and has a Ecocert certificate.
- Also, don’t buy these fake Louis Vuitton or other designer replicas. It’s just wrong and believe me, they look fake from far!
Best photo locations:
- The main Market It’s the busiest market with the coolest photo locations in Marrakech, but be careful about taking photos in there, some salesmen may ask money from you, so don’t make a lot of eye contact.
- Riads – try to book one-two nights in different riads and you got yourself a perfect photo shoot location because most of the riads are so beautiful and there are so many different corners to shoot your outfits.
- Max&Jan – they have so many cute corners in their shop and cafe that could offer you a perfect background.
- Le Jardin Majorelle – It’s such a beautiful garden but unfortunately, it’s the most popular sightseeing in Marrakech and therefore it’s always filled with tourist. I recommend you to go there as early as you can. They have an
entrancee fee as well, it’s 70 dirhams.
Best restaurants/cafes:
- Nomad – our favorite place to eat lunch or dinner. It’s such a wonderful place to spend your evening.
- Max&Jan – Super nice place to have a late lunch or a glass of fresh juice. Also, downstairs they have a cute concept store with local designers products.
- Café Des Épices – simple Moroccan food mixed with international food.
- La Cantine des Gazelles – more reasonable prices, but you can only pay by cash.
- Le Jardin – we couldn’t make it there, but it’s recommended for me, so I will definitely go there next time.
If you have any other questions, please leave them in the comments below and I’ll get back to you shortly.
Photos and edit: ItiJ, TriinuO
