Should you Visit Marrakech? Our Honest Pros and Cons
Few cities are as iconic as Marrakech.
The very name evokes oriental bazaars, delicious food, exotic smells and unique sights, so it’s no wonder that it consistently ranks as the most visited destination in Morocco.
However, Marrakech is far from being a perfect destination; it experiences many of the same problems as other large tourist hotspots, such as overcrowding and scamming, and can be a difficult place to navigate and fully enjoy.
To help you make the most out of this unique city, we’ll compare our pros and cons from our time in Marrakech, so that you can decide for yourself if this iconic destination is worth adding to your Morocco itinerary.
Let’s get started.
Our Pros of visiting Marrakech
➕ Strategic location
Marrakech’s airport receives international flights from all over the world, making it a prime choice to fly into the country. What’s more, the city is ideally located to visit the rest of Morocco, and is the perfect hub to start your journey.
From there you can take a bus and easily reach less connected destinations such as Essaouira and Ouarzazate, or take advantage of Morocco’s extensive train network to reach major cities such as Agadir, Casablanca and Rabat. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even go on a multi-day trip all the way to Merzouga, close to the Algerian border, and visit the stunning Erg Chebbi desert!
➕ A hub for of activities
We loved exploring Marrakech and its fascinating sights, but we were also amazed by the huge number of activities available both in and out of the city.
From day trips to unique destinations such as the Ourika Valley, the Ouzoud Waterfalls and the fortified village of Aït Benhaddou, to cooking classes with locals and even quad-bike rides through the desert, there are enough activities to keep you busy for days!
As for us, we chose to go on a sunrise hot-air ballon over the desert, and it was one of the most amazing times we had during our adventure through Morocco. In hindsight, we wish we had allocated more time to Marrakech so that we could experience more activities, but at least that gives us a good excuse to go back!
➕ Marrakech is an amazing foodie destination
Huge plates of tajine with couscous, crunchy pastilla, msemmen pancakes, Marrakech really is a must-visit destination to experience Moroccan cuisine at its best.
The medina is the place to be, since it has by far the most variety of restaurants concentrated in a relatively small area. You’ll also find plenty of street food options that are perfect to have a bite to eat on the go, such as meat and vegetable-filled sandwiches, grilled skewers and hammas kamoun, hearty chickpeas with cumin and salt. Our go-to spot for street food is definitely Rue Bab Doukkala, where dozens of stalls open up in the evening and serve all kinds of delicious treats.
Two restaurants we absolutely recommend you check out are Dar Zin and Cuisine de Terroir, two classic, affordable Moroccan eateries with super friendly staff, delicious food and lovely terraces to enjoy the sun or relax in the evening. Oh, and don’t forget to try tanjia, an amazing marrakechí slow-cooked take on the classic tajine!
➕ Great photography destination
The bustling bazaars, avenues and narrow alleyways of Marrakech make for an incredibly captivating background for any photography enthusiast!
Street photographers in particular are bound to have a blast with the incredible variety of fascinating scenes, from street markets to locals and tourists interacting and going about their business.
With that said, while most people seem to not mind cameras we still recommend you exercise discretion when photographing locals, since sharing pictures that distinctly show an individual’s face is actually illegal under Moroccan law. The best thing is to just be upfront and ask them if they are ok with having their picture taken. Even with a language barrier, most people with understand what you mean.
➕ Feels authentic, even within the most touristic areas
Despite being one of the most touristic locations in the country, Marrakech remains authentically Moroccan.
It’s an extremely culturally vibrant city, where local traditions and habits are still very much alive. Sure, places such as Jemaa El-Fnaa are extremely tourist-orientated, and you won’t see many locals shopping in the bazaars, but we never felt as if the city was built around catering to foreigners.
Madrasa Ben Youssef located within the medina of Marrakech.
And now, our Cons of visiting Marrakech
➖ Hassling and hawking is extremely common
Marrakech can be a very unpredictable destination, and you’ll need to be on your toes during the entirety of your visit.
We’re not exaggerating when we say that Morocco might be the country we’ve visited where we experienced the most scamming attempts, and you should assume that anyone who approaches you on the street has secondary motive, even if they are friendly. Street vendors are also particularly notorious for being super pushy, and some won’t hesitate to become aggressive.
With that said, your experience in Marrakech will vary greatly. While we weren’t bothered by anyone and had a great time, your own experience will depend on your gender, age, ethnicity, or whether you’re travelling alone or with someone.
You should be extra careful if you’re a solo female traveller, as you’ll unfortunately attract a lot more unwanted attention than if you were with a male companion.
➖ The air pollution can be insane
Because of the heavy traffic, the air quality in Marrakech can be extremely poor, especially along the main streets. We experienced this on our very first day, when we wandered out of the Medina and on to a main street at peak rush hour.
The pollution was so bad that it forced us to turn back due to our eyes and throats burning, and our jackets smelled like smoke for pretty much the remainder of our trip.
If you suffer from asthma and other respiratory conditions we recommend you either avoid travelling to Marrakech, or limit your visit to the medina and avoid passing too close to the city’s larger avenues.
➖ The medina is very easy to get lost in
The maze of alleyways of Arabic medinas are notoriously difficult to navigate, but Marrakech is where we struggled the most.
It doesn’t help that reception is often poor, probably due to how close the buildings are to each other, so using maps on your phone doesn’t always work properly. This would often cause us to head in a completely different direction from where we wanted to go. Constantly checking your phone is also a good way to highlight yourself in the crowd and attract unwanted attention.
After a day or two we managed to memorise the way between our riad and a few major landmarks, which made our daily explorations easier. Still, we had a much harder time getting around than we had anticipated.
➖ Taxi drivers overcharge you and don’t like negotiating
Taxis drivers overcharging tourists is nothing new, and Morocco is hardly the only country where this happens.
We had cross-checked prices online before our trip to have an idea of how much they would normally charge to cover small to medium distances, and of course they consistently ask close to double that amount. Following the Moroccan habit of negotiating everything, we tried to argue a better price and were surprised when most drivers would either make a fuss or actually refuse and drive off without us!
Luckily, while Marrakech is a huge city, most points of interest are located in relatively close proximity to each other, and in the end we relied a lot more on either public transport or our own legs to get around.
➖ Marrakech can be very chaotic and overwhelming
No matter where you are in the city, it will be difficult to find a quiet escape to catch your breath.
Overall, Marrakech can a be a lot to manage for anyone who has anxiety or is uncomfortable with loud, crowded spaces. The medina can be especially noisy, smelly and hectic, with vendors shouting, scooters and animal-pulled carts rushing past you in every direction and huge crowds of people slowing your pace to a crawl.
Fortunately, the old city has some small streets that can provide some respite from the chaos, but in the end the only place where you might find some peace and quiet is inside your accommodation.
So, those were our pros and cons we gathered from our visit to Marrakech.
All in all, while there are definitely some negative points that you should take into consideration, we highly recommend visiting this incredibly unique destination!
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