Tips for traveling the Medinas in Morocco

Morocco, and all of her beautiful Medinas. The Medina I think is a must-see but you want to be aware of some things before you just go strolling around in there. The thing in this post is NOT to change your mind about traveling to Morocco. I am just letting you know what to be aware of in Morocco to make your travels more enjoyable. I believe it’s better to know what to expect than to be caught off guard by the things that may appear throughout your travels. Everything that I talk about I have been through personally as well as asking locals for help for future encounters and for additional advice.

1. Download Google Maps.

This is extremely helpful in big cities. I like to download the maps before I arrive in the city so I know how to get to my destination without having to stop and ask for directions. This can be an issue because if you ask for help or direction they may want to follow you and request that you pay them for their service in assisting you. Some people can get aggressive if you refuse to pay.

This tool has become my right-hand man. I have been traveling with people that I had to go find and direct them to their hotel because they weren't aware of the area and didn't download the map.

2. Favorite, Star, or pin your locations!

When traveling you want to be able to easily find where you are going and where you came from. This is even more important if you don’t have wifi. This feature will still work, even if your wifi isn’t. This feature has come in handy so often! Particularly when traveling to a new location and I get there by bus. At times I can't get a good wifi connection to look up new things with directions so if I already have it saved and clearly marked it's much easier to get to. I also don't like to keep my phone out so it is easier to see my current location (blue dot) vs where Im going.

3. Don’t listen if they are telling you that the road is closed or you are going the wrong way.

There have been multiple times when solo traveling and staying in the Medina the men would tell me I’m going the wrong way or there was nothing down that road. When I know my hotel or destination is just a few more steps down the way. I don’t know why they do this, maybe for the reason above. To give you directions and get money.

4. Food in the Square

in the day and night be careful getting food in the square especially at night because they will try to scam you. I had this happen to me and others but I’m not falling for it. They showed us a menu and I don’t speak so there is no confusion. I showed the man what I wanted and he repeated back our order to us. They brought us bread and sauce for it. When they brought our food they had a small plate of vegetables with it. In the end, They tried to add on an additional 220dh or more. The one guy who took our order was mad and said don’t pay. I agreed and proceeded to walk away. Another guy came and tried to tell me what I was going to do and what happened. I told him, “Hey, do you speak English? This is how it’s going to go. I pointed at an item on your menu the guy repeated that item to me this is what I’m paying.” They continue to try to argue and while attempting to walk away he finally agreed because they know they are wrong. Another thing they may do is show you a menu with cheaper prices and when you pay charge you more and change the menu to one with more expensive prices. When you order food it is very common for the food to come with bread, sauce, and other things. This should be at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE

The meal they tried to scam me on

5. If you are planning on staying in the Medina. Please go while it’s still day.

It’s so much easier! The Medinas look way different at night. If you are traveling through looking for your hotel you will be more likely to run into locals that will try to help you and request money upon your arrival.

6. Bargain! Bargain! Bargain!

Don’t always stop at the first place you see along the edge with an item you want. Trust me you will see it multiple times and maybe even in a better place. In the Media, the people in the square and the taxis around the area will try to scam you. Just because you are a tourist they will try and raise the prices way higher than they should be and convince you it’s normal when it’s not

7. Taxis around the medina

When looking for or waiting for a taxi outside the Medina there will usually be a guy directing you and the taxis. Sometimes they will usually ask you. “How much would you like to pay?” I normally say a price low, especially if I’m traveling with people. I ALWAYS play hardball, I tell them no, I don’t want to pay 50dh per person to go this far. If you are staying at your hotel ask them and another place how much it usually costs from your location to the destination you are trying to go. I always recommend asking for second place because your hotel may offer a service to call someone for you. Sometimes in this case I feel like this is overpriced as well.

8. Taxi number

Every taxi has a number on the door. This is something you may want to pay attention to when getting in. If something goes wrong, you can remember this number and tell the cops your issue. This also is great if you lose or leave an item in the taxi. The cop or person at the taxi yard can contact that particular taxi for you to retrieve your belongings.

9. The “lovely” henna woman

Please be aware of the henna woman. They are ruthless. They will try a number of things to grab your hand and start. They may spill something and try to fix it, try a sample. This one personal experience the woman I was traveling with did not like henna but she loved to talk. Started talking and now there are two henna women around her and one started drawing on her. I tell them we have to go and are running late for an event. And grab the woman. The other lady starts hitting me telling me it’s bad luck if she doesn’t finish. The other lady starts hitting my hand so she can finish. A lot of them will also try to “write your name in Arabic” to begin. Be careful and keep your hands close when walking by these women

10. Fresh juices

There’s fresh juice in the big square where the guys will call you over to try a sample and convince you to get juice. Often if you ask for a small one they will try to pretend they didn’t hear you and make a big one. This usually costs 20dh but if you walk a few steps away from the square there’s better juice! It was better tasking and half the price for the same size. On the stand, I saw 6dh and that’s for the mix. But if you want just one flavor it will cost you 10dh.