We’re back from our whirlwind trip to Marrakesh, Morocco, and luckily the trip was everything I wanted it to be! This was the second time that I have been to Marrakesh (first with my mom, second with my husband and daughter) and feel like especially after this second time, I have learned a ton about shopping the souks of Marrakesh.
First, it’s important to know what kind of traveler, adventurer, shopper you are. I have to assume that if you are going to Marrakesh, you enjoy shopping, the hunt, the find, and wandering a bit. If you aren’t this person, not to worry as you can still have a fantastic time in the souks of Marrakesh, but you will need to have a bit more of a plan for your shopping excursion. My tips encapsulate both kinds of people, as I truly find that the best way to explore and take advantage of the souks is to have a little bit of a plan for one day, but also allow yourself to wander and get lost another day. If you try too hard to stick to your google map or the main souk roads, you will miss all of the best shops with higher quality product, and you might end up coming away from your shopping trip thinking that it was all touristy or junk. So without more intro, let’s dive into my best tips!
7 Tips for shopping the souks of Marrakesh
1. Hire a Guide
I strongly suggest that on at least one day of your trip, preferably day 2, you hire a guide to walk you through the souk and take you to some of the best sights as well as any ‘big ticket’ shops that you are looking to spend at. It’s important to hire this person for Day 2 because on the first day you will be getting the lay of the land and adventuring on your own, possibly picking up small items like woven baskets or trinkets here and there. On day 2, you want to have a plan for your guide to show you the higher quality shops and the nooks and crannies of the souks that are hard to find. Depending on your interest, that may be seeing the leather tanneries or the wool dyers areas. Or it may be finding the best copper workers for lamps, serve wear or decorative accessories. For me it was finding the best camel bone inlay furniture worker who had a great selection of product but that I could also customize with. I wouldn’t have known who to trust or where to go on my own, but having a guide show me a few places off the beaten path helped seal the deal. Even if you are not shopping for something big, a guide can tell you more about the history of souk, the Medina of Marrakesh and how it had evolved over time. In a world with thousands of distractions, smells, sights and tastes, a guide can help you extract the important details. We hired Ahmed, who was recommended to us and who we can’t say enough great things about. You can DM him on instagram directly at @ahmed.bouabid and tell him Stefanie sent you!
{The Dyers Souk, which we never would have found on our own}
2. But also, Don’t
As I’ve mentioned a few times, getting lost in the souk is one of the best ways to explore and discover. I recommend doing this on days 1 and 3 if you have a 3 day trip. You don’t necessarily need a whole day to get lost, but having a few hours to really let your eyes take you on a walk is the best way to get off the main roads and find the little shop that delights you. On my day 3, I left my husband and daughter at the hotel for a nap and ventured off by myself, which is when I got my best shopping done. I stumbled upon the one moroccan shoe shop (babouches) that finally appealed to me, and I never would have found it unless I was truly wandering and looking freely!
3. Ignore Google Maps
The first day I had done research on the ‘best shops’ to visit in the souk, and truthfully I wasn’t that excited or impressed by any of them, finding them to aim to be trendy instead of authentic. BUT- I learned to put them in my map as points of interest which allowed me to wander more freely throughout the souk. If you are specifically looking for directions from this shop to that one, then your google maps will direct you on all the main souk roads. It will be the quickest and most efficient way for sure, but you will pass many more touristy shops and stalls where they get a lot of traffic, i.e. you pay higher prices. If you have a few points that you are using as general reference points to allow you to wander off the main roads, you will discover much more. The important thing to remember is that the souk is really not that big. If you were to walk straight from one end to another, it would take 15-20 minutes. So, knowing that allow yourself to get lost and you will find that whenever you are ready to go home, you can look back at Google maps and you will most likely be within 15 minutes of your final destination no matter what!
4. Have a design plan in mind if you are shopping ‘multiples’ (pillows, blankets, baskets etc)
I cannot stress enough that if you are coming to the souks of Marrakesh to buy things like pillows, baskets, glassware or anything in multiples, please have a design plan in mind before you get there. That means, you want to know if you are looking for a black and white color palette only, or maybe it’s all green, or maybe touches of neon or silver. Maybe you need 5 square pillows and 2 lumbar, or perhaps 3 sets of similar but not matching glasses. This will help in your shopping decisions. There are hundreds of shops for all of these items, and having a focused eye will help you to narrow down the shops as you walk by. They will all tell you they have everything, but they don’t, and if you go into a shop and only get 50% of what you want but then pass by another shop 2 hours later with 100%, you will regret it. I did not intend to buy pillows or blankets when I was in Marrakesh but I found myself drawn to all of these textiles. However, I was paralyzed with indecision staring at stall after stall wondering what design theme I should go with, resulting in my purchasing NOTHING in these categories. So… have a plan!
{endless pillow options, how do you choose?}
5. Think about scale – small things may be easier to pack but less impactful in the long run
The first time I went to Marrakesh I brought home 1 pouf, 1 small set of appetizer dishes, 1 painted bowl, 1 canister, 1 set of tea glasses, and 1 moroccan blanket. I love all of these items very much and was able to fit them into my half packed suitcase on the way home. However, 5 years later they are sort of thrown all over the house in a very un-impactful way, not really working into the decor, or being large enough to use for entertaining etc. This time, I brought home 5 large baskets to use as wall decor, which will make a much larger impact in my home. I also paid for shipping of 2 pieces of furniture that I knew would be in my home until the day I die, and wouldn’t change a thing about that decision. At the very least, buy one of the cheap suitcases in the souk and check an additional bag home if that means buying multiples or larger items in your bag- the cost weighs itself out immensely and you will not regret it!
6. Haggle- Start with half
I’m not the first nor the last person to tell you start with half to roughly 60% of the initial price you are quoted, so I won’t go on and on about it. Just do it. You may feel cheap or whatever but this is the game and it’s how it’s played. If you eventually pay more like 70% and you are happy with it then fabulous! But if you start with 70% and end up with 90% then I guarantee you are overpaying.
{Customizing my own babouches with tassels. I also got another pair that I added pom poms to!}
7. Always ask to customize! Shoes, baskets, bags, pillows, furniture
My single best tip for shopping the souks of Marrakesh is to always remember to customize, or at least ask. I customized 2 pairs of shoes, a basket purse for my daughter, and furniture, but know that almost anything can be altered or customized to your needs. Say you love a lamp but the size isn’t right; absolutely ask about custom sizing and they might surprise you with how quickly they can get it done. Bags can have names, monograms or pom poms/tassels added, rugs can be done in specific sizes, blankets can be made into pillows. Don’t forget to ask and you will get even more out of your shopping experience!
