Marrakech advice

[RTS]

Hi, decided to book a last min trip to Marrakech. We will be staying in a Riad in Medina for the whole stay. Any tips and must do would be greatly appreciated.

Anyone have any reliable airport transfer recommendation? The Riad wants a whopping 22 EUR for a one way!!!!

Any recommended full day tour operators to the atlas mountains would be great too.

Thanks in advance.

[GimmeMorePoints]

I booked airport transport via booking.com, cost me £8 each way.
I recommend a great hike if you’re a fan – A Magical Overlook on Marrakesh on Airbnb

Enjoy!

[RTS]

GimmeMorePoints wrote:

I booked airport transport via booking.com, cost me £8 each way.
I recommend a great hike if you’re a fan – A Magical Overlook on Marrakesh on Airbnb

Enjoy!

Thanks! Never occured to me to use Airbnb for the experiences. I will give it a whirl.

I was looking at transfers via booking.com too, was it a meet and greet?

[GimmeMorePoints]

RTS wrote:

GimmeMorePoints wrote:

I booked airport transport via booking.com, cost me £8 each way.
I recommend a great hike if you’re a fan – A Magical Overlook on Marrakesh on Airbnb

Enjoy!

Thanks! Never occured to me to use Airbnb for the experiences. I will give it a whirl.

I was looking at transfers via booking.com too, was it a meet and greet?

Yes, you get drivers details shortly before the flight. Some even prepare a sign, depends on the driver.

[Amy C]

Download an app called Hip Marrakesh and use in conjunction with Google maps for the souks. You WILL get lost regardless. I think my Riad in the Medina last month charged me $16 or £16 (can’t recall) for the taxi from airport and porter to then get my luggage to through the media to the Riad. I would never ever have found it otherwise.

[Aston100]

RTS wrote:

GimmeMorePoints wrote:

I booked airport transport via booking.com, cost me £8 each way.
I recommend a great hike if you’re a fan – A Magical Overlook on Marrakesh on Airbnb

Enjoy!

Thanks! Never occured to me to use Airbnb for the experiences. I will give it a whirl.

I was looking at transfers via booking.com too, was it a meet and greet?

Yes it was when I did this.
The car was quite battered and the driver was constantly trying to sell tours, which fits with the hustling nature of that city.

The city (especially the medina) is full of annoying gits who won’t leave you alone, and scooters that come within millimetres of killing you.
Just assume that every single person you speak to is looking to scam you in some way.
Do not let anyone guide you to some shop that is doing an amazing deal.
If you ask people for directions or any kind of info at all, they will want paying.
Keep small notes / 20 dirhams on you for taxis who will no doubt miraculously have run out of change.
Oh and make sure taxis use the meter or else go find another one.
It’s a bloody tedious and annoying city full of people you’d want to punch. A bit like Birmingham.

However, once you are out of ‘kech, the rest of the country is fine (except Agadir, which is a dump and also suffers from all of the above).

[Aston100]

Go on a trip to Essaouira. It’s only 3 hours or so by VIP coach, departing from the train station.
Go on a trip to Seti Fatima / Ourika.

[Pangolin]

Aston100 wrote:

RTS wrote:

GimmeMorePoints wrote:

I booked airport transport via booking.com, cost me £8 each way.
I recommend a great hike if you’re a fan – A Magical Overlook on Marrakesh on Airbnb

Enjoy!

Thanks! Never occured to me to use Airbnb for the experiences. I will give it a whirl.

I was looking at transfers via booking.com too, was it a meet and greet?

Yes it was when I did this.
The car was quite battered and the driver was constantly trying to sell tours, which fits with the hustling nature of that city.

The city (especially the medina) is full of annoying gits who won’t leave you alone, and scooters that come within millimetres of killing you.
Just assume that every single person you speak to is looking to scam you in some way.
Do not let anyone guide you to some shop that is doing an amazing deal.
If you ask people for directions or any kind of info at all, they will want paying.
Keep small notes / 20 dirhams on you for taxis who will no doubt miraculously have run out of change.
Oh and make sure taxis use the meter or else go find another one.
It’s a bloody tedious and annoying city full of people you’d want to punch. A bit like Birmingham.

However, once you are out of ‘kech, the rest of the country is fine (except Agadir, which is a dump and also suffers from all of the above).

What’s wrong with Brum? 😀

What about Rabat or Casablanca?

[RTS]

Aston100 wrote:

RTS wrote:

GimmeMorePoints wrote:

I booked airport transport via booking.com, cost me £8 each way.
I recommend a great hike if you’re a fan – A Magical Overlook on Marrakesh on Airbnb

Enjoy!

Thanks! Never occured to me to use Airbnb for the experiences. I will give it a whirl.

I was looking at transfers via booking.com too, was it a meet and greet?

Yes it was when I did this.
The car was quite battered and the driver was constantly trying to sell tours, which fits with the hustling nature of that city.

The city (especially the medina) is full of annoying gits who won’t leave you alone, and scooters that come within millimetres of killing you.
Just assume that every single person you speak to is looking to scam you in some way.
Do not let anyone guide you to some shop that is doing an amazing deal.
If you ask people for directions or any kind of info at all, they will want paying.
Keep small notes / 20 dirhams on you for taxis who will no doubt miraculously have run out of change.
Oh and make sure taxis use the meter or else go find another one.
It’s a bloody tedious and annoying city full of people you’d want to punch. A bit like Birmingham.

However, once you are out of ‘kech, the rest of the country is fine (except Agadir, which is a dump and also suffers from all of the above).

Haha, thanks for this. Did you not enjoy kech then?

[can]

Casa is boring as hell, even the ocean front. I didn’t find its medina interesting.
I liked Rabat a bit, but I am not sure it was worth dedicating a day to it.

Beware of the touts, it was really annoying when I was there many years ago. Pay little more and arrange transport via agency/hotel.