Shopping
Marrakech Souks: The Shopping Guide
Babouches, rugs, spices, lamps: everything you need to know to buy at the right price without getting ripped off.
## Souks by corporation
Souk Semmarine: rugs, kilims, tent fabrics (Babouches at the end)
Dyers' Souk: fabrics, clothing, scarves
Babouche Souk: leather slippers (from 50 MAD)
Cheritine Souk: leather goods, bags, belts (watch for counterfeits)
Haddadine Souk: ironwork, lanterns, teapots
Smata Souk: olives, spices (the most sensory!)
Chouari Souk: wood, sculptures
Kissaria Souk: fabric by the meter
Sebbaghine Souk: dyers (colorants, dye baths)
## The art of haggling
Haggling is the norm in the souks. Here are the rules:
1. Ask the price, and offer 30-40% of the asked price. Moroccans expect that.
2. Negotiate with a smile, never aggressively
3. Don't show too much interest in an item if you're not ready to buy
4. Compare 2-3 shops before buying (especially for rugs and jewelry)
5. Set a price and stick to it: walk away if refused (you'll often be called back)
6. Cash is king: paying cash gives more margin
7. The mint tea: if invited to drink, it's a good sign, but it doesn't mean you have to buy
8. Don't haggle for babouches or food: the price is fixed
Realistic price range (after haggling):
- Babouches: 50-150 MAD
- Leather bag: 200-500 MAD
- Silk scarf: 50-200 MAD
- Rug (small): 500-2000 MAD
- Rug (large, Berber): 3000-15000 MAD
- Metal lamp: 150-600 MAD
- Tajine: 80-300 MAD
- Spices (bag): 20-50 MAD
- Argan oil: 80-200 MAD
- Leather clothing: 400-1500 MAD
- Embroidered kaftan: 1000-5000 MAD
- Embroidered slippers: 100-300 MAD
## The traps to avoid
- "It's free, come see!": often the start of a scam (forced sale, poor quality)
- "Where are you from? Good, I'll give you a friend's price": friend's price = 2-3x the right price
- The "spontaneous guide": he takes you to shops where he has a commission
- Street money exchange: scam guaranteed
- "Genuine leather" bags at 50 MAD: it's synthetic
- "Free henna": pressure to give a disproportionate tip
## Where to buy what
Authentic rugs: go to Nainain, Kechkal or Yassin (recommended by Lonely Planet, guaranteed quality, fair price). Avoid vendors who approach you in the street.
Silver jewelry: jewelers' quarter, just west of Place des Ferblantiers. Compare prices (silver is by weight, ask for the hallmark). Avoid gold, often overpriced or dubious quality.
Fine groceries: Spice Souk (Place des Ferblantiers). The Mabrouka grocery store (behind the square) is recommended.
Natural cosmetics: black soap, ghassoul, argan oil: buy at the Herbier de l'Atlas (Marrakech) or at Arganier (Women's Cooperative).
Leather: Bab Debbagh quarter (the tanneries). Leather cooperatives sell finished products.
## How to pay
- Cash (dirhams): the norm, especially in the souks
- Credit card: increasingly accepted in "serious" shops
- Mobile money (Cash Plus, Wafacash): works
- Foreign currency: no, except in rare cases
## When to go to the souks
- Morning (9am-12pm): less crowded, more choice, fresh merchants
- Afternoon (2-5pm): heat drops, ambiance at its peak
- Friday morning: calm (prayer day, some shops closed)
- Ramadan: shifted hours, but magical atmosphere in the evening
## In the evening
When shops close around 7pm, Jemaa el-Fnaa square comes alive: food stalls, storytellers, snake charmers, musicians. It's free (you only pay for what you consume). The world's largest open-air food court.
Happy shopping!
Souk Semmarine: rugs, kilims, tent fabrics (Babouches at the end)
Dyers' Souk: fabrics, clothing, scarves
Babouche Souk: leather slippers (from 50 MAD)
Cheritine Souk: leather goods, bags, belts (watch for counterfeits)
Haddadine Souk: ironwork, lanterns, teapots
Smata Souk: olives, spices (the most sensory!)
Chouari Souk: wood, sculptures
Kissaria Souk: fabric by the meter
Sebbaghine Souk: dyers (colorants, dye baths)
## The art of haggling
Haggling is the norm in the souks. Here are the rules:
1. Ask the price, and offer 30-40% of the asked price. Moroccans expect that.
2. Negotiate with a smile, never aggressively
3. Don't show too much interest in an item if you're not ready to buy
4. Compare 2-3 shops before buying (especially for rugs and jewelry)
5. Set a price and stick to it: walk away if refused (you'll often be called back)
6. Cash is king: paying cash gives more margin
7. The mint tea: if invited to drink, it's a good sign, but it doesn't mean you have to buy
8. Don't haggle for babouches or food: the price is fixed
Realistic price range (after haggling):
- Babouches: 50-150 MAD
- Leather bag: 200-500 MAD
- Silk scarf: 50-200 MAD
- Rug (small): 500-2000 MAD
- Rug (large, Berber): 3000-15000 MAD
- Metal lamp: 150-600 MAD
- Tajine: 80-300 MAD
- Spices (bag): 20-50 MAD
- Argan oil: 80-200 MAD
- Leather clothing: 400-1500 MAD
- Embroidered kaftan: 1000-5000 MAD
- Embroidered slippers: 100-300 MAD
## The traps to avoid
- "It's free, come see!": often the start of a scam (forced sale, poor quality)
- "Where are you from? Good, I'll give you a friend's price": friend's price = 2-3x the right price
- The "spontaneous guide": he takes you to shops where he has a commission
- Street money exchange: scam guaranteed
- "Genuine leather" bags at 50 MAD: it's synthetic
- "Free henna": pressure to give a disproportionate tip
## Where to buy what
Authentic rugs: go to Nainain, Kechkal or Yassin (recommended by Lonely Planet, guaranteed quality, fair price). Avoid vendors who approach you in the street.
Silver jewelry: jewelers' quarter, just west of Place des Ferblantiers. Compare prices (silver is by weight, ask for the hallmark). Avoid gold, often overpriced or dubious quality.
Fine groceries: Spice Souk (Place des Ferblantiers). The Mabrouka grocery store (behind the square) is recommended.
Natural cosmetics: black soap, ghassoul, argan oil: buy at the Herbier de l'Atlas (Marrakech) or at Arganier (Women's Cooperative).
Leather: Bab Debbagh quarter (the tanneries). Leather cooperatives sell finished products.
## How to pay
- Cash (dirhams): the norm, especially in the souks
- Credit card: increasingly accepted in "serious" shops
- Mobile money (Cash Plus, Wafacash): works
- Foreign currency: no, except in rare cases
## When to go to the souks
- Morning (9am-12pm): less crowded, more choice, fresh merchants
- Afternoon (2-5pm): heat drops, ambiance at its peak
- Friday morning: calm (prayer day, some shops closed)
- Ramadan: shifted hours, but magical atmosphere in the evening
## In the evening
When shops close around 7pm, Jemaa el-Fnaa square comes alive: food stalls, storytellers, snake charmers, musicians. It's free (you only pay for what you consume). The world's largest open-air food court.
Happy shopping!