‘Is Marrakech safe for foreign tourists?’, Did you feel safe in Marrakech as a female traveller?’, ‘ Would you recommend Marrakech for solo female travellers?’, ‘Did you have to cover up when walking around the souks?’, ‘Would you recommend Marrakech for solo female travellers?’
These are the most popular questions I am asked whenever I mention that I’ve been to Marrakech, so I’ll address them in this blog. Please remember that this is based on my own experience during my one week stay, some people might have differing experiences.
Read more: 14 Unmissable Things to Do In Marrakech
Is Marrakech safe for tourists?
Let me set the scene – I travelled to Marrakech with a female friend, both in our 20s and we spent almost a week there on our own.
In my honest opinion (because that’s what you’re here for), I would say that Marrakech is very safe for tourists.
We walked around freely during the day, sometimes at night too and felt safe. We didn’t encounter issues with anyone
As a black woman, the reality is that before I travel to a new destination, I have to do extensive research on safety and treatment of black people. I am glad to say that I had a largely positive experience, the exception being when I walked through the souks.
The souks are vibrant outdoor markets made up of a variety of shops and stalls. To attract attention to their shops, some of the sellers resorted to calling me names like ‘Beyonce’ (I wish), Lady Gaga (??) etc. This is fairly common and is typically not meant to disrespect or insult you, it’s just their way of getting you to look at the shop and possibly buy from them.
Some might find this annoying or even overwhelming, but aside from this, you shouldn’t have any issues.
What should I wear in Marrakech?
Morocco is a relatively conservative country and you would prefer not to
During my trip, I mostly wore long dresses and ankle length trousers paired with a long airy kimono-style cover. This was my preference to dress conservatively as I did not want to offend the locals or stand out negatively.
However, I realised that in Marrakech there really isn’t a strict dress code for tourists. For the most part, most tourists wore what you’d expect in a warm destination – trousers, long skirts, short sleeved top etc, but without being too revealing e.g I did not see any super short dresses, skirts or shorts.
For the photoshoot walk which I did with a professional photographer, (book here), I decided to also wear a traditional abaya which I got from the souks.
My principle for packing for a trip to a new destination is to dress in a way that won’t make me stand out too much from the locals, so dress like them!
When is the best time to visit Marrakech?
If weather is your main concern when it comes to deciding when to visit Marrakech, then you have to know this.
You may be surprised to hear this, but it’s not always hot in Marrakech. We visited in mid Jan when the mornings and evening were quite cool. In fact, some morning temperatures went into the low teens – we’re talking 11 degrees celsius (51.8F)! If you’re going in the winter time like we did, you will definitely need a jacket to keep you warm.
If your thoughts are along the lines of how busy it gets, then around winter time has fewer crowds.
Winter (Dec – Feb) is the best time to visit Marrakech because you really don’t want to be there in the summer when temperatures soar to over 40C and there are large crowds
Marrakech for solo female travel?
Would I recommend Marrakech as a solo female travel destination? Yes and also no.
Why yes?
Yes because throughout our trip, we felt safe and welcomed by the locals. The main city is walkable and there’s tonnes to do right in the old town medina.
Why no?
I would not recommend Marrakech for a first time solo female traveller because from my experience it can be overwhelming, especially when walking through the souks or the busy Jemaa El-Fnaa.
