Is Marrakech Morocco Safe According To A Wary Traveler?

Is Marrakech Morocco safe? That is the question!

If you’re worried about the safety in Marrakech, here’s what I thought as a cautious traveler my first time in Morocco. And I’ve included some tips on how to make traveling to Morocco even safer!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Is Marrakech Morocco Safe?

Here’s what I thought about feeling safe while walking around Marrakech…

I Was Concerned At Times Walking Around Marrakech

I won’t deny that I always felt 100% safe walking around Marrakech, especially in the old Medina. In fact, it was probably the opposite…

The city streets aren’t too well kept, with unfinished walls, peeling paint, and rips in the fabric ceilings.

And although you have over-crowded streets in the market, you can also take a wrong turn and be on a to deserted dark alley, completely alone.

So on the one hand, you don’t feel alone, but you’re at risk of pick pockets.

And on the other hand, you have more than enough personal space, but you’re concerned for your well being.

But, that’s me as an over thinker… The reality is that there wasn’t really a reason to be that nervous.

a creepy dark, ruined alley in the Marrakech markets. A man with a safari hat and a women in burgundy clothes are walking in front of you. The ceiling is quite low, with wooden beams almost hitting the mans head. There is actually a wooden door on the left side wall. The right side wall is unfinished — *Walking through the less desirable looking streets of Marrakech with a tour group*

I Was Never In A Life Threatening Situation

The reality is that nothing happened while I was in Morocco to warrant or back up these concerns about my safety in Marrakech.

So it’s important to remember, that although some streets might look and feel unsafe, it probably isn’t.

The crimes in Morocco are centered more around money rather than violence.

Safety In Marrakech All Comes Down To Money

Tourist safety in Morocco usually isn’t life threatening but involves loosing some amount of money.

Let’s just say, locals will try to get paid for everything… whether you wanted to pay them or not.

There are a few types of monetary scams that can take place in Morocco where a goods or service seems free, but it’s not. Or maybe it’s more expensive than you initially thought.

And once you realize that the people running these “monetary scams” most likely need the money more than you, then you don’t mind giving them your extra change anyway.

an example of Moroccan currency: dirham. A woman is holding a 100 dh bill and two 10 cent coins in her hand. The bill is a rusty orange colour with camels on it. The coins are silver on the inside with the moroccan emblem and a gold rim — *Tourist safety in Morocco usually revolves around money scams*

Be Prepared For Quiet Scams – Is Morocco Safe?

Most of the monetary scams that take place in Morocco are known as quiet scams.

It’s the idea that you don’t know they’re happening until it’s too late… So you might accept a service or goods thinking that it’s free, and then you’re asked for payment at the end.

I want to emphasize though that when I encountered these potential “scams”, I never felt like my life was in danger and I was always able to politely decline an offer and my decision was always immediately respected.

So if you know what the common scams are, you can avoid most of them, or at least be less scared, or shocked, when it happens to you.

And there are a few popular types of quiet scams that you can keep an eye out for…

A less busy street in the Marrakech medina. There's a thin black cloth roof, that you can still see the sky through because it's ripped. The right side of the street, are all closed wooden doors. On the left, there are some vendors selling jewellery. In the distance you can see some tourists walking

The Lost Tour Quiet Scam

The lost tour scam is the most popular scam in Morocco.

It’s when a local sees that you might be lost so offers to show you where you need to go. This seems harmless enough, right?

And it is! But instead of just pointing you in the right direction, they’ll walk with you. And along the way, they’ll maybe take a longer route to give you a local tour.

This still seems all very nice and harmless until they ask for a tip at the end that you might not have been expecting to give.

the less than ideal areas of walking through the market in marrakech. you can see two alleys, but both don't look great.The fabric roof is completely ripped up, which at least lets in some natural sunlight making it feel less terrifying. — *Is Marrakech safe? Although this street doesn’t look safe, we walked by it many times and nothing ever happened!*

As I mentioned, this quiet scam is more about making money than putting you in a life threatening situation. They just aren’t up front about a cost for this service beforehand, so you can definitely feel blindsided.

It’s unfortunate when you didn’t realize you were paying for this service that you might not have wanted or needed in the first place.

This type of scam is common in the alleyways of the market where tourists easily get lost.

For me though, I think I was about to fall “victim” to this scam when I was walking around the outside of the Koutoubia.

a traditional street in old marrakech. There are cobblestones on the street. Rounded archways leading in three directions. In the centre of them all is a roof made out of just lush green leaves. There is no one in sight, but there is a motorcycle in distance parked outside a house

A man started telling us about a woman’s cooperative down the street, and then offered to take us there… I immediately picked up on these signs, politely declined his offer, and walked away in the opposite direction.

So you can always get out of it, or if you do need the help, just expect to pay at the end!

Related: A First Timer’s Guide To The Markets of Marrakech

The Taxi Scam – Is Marrakech Safe?

The taxi scam is very similar to the lost tour scam, but instead of being lost in an alleyway, you’re in a taxi.

a busy intersection in old marrakech just outside the market. People are trying to cross the street, they're wearing bright royal blue full length dress, and bright white. A motorcycle is about to go into a yellow taxi in the middle of the intersection. It's golden hour, the setting sun is beautifully lighting up the orange facade of the buildings. Poking out above the buildings is the famous koutoubia mosque.

Our taxi driver offered to take a longer route to our destination, giving us a tour along the way… He didn’t even wait for us to respond, he just started turning the car around.

Once again, we quickly declined, and he made a full circle back on track.

I had no idea this taxi tour was a thing in Morocco. But I was speaking to other tourists in Morocco and they had the same experience!

Petty Crimes In Marrakech – Tourist Safety In Morocco

On top of the quiet scams, petty crimes also exist, especially in the overcrowded markets of Marrakech.

I’m talking small crimes like pick pockets and petty thefts.

The market is so crowded that anyone can bump into you and steal money or your belongings without you realizing.

marrakech street that is covered with patterned sheets. People are walking in the distance.

How To Make Traveling To Morocco Even Safer?

There are few easy things I did to feel safer my first time traveling to Morocco…

Don’t Stray Far From Crowds & Touristy Areas

Even though there’s a risk of pickpockets at the overcrowded markets, you do feel safer in more populated areas, especially in highly dense touristy areas (like inside paid attractions).

So for more safety in Marrakech, stay in more populated areas in Marrakech.

I always felt the least safe when we were the only ones walking down a street.

And if you follow basic safety practices, you should be able to avoid being the victim of pick pockets in crowded spaces…

the market in Marrakech. It's a covered thatched roof letting in some sunlight. Vendors are selling goods on either side of the alley, but it is packed with people the entire way down — *Tourist safety in Morocco in the crowded streets of the Marrakech markets*

Don’t Wear A Backpack For Added Safety in Marrakech!

To avoid petty crimes in crowded spaces, don’t wear a backpack and don’t keep anything in your pockets!

It’s best to keep a purse in front of you and close to your body with all your valuables inside.

My partner used my Lululemon Belt Bag, and I used my Uniqlo Shoulder Bag (I added a zippered inside pouch for my valuables and extra cash).

I also really liked having my phone attached to me with my phone rope. This way I could hold it in my hands (for on the go photo opportunities), but it was also still attached to me if someone grabbed it out of my hands.

a woman showing off her uniqlo round min shoulder bag. Attached to the strap is a mini bottle of purrell. She's wearing a white wrap, and a straw hat. She's standing in front of a vibrant blue boat and off in the distance is the walled white city of essaouira

Go On An Organized Tour First If Your Unsure About the Location

The best thing I could recommend if you’re unsure about the safety in Marrakech is going on as many organized tours as possible.

Not only are you with a trusted travel guide, but you’re also now traveling with a group (there’s more safety in numbers!).

So even when we were walking on a less crowded street, we were still with 15 people! This made us feel a lot more comfortable in Marrakech.

Then once you feel more comfortable with your surroundings, you can venture off on your own (which we ended up doing!).

We mostly booked our tours through our hotel, so we trusted the tour company. But we did end up booking one tour through Viator.

a vertical image: A woman is trailing behind a group of people, as they walk through a street in the Marrakech medina. Although it's bright, there isn't a roof letting in the warm yellow sun, the walls are VERY tall. And besides for the group, there's no one else here. — *Trailing behind the tour group to snap a photo in the smaller back alleys of Marrakech!*

I recommend booking tours with Viator, they were a lot cheaper than booking through the hotel. There weren’t any safety concerns on the tour either, and you still have the benefit of having safety in numbers and a guide!

Stay At A Trusted Hotel

Another way you can ensure more safety in Marrakech is to stay at a larger, more trusted brand name hotel.

Although it’s popular to stay at small riads in Morocco, those are often locally owned hotels, without any sort of reliability.

As nice as it is to get a local, more authentic experience, your safety is also important.

the pool at the club med marrakech in morocco. It's large, and there are quite a few people in the pool and sitting on pool lounge chairs around it. There are open umbrellas on the other side of the pool in front of a large moroccan style tower. There are short palm trees all around the pool

So we booked the Club Med La Palmeraie. It’s a large, all inclusive hotel, about a fifteen minute drive from Old Marrakech (the Medina).

We trusted the location (in the middle of fancy Moroccan villas), and the staff. We were still able to safely visit Marrakech every day, and we knew we were safe overnight.

Plus if we didn’t feel safe in the city centre, we didn’t have to go back. We could just hideaway at the hotel for the rest of our stay!

Related: Club Med Marrakech Honest Hotel Review

a view through the beautiful Moroccan arched open window frame at the club med Marrakech looking onto the gardens with a stream of water flowing through lush olive trees — *Gorgeous Moroccan views at the Club Med Marrakech*

Negotiate Prices Before To Avoid Being Blindsided & Scammed

The most crucial way to avoid getting scammed in Morocco is to realize when you’re about to be involved in a scam.

You can either politely decline, or decide you want their service and NEGOTIATE a price BEFOREHAND!

So although you more commonly see this happening in markets when haggling the price of a souvenir, you can do this for any service in Morocco.

For example, confirm the cost of the taxi before you get in. Or someone offers to take you somewhere, negotiate the price of this tour before you walk anywhere.

And remember! Don’t be shy to decline any offer for additional help or tour.

a large open courtyard in front of a tall tower, the koutoubia mosque in marrakech. There's beautiful vibrant colours, the ground stone is a pinkish hue, the facade of the koutoubia is a pinkish orange, and the sky is a crystal clear blue without one cloud

Always Stay Connected (Get a Data Plan – Airalo)

I also can’t stress being connected all the time for added safety in Marrakech.

Today, you should always at least have a data plan in any foreign country.

Either pay for a roaming plan with your phone provider, or a more cost effective way, is to download an e-sim with Airalo (p.s. used my code MEGHAN4675 for an additional discount off your first e-sim!).

This is what I used every time I travel to any new destination. This way, if I’m ever in trouble, or lost, I’m still connected and can use Google Maps to find my way, or contact someone for help.

a desolate market street in Marrakech, ther eisn't a lot of colour, just a deep brown closed door on the right. In the front, a hand is holding up a phone with it open to Airalo App showing Choukran - the Moroccan data plan

Try To Avoid Revealing Clothing As a Woman

And finally, if you’re a woman, I recommend wearing (or at least packing) some modest clothing options.

Morocco is a more modestly dressed country.

I never had any issues feeling unsafe as a woman in Morocco, but I wore more conservative clothes.

I don’t tend to wear short shorts or crop tops at home, so it wasn’t a huge change for me. But instead of even wearing shorts, I bough more loosing fitting pants and full coverage tees for my trip to Morocco.

P.S. wearing more conservative clothing also helps protect your skin from the beating Moroccan sun – especially in the summer!

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The back of a women with long brown hair walking through the quiet streets in the Medina of Marrakech. There's one shop open, the walls are tall and orange pink colour. She's wearing flowy black pants, and a loose fitting blue and white blouse as well as a cream coloured bucket hat

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