Morocco is Overrated: Some Truths That Instagram Isn’t Telling You
Morocco is having a moment with Instagram and travel blogs, and while it IS a beautiful country, I feel some things are glazed over in all the hype. I see a lot of people saying “MOROCCO IS MY FAVORITE PLACE EVER,” but this shouldn’t lead people to think it’s a magical wonderland without problems. After living in Casablanca for a month and traveling throughout the country, I would say Morocco definitely has some problems, a few of which I would like to address.
I realize writing this post may ruffle a few feathers, so I will try to keep everything as factual as possible and include minimal opinions (but this is my blog, so some opinions come with the territory).
Morocco isn’t that progressive
Yes, this isn’t Saudi Arabia, but it is still a deeply religious, conservative country. 99% of the population identifies as Muslim, and Islam is the constitutionally established state religion. This means that drinking alcohol and pre-marital sex are technically against the law for citizens. These laws don’t apply to Western tourists, however you will not see alcohol flaunted — even in Marrakech, a huge Western tourist destination, you will be hard pressed to see someone sitting at a patio table on a sidewalk drinking a beer. In Fes el Bali, an area with a population of more than 150,000 people, there is only one place that serves alcohol and it is very hard to find.
Moroccan men and women still wear very conservative, traditional dress. Even in the major, urban metropolis of Casablanca you won’t see much exposed skin. Women in rural areas, and a lot of men too, wear a djellaba, which is a garmet that covers the whole body except hands, feet and head, this was particularly prominent in Fes and the Sahara desert. Do tourists in Marrakech wear sundresses? Yes. Do the locals? No. It has become commonplace for tourists to wear their typical vacation gear, but I wouldn’t say it is particularly welcome, and can draw some unwanted attention.
Another example that highlights a stark difference from Western society — gyms in Casablanca, a city of 3.5 million people, have segregated gym days. In Casablanca there are “women only” days 3 days/week. Men are not allowed in the gym those days. This was also the case in my upscale, very French neighborhood in Casablanca.
While we are pointing out sexism, babies born in Morocco are not automatically citizens — it is “citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Morocco; if the father is unknown or stateless, the mother must be a citizen” (source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mo.html)
Morocco overall has a low literacy rate – only 69% of people over the age of 15 can read. But if you break that down by sex, men have a 79% literacy rate, where women only have a 59% rate. (source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mo.html) This is likely due to the fact girls are far less likely to go to school. In rural areas only 26% of girls attend school, compared to 79% of boys.
(https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/09/11/maintaining-momentum-on-education-reform-in-morocco)
“Women make up a mere 23 percent of the Moroccan labor market, a stark contrast to the average of 47 percent of women participating in the workforce worldwide, according to a 2019 World Bank report. This alarming gender gap represents a notable lack of socio-economic inclusion and voice for Moroccan girls and women. Additionally, women remain underrepresented in elected office, leave school at younger ages than male classmates”
(https://www.usaid.gov/morocco/fact-sheets/closing-moroccos-gender-gap)
Harassment and Unwanted Attention
Like I mentioned, many tourists wear whatever they want — particularly in Marrakech I saw women in short or strapless sundresses. That said, many visitors also make an effort to dress modestly. Either way, you will still stand out.
During my month of living in Morocco, I tried to dress conservatively, even on special occasions wearing loose, long dresses or skirts. Despite temperatures being in the 70s nearly everyday, I mostly lived in jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and a loose jacket that covered my behind (see the first picture below). Regardless, this did not stop men from aggressively staring, following, or talking to me — I am talking no make-up, loose clothing, broad daylight, Tuesday afternoon, carrying bags of groceries.
If you choose to wear sundresses, tank tops or shorts, be aware that it will likely bring you additional unwanted attention. And if you’re blonde, good luck, even in your sweats.
From the United States Overseas Security Advisory Council:
Moroccan men will often engage in whistling/hissing/staring/yelling and, on occasion, inappropriate physical contact. Attempts to coax women into cars occur with some frequency in the smaller cities and rural areas but also occur in urban areas late at night. Sexual assaults do occur, many of which are unreported because the victims are afraid of being shunned by their friends and families.
Sexual assaults have also taken place in broad daylight and at public events with many witnesses.
For example, in August 2017, a teenager was gang raped on a bus in Casablanca by a group of boys. Bystanders videotaped the attack, and the bus driver did not stop or seek police assistance. The attack caused a major public outcry, and arrests were made within several days
Deceit and Crime
Although Casablanca is 3.5x bigger than Marrakech, I felt like Marrakech was a hotbed for crime and scams. Casablanca is a major city, and thus has crime, but I didn’t feel any more at risk than the locals. Marrakech felt totally different, with the sheer size of the tourism industry attracting many ‘opportunists’ to target easy pickings from the foreigners.
In Marrakech, I felt like an animal being preyed upon — and honestly, it was exhausting. It was exhausting constantly having to be on the defensive — “tour guides”, taxi drivers, market vendors, snake charmers, fortune tellers all tried to rip us off.
A few important things to know about Marrakech:
- When you walk into Jemaa Al- Fnaa (the main market in Marrakech), you can be approached by men who claim to be from your hotel who offer to show you around — this is a trap and they will demand money after showing you to your desired location
- You can also see men walking around whispering into their phones, scoping out the tourists — a common crime is for men to work in teams, one will distract you while another one bumps into you and takes your phone/purse/etc
- Another common scenario are pairs of teenage boys or young men on scooters — they will ride up next to you and the passenger will grab your purse, even if it is crossbody, then they will accelerate away, hoping your purse straps will snap and potentially dragging you with them. If two men on a scooter are riding slowly and closely to you on the sidewalk, tuck away your belongings and move as far from them as you can
- You need to be very careful with your phone – do not leave it on a table if you are sitting on a patio, or have it out in a taxi with the windows rolled down, someone can snatch it
Pollution
(source: http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.152?lang=en, and a map for more visual people: http://maps.who.int/airpollution/)
As far as the physical appearance of the cities, Marrakech streets seem to be kept pretty clean and free of debris. However, we thought we were staying across the street from a huge park or green space, as marked by google maps — but it was essentially just a huge vacant lot with piles of garbage and kids playing soccer.
Casablanca streets, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. The garbage collection system seems to be people just throw their trash on the sidewalk and the garbage collectors come within the next day or so. There are some dumpsters, but they are often overflowing with garbage. The dumpsters are usually on the corners of intersections and not tucked away, causing for unpleasant smells and lots of flies on a casual walk through the neighborhood. It is very much a ‘developing world’ feel in that regard.
The last thing I want to mention is that smoking cigarettes is permitted indoors in Morocco. Many Moroccans don’t smoke, but unfortunately much of the crowd that will frequent cafes, bars, and restaurants does.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Do I think people should visit Morocco? Yes! It’s reasonably affordable, the landscape can be beautiful, the weather is usually excellent, and it’s not too hard to get to if you can link it to a Europe trip.
Do I feel it lived up to the hype? No. Frankly I found it to be overrated. In my view, all of the positive aspects of Morocco can be found in better overall packages elsewhere:
– You want cheap, beautiful, and close to Western Europe? Albania (+ friendly people and delicious food).
– Moderate Muslim country with stunning landscapes? Turkey (also all of the foods)
– Developing world with interesting history and friendly people? Vietnam (ok, great food is becoming a theme here too – and sorely lacking in Morocco)
– Beaches and good weather? The Caribbean is as good as anywhere for that
And perhaps I have a different opinion than most because I was living in Morocco, and it wasn’t just a vacation. It IS a visually stunning country, and if you are looking for the best Instagram photos ever, this may very well be your place. But if you are looking to stay somewhere long-term, or want more out of your vacation than great pictures, I would seriously consider the points mentioned above before finalizing any plans.
If you would like to remember this post, pin the picture below for future reference
On a more positive note, some of the highlights from our time in Morocco are found in the posts below!
You’re right about everything. I’ve travelled to over 40 countries, and never experienced the harrassment and intimidation that we have in Morocco. And, we’ve been disappointed in the food as well unfortunately. It’s bland and overrated. The only nice people are the ones you’re paying.
Hey Adam! Thanks for the comment! Lots of people have read this post, but you are the first to comment. Having moved to Casablanca from Istanbul, I was shocked at how much more conservative I found Morocco. I feel like so many people who are visiting Morocco are avoiding Turkey, and I want to jump up and down and wave my hands and say “you’ve got it wrong!”
Hi Brittany 👋
A very interesting article you obviously have done your fair bit of travelling, 😊 I like your honesty in writing this thought provoking article. I am not that well travelled been to Rome Italy twice day trip to Florence Barcelona Madrid and Seville. I am planning a holiday to Morocco this early September with my son. Going to Marrakesh mainly and Essaouira with a trip to the Sahara desert wish me luck thanks for this enlightening read 🙋♂️
Hi Brittany
I returned from Marrakech mid-October last year 2022 from the uk. I stayed 11 nights there with my son. We hated the food it was dirty smelly and vastly overrated. Monkeys chained in cages in the medina for entertainment no thank you!!. The only positive was the pastries and cakes were amazing like the French and very affordable too. Now I wish I would of gone to say turkey instead. Marrakech is definitely overrated dirty smelly full of scammers especially taxi drivers! aggressive sellers and one to avoid. I will stick to Italy Spain France Portugal and Greece!
Hey there!
I’m a german living in Marrakech for quite some time now. Many of your reports are reasonably true, but the fact is, Morocco is just another tourist country. That said, I would not agree that Morocco is worse than any other touristic destination and Turkey is better. To me, this article sounds like the author had some personal problems, either with a Moroccan or Morocco.
Hey!
I wrote this article — I am Brittany and my blog is The Yuppie Hipster. I’ve been traveling around the world with my husband for the last year, and spent a month living in Morocco in February. I try to write articles that highlight my honest opinions about each location. I learned a lot of things about Morocco that I did not know prior to visiting, and wanted to highlight a mix of facts about the country as well as my personal opinions (which I understand may not be appreciated by all). Thank you for reading my blog and taking the time out of your day to comment.
I visited Marrakech from Dec 1-6 and left 2 nights before my time. The city is superbly overrated, dirty and smelly. I would NEVER go back again!!!
Vicki, sorry to hear about your experience! I actually didn’t find Marrakech to be particularly dirty or smelly (much cleaner than Casablanca). If you haven’t traveled to Turkey yet, I wrote a bunch of posts on my love for the country!
If you are still in Morocco, I also wrote about Casablanca and Fes (including wine tasting!), and some great hidden gems in both cities.
Hope your future travels go well!
I agree with your take. When I travelled to Marakech back in 2019, I was harrased and was constantly approached by scammers. And I’m a Muslim, middle eastern looking, relatively muscular guy. I can only imagine what Western women have to go through. I have travelled to many cities around the World and by far, my experience with Marakech has been the worst.
For someone so well-travelled you seem to be very intolerant of alternative cultural norms. Harassment is sexism is inexcusable but things like lack of alcohol, more modest tradition of dress etc. that you have listed as not “progressive” enough are truly just differences in culture that Western societies could potentially learn something from or at the very least respect the choices. Not every society is willing to sell their soul to make tourists feel more at home (or enable them to go around half naked getting shitfaced), thank god.
There are plenty of non-Western cultures where women are not treated as second class citizens. If you look at what is happening in Iran right now… maybe women DON’T want to dress completely covered and be sheltered away from society. But women don’t make those decisions in Morocco, men do.
If women want to not drink, not smoke, not have premarital sex, dress covered from head to foot, I am here for it! You do you! But it’s when the state established, religious government almost entirely run by men, has laws prohibiting these things for their citizens, that is where I take issue.
Small fractions of women, compared to men, attend school, can read, have jobs, or hold office. This undoubtedly begs the question of whether these women have a voice or a choice.
Also, it seems hypocritical and intolerant to judge women who choose to dress “half naked” and get “shit-faced”.
I came across your article after specifically googling “Morocco is overrated,” an opinion I sadly came to after a recent trip. My husband and I are now in our 50s, having backpacked around the world since our 20s. We have made our share of blunders, but I think we have pretty reasonable expectations for traveling through societies different from our own. We traveled independently via 2nd class trains from Tangier to Fes to Marrakesh. The scenery and cultural heritage stops were as we had hoped, and for the most part we were left alone. But I felt that the tourist zones were particularly difficult, with “guides” harrassing us for blocks, not taking no for an answer. Women would snatch my hand at the market to attempt to apply “free” henna samples, and young boys would “accidently” bump into me from behind and slip their hands into my jacket pockets. I am used to being targeted and misdirected by locals to route me past a friend’s shop or market stall, but this is the first country I have been to where men screamed at us and got quite angry when we didn’t want to walk their suggested route. There were times we found makeshift blockades preventing us from a particular street access, and we were told the only way to leave the medina was to walk its entire length back to the other gate. (That was in Fes. Locals were not being told this, so we followed them around blockades and rerouted ourselves to our hotel, difficult to do as we were being followed on mopeds.) It was probably the most threatened I felt in 35 years of travel. And the tourists who come here treating it like an exotic Disneyland are not helpful. There is a lot to recommend in Morocco, but it did not make “favorite destination” list for either of us, and I was honestly a little relieved to go home.
Wheres the lie? This is so accurate, it’s exhausting to deal with and I’ve never felt so glad to get on a plane. Agree that Turkey is so underrated and is one of the most amazing countries to explore.
I went with my wife and my 2 year old daughter to Marrakech. For 4 days. And we hated it we were staying in a 5star riad in Medina.
The people are illiterate. They give you so much headache to tourist, greedy and arrogant people. Be careful when staying in Medina and going shopping. be aware.
I’ve just come back from Marrakech and I am totally agree. It is so exhausting to be in alert mode to not being scam or worst! Even the kids are following you so they can get money from you. You can feel how the smiling people change to disdain in the moment they cannot get money from you.
I am been traveling in many countries with different cultures, but Marrakech (I don’t know the rest of Morocco) is a giant tourist trap. I was so relieved to come back home.
Also, the food was terrible. Not sure if only because we are vegetarian but it was impossible to find food with flavour. Why do they have so many spices if they don’t use it for cooking?? Is it only to sell the tourist??
Overrated. I’ll never come back
Feels like i wrote this blog myself. I just came back after a long weekend and even though i knew what to expect it exceeded my expectations.
The entire country stunk, i went to Fes, Casablanca and Rabat. Rabat the people were lovely except one part where people stared at us and made it clear we weren’t welcome. It was clean too. In Casablanca i have never felt so unsqfe, people staring at us everywhere and our belongings, it looks like a lawless jungle.
But Casablanca and Fes and countryside? Trash everywhere, people rude and aggresive, not 1 single shop had a price tag and made prices up on everything from water to cigarettes to juice.
Food was bland and boring and had no variety. Rabat’s entire medina had 0 restaurants in the entire area. Hotels were overpriced and dirty.
Shopkeepers tried to tell us they had no change and tried to keep the money or they’d say oh i don’t have 5 mad but imagine if a tourist says that, they would have an uproar.
I’ll never ever go back to this place ever if anyone even paid me, the people were so aggressive and rude and i think i am happier going back to Turkey for the 10th time.
If you are secretly taking photos then you will get great photos though that’s the only positive i can say.
While I can see your point of view in some of your points I wanted to point out that I think it’s very arrogant of you to state that Morocco isn’t progressive because of the deep Islamic values of the country. I don’t see how Moroccan women wearing traditional clothes affects you in any way.
This is a Muslim country so yes, alcohol isn’t freely available. Again, I don’t see how this means that the country isn’t ‘progressive’.Poor you, not being able to drink a beer on a patio.
Your opinion is very jaded and it’s clear that it’s based on your ‘liberal’ western upbringing.
This article is sooo true! I am traveling with my wife and two children aged 16 and 12. We are still in Marrakech, and we are going back in two days. Honestly, I have never felt so happy to finish a vacation. We have been here since last week, and we have visited Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fez and Marrakech. Today we just got scammed twice. We trusted our guide, but the shop he introduced us to basically charged us at least 5 times of the normal price. I know it was my fault to trust him, but it just give you an idea that you can not trust anyone here, and you can’t never let your guard down. This makes the whole vacation very tiring and not enjoyable at all.
I also hate the foods. They taste very similar and very bland, even though they have all the spices.
I will NEVER come here again.
So freaking true! My husband 13 and 16 year just got back…we are well traveled and not just “tourists” looking to sit at a hotel and be waited on. We like to go out and explore. We were harassed from the get go..we were literally had a motorcycle chasing us to “help us” for 30 minutes…we rented a car-fist mistake. A guy pulled up beside us…my window was down he said hello, being friendly I said hello and then he said “I see you have a GPS I can take you where you need to go” of course we said no and did not tell him where we were staying but he WOULD NOT STOP! That was our first entry into Morocco and then we didn’t know who we could trust and everyone felt like a used care sleazy salesman. It was SO trashy and gross…all of it. The food was gross I was so bummed and the souk was a nightmare..we can usually find a silver lining and the only lining was getting out of there! I do not understand the appeal at all..we tried we al did.
Spot on blog and remarks from fellow travelers. I have 4 days left of a 12 day trip in Morocco. My husband can’t wait to get back home. And I agree! We rented a car after 3 days in Marrakech via Thrifty (but managed by Hertz)- very expensive at $750 for 9 days. This was the best choice of our trip though. AC and freedom of the road. Driving was easy- just be prepared for lots of police checkpoints. Our trip took us from Marrakech to Skoura, a desert camp in Erg Chebbi past Merzouga, Ifrane, Fes, and flying out of Rabat. Seeing the vast landscapes via rental car was our highlight. But in the cities and villages- there’s nothing really to see or do. Very poor, lots of trash, the same cheap souvenirs sold everywhere- nothing authentic. It feels like one big tourist trap. We’ve traveled all over the world and seen all grades of living in Nepal and Malaysia. In Morocco the people see you as a walking dollar sign. That’s it. Even the expats who run the riads. For a country dependent on tourism so much of it is just off- we stayed at the famed Michelefin resort in Ifrane and even that was an odd place. Nothing 5 star about it…
In our case (couple in our 40s with money) there was no harassment and we know how to say no and walk with a purpose so there were zero issues with beggars or harassing by shopkeepers- but we did see it happen to others!! Be prepared to put your hand on your heart and say la-shoukran FIRMLY! Walk with a purpose and don’t stare at your phone all day- you’ll stand out.
We haven’t discovered why this country is all the rage for French and Spanish tourists… except for one great meal at Naranj in Marrakech the food is very mediocre… you can only eat so many tajines…
A chief thing to be aware of is there is one price for Moroccans and one price for tourists- on everything!! Our desert camp guide confirmed this – a Moroccan himself- he moved his family to Spain because he said Moroccans don’t understand work and how hard Americans and Europeans work to afford trips like this. Many of them work very little and just get money sent from overseas. It’s disappointing to go somewhere and feel constantly taken advantage of. Here in 2023 the prices are not cheap at all! We could’ve spent the same money for a better experience in Paris – where we were for 5 days before Morocco. All in all – yes go to Turkey instead- amazing country, many things to see and do, and lovely people. But if anyone asks I will tell them skip Morocco! Totally overrated. We head back to Paris after this and can’t wait.
100 % right about Marrakesh. My wife is really scared. I have not seen her like that anywhere.
We have had to cut our holiday short because we got mugged. I’m sorry to hear about your wife, do not trust anyone!
I’ve read your blog with interest and appreciation. My husband and I are in our 50s and driven our own car and stayed in Tangier and Assilha. I’m fair with very blonde hair and although I’ve been stared at I’ve never been hassled. We’ve both been treated with respect and friendlies by everyone. We’ve both covered up with our dress code and tipped waiters, car guards and bought items off beggars due to understanding the sheer poverty for a lot of people in Morocco. Yes the Medina’s are exhausting so we have stayed away from them the hardest experience is the sight of rubbish, the smell of areas and the poverty of some people. This has made us feel very sad. But all we can do is pay for services we use and show respect and kindness wherever we go. And pray things get better for people here and we’ve been grateful we’ve not experienced anything negative. I believe in giving so for example Ive bought tissues from a young woman on the street as I know this helps her but it is also a useful thing to buy as the toilets here don’t have toilet paper
Imeda, I appreciate your thoughtful and heartfelt comment. I agree whole-heartedly with giving to the poor and impoverished. I have spent my career caring for the underserved populations in my country. I suppose the blame should be directed towards the Moroccan government for not doing more for their people, to prevent the need for fraud and stealing and also more to protect innocent people that fall victim to these crimes. Also more to clean the streets, prevent pollution, discrimination, etc.