This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Marrakesh.
While not the capital of Morocco, Marrakech is the most visited city in the country. Millions of tourists come all year long. There are many things to do in Marrakech so you will need to stay there for at least a few days to immerse yourself in the city, and feel the beat.
Of course while you are staying in a Marrakech hostel you have to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Jama el Fna square, both during the day to see the snake shows and the street vendors, and at night to sample the local food, including a spicy snail soup. Make sure you carefully pick the stall or restaurant you want to try since the hygiene might be dodgy in some of these perfunctory eating places.
Next door to the square is the souk with thousands of small shops where you will have to haggle to buy one of the millions of souvenirs on offer. But, even if the sellers try to push you to buy at each shop, you don’t have to buy anything, and the experience is more about the seeing and feeling the crowd around you than the buying. You could easily get lost in the souk, but that’s part of the experience as well, and you can always ask the kids wandering through for directions and they will take you back to the square for a few Dirhams, the local currency. You can also find many official and unofficial guides in the souk. Don’t hesitate to check their credentials if you want to hire one, and make sure that you agree on the price before you start your tour.
While staying in a hostel in Marrakech, there are many old temples and buildings you can visit inside the Medina, which is the main historical residential quarter of Marrakech. There are many Marrakech hostels inside the Medina where you can stay in an old medieval building, if you want to immerse yourself in the city beat 24h a day (some people love it, some feel harassed after a while). You can also book yourself in a hostel in Marrakech in a quieter part of the town, where many of the hotels are.
