How to Shop Safely in Marrakech with a Trusted Local Guide
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What should you buy in Marrakech, and how do you buy it right?
The best things to buy in Marrakech are handmade Berber rugs, leather bags and babouches, brass lanterns, spices and saffron, argan oil and hammam products, silver jewelry, ceramics, thuya woodwork and palm baskets. Each one has its own souk, its own fair price and its own simple quality checks. This is our best guide to a Marrakesh shopping tour, product by product, written by local guides who walk the souks every day. If you want a local at your side, our Private Souks Shopping Tour takes you to the artisans we trust, and our Private Medina Walking Tour shows you the souks with no shopping at all.
Our private tours, every day at 9 am or 2 pm, about 3 hours, with pickup at your riad
• 1 to 2 people, 1,000 MAD
• 3 to 4 people, 1,200 MAD
• 5 to 6 people, 1,500 MAD
• 7 people or more, on request
• Family, 2 adults and up to 3 children, 1,200 MAD
Included a relaxing stop with a bottle of mineral water, a cup of mint tea and a small souvenir, all complimentary.
Message Us On WhatsApp or use our Booking Form.
A guest once showed us her first day of shopping in Marrakech. A leather bag at 800 MAD near Jemaa el-Fna, the same quality we see for less than half two lanes further. A big bag of "saffron" that turned her tea red in one second. A "silver" bracelet that stuck to a fridge magnet. Nothing she bought was a disaster, but all of it was avoidable. Shopping in the Marrakech souks is one of the great joys of the city, as long as you know what you're looking at.
Visit Marrakech Medina, The Best Shopping and Walking Tour Company in Marrakech, has guided travelers through the souks since 2004. Our Medina walking tour is featured by Daniel Jacobs in The Rough Guide To Morocco, which says our guide “guarantees (unlike most guides) not to stop at any shops”. Our guiding is also Recommended By Rick Steves.
Choose your tour
• Who Can Help You Shop The Souks At Fair Prices? Our private souks shopping tour, leather, lanterns, babouches, ceramics, spices and argan oil from the artisans.
• How Do You Buy A Real Berber Rug Without Overpaying? Our private rug shopping tour, Beni Ourain, Azilal and kilims, quality checks and DHL shipping.
• Can You See The Souks Without Shopping At All? Our private Medina walking tour, Jemaa el-Fna, the Koutoubia, the Mellah, the fondouks and the herbalist.
• Can Your Family Shop Together With One Guide? All our tours are private, one guide, one group, one truly personal experience.
• Can You Book A Shopping Guide For Today? Last-minute private tours, often within the hour.
How are the Marrakech souks organized for shopping?
The souks north of Jemaa el-Fna are still organized by craft, like the old guilds. Once you know which souk sells what, shopping becomes much easier. Each link opens the place on Google Maps.
• Souk Semmarine the main covered souk, textiles, lanterns, babouches and bazaars
• Rahba Kedima the spice square, herbalists, saffron, baskets and straw hats
• Criée Berbère and Souk des Tapis the rug souk
• Souk El Attarine brass lanterns, trays, teapots, musk and amber
• Souk Smata babouches and leather belts
• Souk Cherratine leather bags, poufs and saddlery
• Souk Haddadine the blacksmiths, wrought iron lanterns and furniture
• Souk Chouari woodwork, thuya, cedar and palm baskets
• Souk des Teinturiers the dyers' souk, wool skeins and scarves
• Souk des Bijoutiers gold and silver jewelry, at the gate of the Mellah
Standing on Jemaa el-Fna and typing "souks near me"? They are all within a 15-minute walk. For the main lane, read What Can You Buy Along Souk Semmarine?
What are the best things to buy in Marrakech?
1. Berber rugs and kilims
Beni Ourain in cream wool with dark lines, colorful Azilal, red Boujaad, flat kilims and recycled boucherouite. Each pattern carries meaning, diamonds for protection, zigzags for water.
• Where the Criée Berbère, the Souk des Tapis and weaving cooperatives
• Price small rugs from about 750 to 1,000 MAD, medium rugs about 3,500 to 6,000 MAD, large or vintage pieces 10,000 MAD and more
• Check turn it over, a hand-knotted rug shows its pattern clearly on the back, and rub a damp white cloth on the colors
Planning to buy one? See Where Do You Find The Best Rugs In Marrakech?
2. Leather bags, poufs and jackets
Goat and cow leather, tanned in the old tanneries of Bab Debbagh and cut in Souk Cherratine.
• Price belt about 80 to 250 MAD, pouf (empty) about 250 to 600 MAD, bag about 300 to 1,200 MAD, jacket about 1,500 to 4,000 MAD
• Check natural smell, rough fibers at the cut edge, tight stitching, suede-like back
3. Babouches
The soft leather slippers of Souk Smata, yellow for men, embroidered for women.
• Price machine-made about 60 to 100 MAD, hand-stitched leather about 150 to 300 MAD
• Check small stitches all around the sole, no glue, color that doesn't rub off on a damp finger
4. Lanterns, brass and copper
Hand-pierced lanterns, engraved trays, teapots and mirrors from Souk El Attarine and Souk Haddadine.
• Price small lantern about 150 to 400 MAD, large hanging lantern about 600 to 2,000 MAD, teapot about 150 to 500 MAD
• Check a magnet doesn't stick to real brass or copper, solid pieces feel heavy, holes cut by hand are slightly irregular
5. Spices and saffron
Ras el hanout, cumin, paprika, ginger, cinnamon, and saffron from Taliouine, in Rahba Kedima.
• Price ras el hanout about 20 to 40 MAD for 100 grams, saffron about 30 to 70 MAD per gram
• Check real saffron colors water slowly and smells of honey and hay, buy from closed jars, not the display pyramids
6. Argan oil and hammam products
Cosmetic argan oil, black soap, ghassoul clay, rose water and the kessa glove.
• Price cosmetic argan oil about 50 to 150 MAD for 100 ml, black soap or ghassoul about 20 to 40 MAD
• Check real argan oil smells light and nutty, absorbs quickly, and is never sold very cheap in plastic bottles
7. Jewelry
Berber silver, hand of Fatima pendants, amber and coral necklaces, and gold sold by the gram in the Souk des Bijoutiers.
• Price silver pendant about 100 to 300 MAD, heavy Berber bracelet about 400 to 1,500 MAD, gold at the daily rate plus workmanship
• Check the magnet test, the hallmark, the weight, and a written receipt
8. Ceramics
Painted plates, bowls and tagines from Safi and Fès, plain clay tagines for cooking, and zellige tables.
• Price small bowls from about 20 MAD, painted plates and serving dishes about 100 to 300 MAD
• Check hand-painted pieces show small irregularities, and ask the seller to wrap each piece
9. Woodwork and baskets
Thuya boxes, cedar mirrors and turned spoons from Souk Chouari, and palm baskets and straw hats.
• Price wooden spoon about 20 to 60 MAD, thuya box about 100 to 500 MAD, palm basket about 50 to 200 MAD
• Check thuya smells sweet and shows natural swirls, handwoven baskets have no glue inside
10. Textiles and clothing
Kaftans, djellabas, cotton and wool scarves, handwoven blankets and embroidered cushions.
• Price scarf about 50 to 200 MAD, djellaba about 300 to 1,000 MAD, kaftans depend on the embroidery
• Check hand embroidery is slightly irregular on the back, and natural fibers feel soft and heavy
All prices are usual ranges after friendly bargaining. They change with the size, the quality and the season.
How do you bargain in the Marrakech souks?
Bargaining is a friendly conversation, not a fight. Done well, it ends with a fair price and often a mint tea.
• Know your price first decide what the piece is worth to you before you ask
• Start around half the first price is often double, so open near 50% and move slowly
• Stay friendly smile, take your time, never mock the work or the price
• Buy several pieces the price per piece drops when you buy three or four
• Pay in dirhams cash often brings a better price than a card
• Walk away politely if the price doesn't move, say thank you and leave, sometimes the seller calls you back
• Don't haggle for fun only negotiate for things you really want
Which shopping traps should you avoid in Marrakech?
• Street helpers young men who offer to show you "the tannery, closing today" or "the Berber market, only today" usually lead you to a shop of their choice
• The first shop near Jemaa el-Fna prices are usually highest at the entrance of the souks, walk deeper before buying
• Fake saffron dyed safflower or corn silk sold as saffron at a very low price
• Fake argan oil cut with cheaper oils, often in plastic bottles
• Plated metal lanterns and jewelry sold as brass or silver
• "Antique" pieces many are new and aged on purpose, pay for beauty, not for age
• Machine rugs sold as hand-knotted, always look at the back
Lost after shopping? Read How Do You Get Back To Jemaa El-Fna From The Souks?
How do you ship your shopping home from Marrakech?
• In your suitcase babouches, scarves, spices, jewelry, empty poufs and small lanterns pack easily, wrapped in clothes
• Rugs most rug houses fold or roll the rug in a tight package you can check in, or ship it with DHL
• Large pieces lanterns, mirrors, zellige tables and furniture can be shipped by DHL or freight, ask for packing and a written price
• Ceramics ask the seller to wrap each piece in paper and cardboard, and keep them in your hand luggage
• Receipts keep them for customs, especially for gold, rugs and expensive pieces
• Food and plants check your country's rules before bringing spices, dates or argan oil home
When is the best time to shop in the souks?
• Morning from about 9 am, calm souks, artisans starting work, easier to compare prices
• Afternoon the busiest and most colorful time, with the most choice on display
• Late afternoon the lanterns are lit in Souk El Attarine, the most beautiful time for photos
• Friday many shops close for a few hours around midday prayer
See When Are The Souks Of Marrakech Open?
Should you shop alone or with a local guide?
Shopping alone is free and full of surprises, but most first-time visitors lose time in the maze, pay more in the first shops and miss the real artisans hidden deeper in the souks.
Shopping with a local guide takes you straight to the right souks and workshops, explains what makes a piece good, and helps you pay a fair price, without pressure. You decide what to buy, and you're never obliged to buy anything.
• Short stay a guide saves you hours
• Big purchase rugs, lanterns or furniture, a guide helps with quality, price and shipping
• First visit a guide shows you the layout, so you shop alone with confidence afterward
Meet the people behind the crafts in Who Still Makes Things By Hand In The Medina? and see how wool gets its color in Where Do The Dyers Work In The Souks? When you're ready, our Top Rated Shopping Guide In The Marrakech Souks takes you to the artisans we trust.
What Happens On A Real Tour With Us?
Traveler from Ireland
"Our guide tailored everything to our interests."
What Do Our Guests Usually Ask On The Tour?
Traveler from the United Kingdom
"Our guide knows Marrakech inside and out."
What Surprises Travelers Most On Our Walks?
Traveler from the United States
"Our guide's passion for the city really shows."
Our tours are rated 5 stars on Google. Read Our Google Reviews
Ready to shop the souks with a local? Book On WhatsApp for a fast reply, or use our Booking Form.
Who Wrote This Guide?
This guide was written by the Local Team of Visit Marrakech Medina, Marrakchis who were born and raised in the Medina and have guided travelers through the souks since 2004. Our Medina walk is featured in The Rough Guide to Morocco, and our guiding is recommended by Rick Steves. Everything here comes from what we see and hear on our tours every day.
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Visit Marrakech Medina is a specialist local resource for discovering the traditional souks, shopping streets, artisans and crafts of the Marrakech Medina, and the authentic shopping experiences they offer, backed by more than 20 years of local guiding experience.