From decorated women blouses, to exotic pants, belly dance costumes, desert gandouras, souvenir Marrakech and Morocco t-shirts, to fashion djelabas to amazing Moroccan kaftans, Marrakech is definitely the place to go shopping. Marrakech souks (markets) are full of shops where you can buy these clothes but never without bargain the price.

Photo of a clothes shop in Der Dabachi street in Marrakech

On this page about buying clothes or going shopping in Marrakech I’ll give you a visual glance of many types of clothing you can actually find in the city, so this way you have an anticipated general idea of what you can expect when you visit Marrakech. I hope this page is useful and you start choosing your clothes for next trop to Marrakech. Enjoy!

Photos of Clothes for sale in Marrakech

Video of How to tie a Berber turban in Marrakech
The Berber turban is a versatile piece of clothing that can be used both for warmth or to keep out the hot Moroccan sun. Here, in the souks of Marrakech, Mick is shown the classic way in which to tie the turban by a Berber tradesman.

Map of the road from Ouarzazate to Marrakech crossing the Atlas Mountains

So, a bus trip that could easily take around 3 hours, will take 4:40 or even sometimes 5 hours. Bus from these two companies Supratours and CTM are quite comfortable and driver are not as crazy as regular bus drivers (specially Supratours).

Photo of Supratour bus stop at Taddert in the High Atlas Mountains on the way to Marrakech

Bus ticket from Ouarzazate to Marrakech cost 80 Dirhams and can be bought at the Supratours office near the Ouarzazate bus terminal. The trip ill have a stop somewhere on the way, in the mountains possibly in Taddert, where you can have an orange juice, sandwich, buy some water or go to toilet.

Supratours bus schedules: departure 08:30am arrival 12:29pm; departure 08:45am arrival 13:29pm; departure 16:00pm arrival 20:29pm
Supratours Morocco. Normal ticket 80 Dirhams;

CTM bus schedules: departure 08:30am arrival 12:30pm; departure 11:00am arrival 15:45pm; departure 11:45am arrival 16:45pm; departure 22:15pm arrival 02:45pm (non-stop bus); departure 23:00pm arrival 03:00pm (non-stop bus). CTM Morocco. Normal ticket 80 Dirhams; Night bus ticket 75 Dirhams.

Photo of Grand Taxi Mercedes on the Taxi park in Ouarzazate

The thing about buses it that have specific schedules to depart from Ouarzazate. So, if you really need to go to Marrakech out of these schedules you can always take a shared taxi that run ever time the taxi is full. So, a taxi takes 6 people, 2 in front + driver + 4 in the back. You will be squeezed on this trip as spaces are very tight. You can pay the 2 front sits for yourself and go more comfortable. Trip costs 120 Dirhams and takes about 4 hours.

Photo of Moroccan entry stamps in Passport

British, Australian & New Zealand, Canadian, USA, European Union countries, Turkey, Brazil, Japan don’t need a Morocco visa, but other countries such as Israel, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ukraine for example, do need a Moroccan visa before arrival. These countries that need a visa to Morocco can apply for a three-month single-entry visa that will cost around $30 US.

Also citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Bahrain, Chile, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Korea, Kuwait, Libya, Liechtenstein, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Niger, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela can enter Morocco without a visa.

Although most countries don’t need visa to Morocco, they all need to bring their passport with a validity os expire at least 6 months after their visit to Morocco. Check out your passport expiration date and if it will expire on a 6 months time range after your travel to Morocco the passport control police in Morocco might not let you in – sometimes they do though.

So if you’re preparing your visit to Marrakech and are coming by airplane, once you get to Marrakech airport you will deliver your passport to the control police, they will put your information in the Moroccan border computer system, they will stamp you in and they say thank you and welcome to Morocco, you see! No Morocco visa! Very easy indeed.

Very important is that if you’re flying to Morocco from Mali in West Africa for instance (I did this trip once back in 2008), you have to bring your International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever.

What is a moderated Muslim country? Well, a moderated Muslim country means that the majority of people don’t really mind with other people dress, do or think. People are pretty much free in Morocco in terms of religious dogmas.

So, women traveling in Marrakech or all around Morocco should take in consideration that although things do run quite smoothly in terms of religion, they do not run smoothly in terms of traditions and costumes. Moroccan women in general don’t shake unknown men’s hands, they don’t kiss hello other men.

In terms of clothes, you should not show body parts. So, you can show your hair, you can dress casual or jeans even, but, show no legs, no belly, no open front blouses and also your back part showing is very attractive to men that are not really used to exposed women flesh. Yes, it seems the problem with clothing in Muslim countries is to protect women, from men’s eyes.

Sometimes in Marrakech I see some foreign western women dressed like they are on the beach in South Algarve… I have to say that the surrounding mentality of people is definitely not the same, and you should at all means avoid being looked like a prostitute, easy woman, or, less respectful women. Yes, most Moroccan men think of western women as a “free” and “easy” shag… unfortunately. This does not apply to most religious men since they will not even look at women.

Moroccan men and women in general are very friendly people. Indeed this country is full of nice, smiley, friendly and helpful people. This is great. Although, most men and women have a problem: when Western people smile, it means we are happy, and an exchange of smiles or eye contact doesn’t really mean the same in Europe and Morocco.

In Moroccan society, if a woman smiles to a man, it means she “wants” something from him. Smiles and looks have a very strong sexual / attraction meaning in Muslim countries. Looks are powerful and definitely smiling to a man in Morocco might make him think you’re actually hitting on him. I have stated this few times with friends as they say: “she smiled at me, it means she wants me…”. This is nothing bad, just different way of people interacting with people.

If you turn out to have the chance of visiting local people’s house in Morocco, and if all women do wear a head scarf, it is polite of you to cover your hair, just a small touch of respect. You don’t really need to do the head scarf – just lightly cover your head with a scarf. Easy task that will make you and the Moroccan host family more comfortable.

In bigger cities like Casablanca and Rabat, most women do dress casual and Western style. Other cities have the “old medina” so it means that is where people do follow a more religious and traditional way of living. So in Marrakech, Fez and Meknes old Medina’s women to dress more traditional clothes.

So, if you wish to visit Marrakech new district called Gueliz, you definitely can go different that going to the old medina. In Gueliz you can actually go out at night to a pub wearing your best night dress!

A very important subject in Morocco concerning Western women is smoking. Do not smoke in public as you will be regarder as a very cheap and low type of person, both by men and Moroccan women.

Many young women in Marrakech do dress normal western clothes and no head scarf. It it getting normal nowadays in most bigger cities. I hope this small post is somehow helpful for you to make your travel in Morocco more interesting and fulfilling.

On this page I will chose some nice photos of several Marrakech riads I know and that I have been. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I’m sure it is pretty much every person opinion that this type of Riad in Marrakech architecture is indeed a fine example of Moroccan houses.

Moroccan riads courtyard architecture

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Porte Royale in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Chi Chi in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Carllian in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Eden in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Karmela in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Ihssane in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Nora in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Dar Malak in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Cinnamon in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Dar Eliane in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Chi Chi in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Merstane in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Jona in Marrakech

Photo of courtyard patio of Riad Bounouar in Marrakech

All the riads presented on this page are inserted on my December 2006 project called: 31 Best Riads Marrakech.

Photo of inside the Kaftan Queen Shop in Marrakech

This really nice and exquisite clothes shop in Marrakech is owned by Sarah Buchan and she can be of help concerning Moroccan fashion in general. You will find unique pieces of jewerely, blouses, kaftans, tunics and even Moroccan shoes called babouches but with different style, not the regular ones you find on the souks.

Photo of inside the Kaftan Queen Boutique in Marrakech

In the Kaftan Queen Boutique you find unique kaftans and djellabas redesigned in original patterns and colors that create a different more modern look of the traditional Moroccan kaftan fashion. Kaftan Queen Boutique address is Hotel Tolousian, 44 Rue Ibn Tarik Zaid in Gueliz – Marrakech Morocco.

You can visit the official website here: Kaftan Marrakech

Video of Fashion TV Caftan 2009 Final Show in Marrakesh:

These kaftan dresses are very expensive as they have lots of work just to make unique pieces. There are several shops in Marrakech where you can actually rent a kaftan instead of buying one since women only use it one or two days. Some women even rent kaftans for each different day of the celebration so that will not repeat the same dress again.

In Morocco kaftans are only worn by women and these dresses can be casual to ver formal depending on the materials used. Some caftan even have gold embroidery. Modern interpretations of traditional Moroccan clothing including the caftan are exhibited at the annual Caftan fashion show hosted by the Moroccan fashion magazine called Femmes du Maroc.

Video of Fashion TV Caftan 2009 Backstage in Marrakesh:

Video of ‪Moroccan Caftan Fashion القفطان المغربي: