The souks & markets
Morocco's largest working souk, laid out by guild: each alley has its trade. We give you the thread so you don't get lost, the right hour to go, and the four rules of bargaining.
THE MAIN ARTERY Souk Semmarine
The great covered alley that runs from Jemaa el-Fna up to Ben Youssef: fabrics, babouches, lanterns and jewellery under the filtered light of the reed screens.
The real subject, the one everyone dreads
The art of bargaining
Start at a third
The first price is often three times the real one. Counter with a third: you meet in the middle, and you have won.
Be ready to walk away
Walking off is your best move. The 'final' price, the real one, often comes as you turn your back.
Cash, in dirhams
Cards rarely work. Bring exact change, keep small notes apart - you bargain better without big bills on show.
Smile first
Bargaining is a game, not a fight. A cup of tea commits you to nothing, and good humour brings prices down.
Before you go in, drop by the Ensemble Artisanal: quality crafts at fixed prices. You'll know what things are really worth before bargaining in the alleys.
The souks by trade
Each guild has its alley. THE MAIN ARTERY Souk Semmarine
The great covered alley that runs from Jemaa el-Fna up to Ben Youssef: fabrics, babouches, lanterns and jewellery under the filtered light of the reed screens.
THE GREAT SQUARE Jemaa el-Fna Square
Marrakech's great square: market by day, open-air theatre by night - food stalls, storytellers and gnaoua musicians, at the foot of the Koutoubia.
SPICES & APOTHECARY Place Rahba Kedima
The square of spices and herbalists: pyramids of saffron, woven baskets and Berber apothecaries, between Souk Semmarine and the auction.
LEATHER & SADDLERY Souk Cherratine
The leather souk: bags, belts, poufs and saddles worked by hand, minus the smell of tanning.
BRASS & COPPER Souk el-Attarine
Once the perfumers' and spice souk, now the copper one: brass and copper trays, teapots and lanterns chiselled and polished by hand.
IRONWORK Souk Haddadine
The blacksmiths' souk: the hammering of metal, iron lanterns, grilles and decorative ironwork made on site.
BABOUCHES The Babouche Souk
Souk Smata: walls of babouches, from traditional saffron yellow to embroidered, coloured models.
CARPETS & AUCTIONS The Berber Auction (Criée berbère)
The former auction hall on the corner of Rahba Kedima: carpets sold by voice in the late afternoon, a spectacle in itself.
DYEING The Dyers' Souk
The dyers' alley: skeins of wool and silk drying, hung in bands of colour above the passage.
LEATHER & TANNERIES The Tanneries of Marrakech
The tanneries of Bab Debbagh: leather worked the old way in open vats, raw and striking, in the north-east of the medina.
The souks on the map
From Jemaa el-Fna to the tanneries at Bab Debbagh.Our method
What we recommend, we have walked - and bargained ourselves
Every alley on this page has been walked by the team. Guided tours go through our partners: we may earn a commission, never at the price of a skewed ranking.
Read our full method →