Morocco: Casablanca and Marrakech

Moroccan cities run two kinds of taxi. Petit taxis are small cars licensed to work inside one city and are the ordinary way across town. Grand taxis are larger cars licensed for routes between towns and out to airports, often shared, with a fare per seat or for the whole car. An airport journey is a grand taxi or a transfer arranged through your accommodation. Some airports post an official fare for the ride into town; if there is a board at the rank, that is the figure to go by, and if there isn't, agree the total before you get in.

Petit taxis are painted a colour that varies from city to city, and the colour is how people tell a licensed one at a glance. Casablanca's are consistently reported as red. Marrakech's are described in different sources as beige, cream, ochre or yellow; no official listing was available to settle it, so this page asserts no colour for Marrakech. Whatever the colour, look for the taxi sign on the roof and the city registration on the car.

Petit taxis are meant to run a meter. Ask for it before the car moves; « Le compteur, s'il vous plaît » is understood wherever French is. If the driver declines, either agree the total fare before you get in, not on arrival, or let that taxi go and take the next licensed one. Fares, including any night rate, are set by the local authorities; if you want to know what a trip should cost, ask your accommodation before you set out.

Casablanca has a tramway and sits on the national rail network run by ONCF, which also links Casablanca with Marrakech; timetables and fares are ONCF's to publish. Marrakech's medina is largely closed to cars: taxis stop at the edge, and from there it is on foot, or with a porter and hand-cart for luggage. Agree the porter's fee before setting off. Whether ride-hailing apps operate, and on what footing, has changed over the years; ask your accommodation what people currently use rather than assuming an app will work as it does at home.

Three misunderstandings recur. Taking a grand taxi for a trip inside the city and paying a whole-car fare for it. Accepting the fare quoted at a medina gate as fixed when the meter was available. And accepting help finding a place from someone who then expects payment. A guide is a service, and the only mistake is not agreeing the price first.

Moroccan Arabic, called Darija, is the everyday spoken language, and Tamazight (Berber) languages are spoken as well. French is widely used in both cities, on signs, in shops and in most dealings a visitor has, and a visitor with basic French will manage in most situations. English is common in hotels and around the main sights in Marrakech, less so elsewhere.

Two Arabic expressions are useful because they are shared across the Arabic-speaking world rather than specific to Morocco. « As-salamu alaykum » (peace be upon you) is the standard greeting, and the reply is « wa alaykum as-salam » (and upon you, peace). « Shukran » means thank you. People of every background use both, and a visitor using them is greeting, not making a religious statement. FlyingWith has no Arabic reviewer: the spellings here are common romanisations, not a standard, and no other Darija phrase is offered for that reason.

In French, the ones that carry a visitor furthest: « Bonjour » and « Bonsoir » before any request, « Merci », « Non merci » (a polite, firm no), « Le compteur, s'il vous plaît » in a taxi, and « C'est combien ? » before a purchase. As in France, a greeting before a question is expected.

On respect: dress that covers shoulders and knees draws less attention outside hotel and beach settings, for everyone. Ask before photographing people, and expect that some will say no or ask for money. During Ramadan, eating, drinking and smoking in the street in daylight is done discreetly; the dates move each year and are announced in Morocco shortly before the month begins. Most working mosques are closed to non-Muslims. The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca runs guided visits for non-Muslims at set times, which its foundation publishes; check them for your date.

The currency is the Moroccan dirham. Rules on bringing dirhams into and out of the country exist and are set by Morocco's Office des Changes and Bank Al-Maghrib; check them before planning to arrive with or leave with dirhams. Change money only at banks and licensed exchange bureaux.

Cards are accepted in hotels, larger restaurants and chain shops; cash is the norm in the souks, in taxis and at small cafés. ATMs are common in both cities, and your bank and the ATM operator set the fees. Small notes and coins make taxis and tips easier.

Tipping is customary for services: in restaurants, for porters and guides, and for the attendant who watches a parked car. No rule fixes the amounts and they vary with the place, so ask your accommodation what is usual rather than applying a percentage from home.

Ask for a receipt on anything of value, and keep it, for customs on the way home and in case a purchase has to be shipped or returned.

Bargaining is expected at independent stalls and shops in the souks where no price is displayed. It is not expected everywhere: supermarkets, pharmacies, chain shops and any shop that posts prices sell at the posted price, and fixed-price shops and cooperative outlets exist for people who would rather not negotiate. A cooperative label says something about how a shop is organised; it does not by itself mean the goods are handmade, local or fairly priced, so judge each shop as you would any other.

Where you do bargain: start with a greeting, ask the price, and treat the first figure as an opening. It is normal to walk away and normal to come back. Compare several shops before buying anything of value, and where a price is displayed, take that as the price.

On a higher-value purchase such as a rug, leather or jewellery, ask for a written receipt that names the shop and describes the item, and if the shop offers to ship, agree in writing what happens if it doesn't arrive. Morocco licenses tourist guides; someone offering to lead you to a special cooperative or tannery may be paid by the shop as well as by you, so ask for the licence, or book a guide through your accommodation or the tourist office.

Casablanca is a working city more than a sightseeing one. The Hassan II Mosque on the seafront, the old medina beside the port, the Habous quarter (a planned, newer medina) and the art-deco downtown around Boulevard Mohammed V are the areas visitors head for; the corniche at Aïn Diab is the seaside strip.

Marrakech divides into the medina, the walled old city around Jemaa el-Fna square and the souks, and the newer districts outside the walls: Guéliz, the modern centre with cafés and shops that post their prices, and Hivernage, where many larger hotels are. Most riads are inside the medina, reached on foot through lanes that maps don't always follow. Save an offline map, and ask your riad for a meeting point at a gate.

Jemaa el-Fna fills in the evening with food stalls and performers. Photographing performers or animals is treated as a paid service and the handler will ask for money; if you don't want that, don't raise the camera. Food-stall prices should be on a displayed menu. Ask before you sit if they aren't.

Getting into a taxi without asking for the meter or agreeing the fare. Following someone who offers directions to a shop, a tannery or a market that is "only on today", then paying for the escort. Treating a cooperative sign as a guarantee of anything. Changing money outside a bank or licensed bureau.

Carrying only large notes. Expecting alcohol everywhere, when it is sold in licensed venues and some shops, and the rules are the state's. Photographing people, and official or military buildings, without asking. Dressing for the beach in the medina. Underestimating the heat: check the forecast, because midsummer in Marrakech shapes what can be done in the middle of the day.

The Government of Canada's travel advice for Morocco is the primary source for safety. It carries the current risk level, regional notes, laws that differ from Canada's, entry requirements and emergency numbers, and it is updated as conditions change. Read it before booking and again before you fly. This page does not summarise it, because a summary goes stale.

Some Moroccan laws differ from Canada's, including on personal conduct, drugs, alcohol and photography of official sites; the Government of Canada's advice covers laws and culture, and it is the page to read if any of them could apply to you or to someone you are travelling with.

Beyond that, the precautions are the ordinary ones for a busy city: keep phones and bags on the side away from the street, use licensed taxis, keep a copy of your passport separately, and tell your accommodation where you are going if you head out of town.

Accessibility: medinas are uneven, stepped and narrow, and most riads have stairs and no lift. Guéliz, Casablanca's downtown and the larger hotels are flatter. Ask any accommodation directly about steps, door widths and a ground-floor room before booking, with photos. Airport assistance is arranged through the airline; Morocco's airports are run by ONDA. The mobility and disability pages below cover what to request.

Family: children are welcomed in cafés and restaurants, and people will often engage with them. The medina lanes don't suit a stroller, so a carrier is easier, and the evening square is loud and crowded. Ask your accommodation about a cot. The baby and kids pages cover the flight; the consent-letter guide covers travelling with a child who isn't with both parents.

Pet: bringing an animal into Morocco means meeting the entry rules of ONSSA, Morocco's food-safety and animal-health authority, and the airline's rules for the route; bringing one back into Canada means meeting the CFIA's rules. Both sets change and neither is repeated here. Many riads and restaurants don't admit animals, so ask before booking. The pet page lists what to confirm with the airline.

Entry requirements and visas are set by Morocco's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its consulates, and summarised in the Government of Canada's travel advice for Morocco.

Safety conditions, laws and emergency numbers: the Government of Canada's travel advice for Morocco.

Taxi fares and night rates are set by the local authorities in each city; your accommodation can tell you what is usual.

Train timetables and fares: ONCF. Tramway fares in Casablanca: the tramway operator.

Airport assistance: your airline, and ONDA for the airports themselves.

Currency rules: the Office des Changes and Bank Al-Maghrib.

Hassan II Mosque visiting times: the mosque's foundation.

Ramadan dates: announced in Morocco each year.

Pet entry: ONSSA for Morocco, the CFIA for the return to Canada, and the airline for the flight.

Health advice and vaccinations: the CDC's Yellow Book and your travel clinic.