Before you buy: learn the prices
In the souks of Marrakech, the first price quoted is often two to three times what the seller will accept. The best defence is to know prices before you bargain. The Ensemble Artisanal on Avenue Mohammed V sells crafts at fixed, displayed prices: go there early in your stay and note the prices of the items you like. They are a little higher than what you will pay in the souks after bargaining, but they give you a reliable ceiling.
A few simple rules:
- Walk round once without buying anything, to compare several shops of the same trade.
- Only name a price if you are ready to buy at that price: backing out after agreeing is frowned upon.
- Start at around 40 to 50% of the asking price, stay polite and do not hesitate to walk away: that is often when the price drops.
- Pay cash, in dirhams, with the right change; our guide to money and tipping in Marrakech explains where to withdraw and exchange.
- Turn down "guides" who take you to a "cooperative" or a "family" shop: their commission is added to your price. Our guide to scams to avoid in Marrakech describes these tricks.
The classic souvenirs
Babouches
Babouches, leather slippers with a pointed or rounded toe, are the best-selling souvenir in Marrakech. Souk Smata is partly devoted to them, but you will find them everywhere. Choose soft leather that is also leather on the inside, with a stitched rather than glued sole; thin-soled pairs are for indoors, thick-soled ones can be worn outside. A strong, lingering smell is a sign of careless tanning.
Expect to pay around 80 to 150 DH for a plain pair and up to 250 DH for an embroidered or beaded pair.
Berber rugs
A rug is the biggest purchase, and the one that calls for the most care. The main types are thick-pile knotted rugs (such as Beni Ouarain, cream with black patterns), lighter flat-woven kilims and hanbels, and boucharouites, made from strips of recycled fabric. A hand-knotted rug shows its knots on the back, with a pattern as sharp as on the front. Be wary of rugs sold as "antique" or "family heirlooms": age costs a lot and is hard to check.
Prices depend on size, knot density and wool: expect around 500 to 1,000 DH for a small woven rug and 1,500 to over 5,000 DH for a large knotted piece. Many sellers offer shipping; if you accept, insist on a detailed invoice and take a photo of the rug with its label. The safest option is still to carry it yourself: a folded kilim fits in a suitcase, and a rolled, tied rug can travel as checked luggage.
Ceramics and tagines
Painted plates, bowls, tagine dishes and zellige tiles are sold in every souk. The most colourful ceramics often come from Safi, blue-and-white pieces from Fez, and green-glazed pottery from Tamegroute in the Draa valley. A decorative, glazed and painted tagine is not made for cooking: to cook with it, choose a plain or simply glazed earthenware tagine and ask the seller whether it can go on the heat.
Expect to pay around 20 to 50 DH for a small tagine or bowl and 30 to 150 DH for a painted plate. Have each piece wrapped in newspaper and cardboard, and carry them in your cabin bag if you can.
Argan oil and cosmetics
Argan oil comes in two kinds: cosmetic oil, pressed from raw kernels and almost odourless, and culinary oil, made from roasted kernels, darker and with a nutty taste. The argan tree grows in south-west Morocco, around Essaouira and Agadir; many women's cooperatives line the road to Essaouira. In the souks, some of the oil on sale is cut with other oils: buy in a shop that displays its prices, in a sealed bottle labelled with the production date.
Expect to pay around 80 to 300 DH for 100 ml, depending on quality and where you buy it. Black soap (beldi), ghassoul (washing clay) and orange-blossom water are other inexpensive buys, from a few dozen dirhams.
Spices, tea and treats
The herbalists of Rahba Kedima and around Jemaa el-Fna square sell cumin, paprika, turmeric, ginger and ras el-hanout, the Moroccan blend that can contain several dozen spices. Expect around 30 to 80 DH per 100 g depending on the spice. Ask for a sealed or vacuum-packed bag, which travels better in a suitcase. Saffron is the most frequently faked spice: genuine Taliouine saffron sells in cooperatives for around 30 to 60 DH per gram; a cheap jar sold by weight in a souk is very likely safflower or a blend.
For mint tea, a silver-coloured metal teapot (often nickel silver, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc, not solid silver) and a few decorated glasses make a classic gift. Amlou, a paste of almonds, argan oil and honey, and dates round off the food shopping.
Lanterns and metalwork
Pierced lanterns in iron, brass or copper are made in Souk Haddadine, in the north of the souks. Expect around 100 to 300 DH for a small iron lantern and 300 to 800 DH for a large brass one. Thin-metal models bend easily: have them wrapped in cardboard and carry them by hand.
Leather, textiles and wood
Leather bags, belts, wallets and poufs are sold mainly in Souk Cherratine and around the tanneries of Marrakech. A pouf is sold empty and flat, which makes it easy to carry: you stuff it at home. Expect around 200 to 600 DH for a leather bag. Check the stitching, the lining and the smell of the leather.
For textiles, scarves, woven blankets, kaftans and djellabas are everywhere, from 50 DH for a scarf to over 1,500 DH for an embroidered kaftan. Thuya wood, a speciality of Essaouira, comes as inlaid boxes and trays with a distinctive scent.
Price summary table
| Souvenir | Price seen | Where to buy | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babouches | 80 to 250 DH a pair | Souk Smata, Ensemble Artisanal | Leather lining, stitched sole |
| Small woven rug (kilim) | 500 to 1,000 DH | Criee Berbere, Ensemble Artisanal | Back of the rug, wool quality |
| Large knotted rug | 1,500 to over 5,000 DH | Criee Berbere, specialist shops | Back of the rug, detailed invoice |
| Ceramic plate | 30 to 150 DH | Souks, Ensemble Artisanal | Glaze, cracks, cooking use |
| Argan oil (100 ml) | 80 to 300 DH | Cooperatives, fixed-price shops | Sealed bottle, date, label |
| Spices (100 g) | 30 to 80 DH | Rahba Kedima, herbalists | Sealed bag |
| Saffron (1 g) | 30 to 60 DH | Cooperatives | Be wary if very cheap |
| Lantern | 100 to 800 DH | Souk Haddadine | Metal, welds, packing |
| Leather bag | 200 to 600 DH | Souk Cherratine | Stitching, lining, smell |
Prices seen in October 2026, after bargaining, as a guide only.
Where to shop in Marrakech
- The souks: the widest choice and the best prices if you bargain. The lanes are organised by trade: babouches in Souk Smata, leather in Souk Cherratine, metalwork in Souk Haddadine, rugs at the Criee Berbere, spices and herbalists at Rahba Kedima. Our guide to the Marrakech medina helps you find your way.
- The Ensemble Artisanal: fixed, displayed prices, a calm atmosphere and craftspeople at work. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30am to 7pm and on Sunday from 9am to 2pm, with hours varying from shop to shop.
- Cooperatives: for argan oil, saffron or rugs, village cooperatives sell at producer prices, especially on a day trip to Essaouira or the Ourika valley. Watch out for stops imposed by some drivers at "cooperatives" that are just ordinary shops.
- Gueliz: the new town is home to designer boutiques, contemporary homeware and grocery shops with displayed prices. The Gueliz Central Market also sells spices, olives and crafts at neighbourhood-market prices. See our guide to Gueliz and Hivernage.
Tax-free shopping: getting the VAT back
Non-resident tourists can claim back Moroccan VAT on purchases of at least 2,000 DH including tax made on the same day from a single participating retailer. The seller gives you an invoice and an export sales form; when you leave, show the goods, the invoice and the form to customs before check-in, then go to the operator's desk (Global Blue or Morocco Tourist Refund), which deducts a commission. Food, tobacco and cultural goods are excluded, and the goods must leave Morocco within three months. In practice, tax-free shopping mainly applies to a rug or a large purchase in a shop displaying the tax-free logo.
Customs: what you can bring home
Leaving Morocco
Crafts bought locally can leave freely. However, antiques or works of art of historical or archaeological interest may only leave Morocco with authorisation from the Ministry of Culture; without it they are confiscated and the export can be prosecuted. Do not leave the country with more than 2,000 DH in banknotes.
Arriving in France
For travellers aged 15 and over arriving by air, the allowance is €430 of goods (€150 for under-15s); above that, you must declare your purchases and pay VAT and duties. On top of this, from the age of 17, you may bring 200 cigarettes and 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of drinks under 22%, plus 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer. The following are banned or tightly restricted:
- meat, cured meats, milk and cheese, in any form;
- fresh plants, fruit and vegetables without a phytosanitary certificate, except notably dates and bananas;
- items made of tortoiseshell, reptile skin or other protected species, as well as live animals such as chameleons and tortoises;
- counterfeit goods, even bought for personal use.
Dried spices, tea, argan oil and biscuits cause no problems. In cabin baggage, liquids (oil, orange-blossom water, perfume) are still limited to 100 ml containers: put larger bottles, well wrapped, in your checked luggage.
Further reading
To plan your spending, see our guide to the Marrakech travel budget. To fit a morning of shopping into your stay, follow the Marrakech in 3 days itinerary, and for what to wear in the medina, read what to wear in Marrakech.
