What does a trip to Morocco cost? An honest overview

Morocco is not expensive, but you can no longer get by on ten euros a day either. In Marrakesh prices are heading toward those of Southern Europe, while in villages and smaller towns you still pay surprisingly little. With the amounts below you can put together a budget. They are guide prices, because the dirham fluctuates and prices are rising in the tourist areas. Count on about 10.5 dirham to the euro and check the current rate before you leave.

Flights

A round trip from Amsterdam or Brussels to Marrakesh costs roughly between 100 and 300 euros. That depends on the season, the airline and how early you book. Around the European school holidays in spring and fall and around Christmas you are at the top of that range. If you are flexible and fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you are often at the bottom. With the budget airlines, checked baggage comes on top.

Where you sleep

This is the biggest item, and also the one you have the most control over.

• Simple riad or guesthouse: about 50 to 80 euros per room per night, including breakfast.
• Good riad with a pool, nice rooms and a roof terrace: about 90 to 160 euros.
• Luxury riad or boutique hotel: 200 euros and up.
• Kasbah or mountain hotel in the Atlas Mountains: about 60 to 120 euros, often with dinner.
• Desert camp near Merzouga: a standard camp with shared bathrooms from about 40 to 70 euros per person with dinner and breakfast, a luxury camp with a private bathroom 150 to 300 euros per tent.

Riads charge per room, so with two people you split the cost. If you travel alone, you often pay close to the room price. Some riads give a discount for one person, so ask.

Food and drink

Food costs you little in Morocco, as long as you are not in a designer restaurant every evening.

• A tagine or couscous in an ordinary restaurant: about 6 to 12 euros.
• A meal at the stalls on Jemaa el-Fna square: 4 to 8 euros.
• Dinner in a good restaurant with atmosphere: 20 to 40 euros per person.
• Mint tea or coffee: 1 to 3 euros. Fresh orange juice on the square: less than a euro.
• A one and a half liter bottle of water in a small shop: around 60 euro cents.
• Alcohol is expensive and not available everywhere. A glass of wine in a restaurant easily costs 6 to 10 euros.

What to eat where is in our guide on food and drink.

Getting around

• Metered petit taxi in Marrakesh: 1.50 to 4 euros for a ride within the city.
• Transfer from the airport to the medina: 10 to 20 euros if your riad arranges it.
• Train from Marrakesh to Casablanca: about 10 to 20 euros, first class a little more.
• Bus to Essaouira (CTM or Supratours): about 8 to 12 euros one way.
• Private car with a driver: this varies a lot with the distance and the number of days. For a day tour from Marrakesh, count on roughly 100 to 200 euros per car. On multi-day trips it is a little more per day, because the driver stays overnight on the road.

On our trips, transport with Soukayna is included in the price. More about that further down. Everything about taxis, trains and buses is under getting around Morocco.

Entrance tickets and activities

• Most sights in Marrakesh, such as the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, cost between 5 and 10 euros.
• The Jardin Majorelle is more expensive. With the Berber museum and the YSL museum included, you spend 20 to 30 euros.
• A public hammam costs 2 to 5 euros, plus a few euros for the scrub. A private hammam in a spa with a scrub and massage costs 30 to 80 euros.
• A half-day cooking workshop: 40 to 80 euros per person.
• A one-hour camel ride in Agafay or the Sahara: 15 to 30 euros.
• An official city guide for half a day: 30 to 50 euros for the group.

Tips and small expenses

Tipping is part of Morocco. In restaurants about 10 percent is customary if the service was good, and with small amounts you leave the change. The attendant in the hammam, the man who carries your suitcase or someone who shows you the way at the stalls gets a few dozen dirham. A driver or guide who spends several days with you gets a tip at the end that matches how satisfied you were. Count on about 10 to 20 euros per day. More on this under money and payments.

A local SIM card with data costs around 5 to 10 euros. With souvenirs the price depends on how you haggle: a leather bag costs 25 to 60 euros, a set of tea glasses 5 to 10 euros and a small rug from 80 euros.

A sample budget for a week

Take two friends who go for a week in April, sleep in mid-range riads, do one day tour with a driver and spend one night in the Agafay desert. Per person, without the flight, that costs:

• Accommodation (shared room, 6 nights): about 300 to 450 euros
• Food and drink: about 150 to 250 euros
• Transport, entrance tickets and activities: about 150 to 300 euros
• Tips and small expenses: about 50 to 100 euros

Added up, that puts you roughly between 650 and 1100 euros per person, plus the flight. If you travel alone you spend more, because you don't share the room. With simple riads and lots of meals on the square you come out lower. If you want luxury, you end up above 1500 euros.

What determines the price of a trip with us

There are no prices for our trips on the site, because every trip is different. The price depends on a few things you decide:

• The number of days. A day tour is a different thing from a ten-day tour.
• The number of people. The car with Soukayna costs about the same per day for two people as for five, so with more people you split that cost.
• The level of the riads and camps: simple, good or luxury.
• The season. During the spring school holidays and around New Year, riads are more expensive than in June or November.
• The route. A desert trip costs more than a week around Marrakesh, because of the distance and the nights on the road.
• Extras, such as workshops, a local guide in Fes or a private hammam.

You tell us what you want and we send a proposal with one price for the whole trip. Then you know in advance where you stand and you don't have to do the math along the way. Look at all trips or start with a tailor-made trip.

If you want to know roughly what your trip will cost, send your dates, the number of people and your wishes through the chat. You get an honest answer, even if a shorter trip fits your budget better.