# Souks and crafts in Marrakesh: shopping without stress URL: https://soukytours.com/trips/souks-and-crafts-tour Type: Day tour. Duration: Half a day, about 4 hours. Group: 1 to 6 people. Start: Your riad or hotel in Marrakesh. Price: On request. Half a day in the souks of Marrakesh with Soukayna: leather, lanterns, rugs, spices and argan. She knows what fair prices are and helps you bargain. ## Highlights - The souks craft by craft: leather, metal, wood, textiles, spices and argan - Workshops where you see how something is made before it reaches the shop - Women's cooperatives for argan and textiles, with fixed prices - Relaxed bargaining, or none at all if you prefer - Soukayna helps with packing and shipping larger purchases The souks of Marrakesh are a maze of alleys where, without a guide, you soon pass the same shop three times. With Soukayna along, it becomes a walk from craft to craft. She knows where the workshops are, where the women's cooperatives are and which prices are reasonable. That way you buy what you like yourself and nobody talks you into anything. ## What the morning looks like We start with the spice sellers. There you learn right away the difference between real saffron and dyed thread, and between pure argan oil and the diluted stuff. The first stop is a cooperative where women press argan. Prices are fixed, the quality is good and the money goes to the women themselves. Next come the leatherworkers and the blacksmiths. In Souk Haddadine you hear the hammers before you see the lanterns. If you are staying in [Marrakesh](/en/destinations/marrakesh) for a few days, you can have a lamp made here to your own measurements. We save textiles and rugs for last. Rug shops have a reputation: you get tea, twenty rugs are rolled out and you feel obliged. With Soukayna there, it goes differently. She explains what you are looking at and what a fair price is, and if you don't want anything, we simply walk out. We finish with tea on a roof terrace above the souks. There you decide in peace what you really want to take home. ## Who it's for For anyone who likes to bring home something beautiful but dreads the bargaining, and for anyone who wants to see how things are made. If you would rather not go into the souks alone the first time, this is a good morning too. The tour combines well with the [city tour](/en/trips/marrakesh-city-tour) on another day, or with a [cooking workshop](/en/trips/cooking-workshop-marrakesh) in the afternoon. ## What you find here The leather comes from Marrakesh itself: bags, poufs and babouches in every color. The metal workshops turn out lanterns and trays in copper and brass. The kilims and knotted rugs are made in the Atlas Mountains and the south, and each has a different pattern. For the hammam you can buy argan oil, black soap and rhassoul clay here. There are also spices, tea and pottery from Safi. For every product Soukayna knows what makes for quality and what a reasonable price is, so you don't have to guess. ## Good to know Bring cash in dirham; you can rarely pay by card in the souks. Our page about [money and payments](/en/practical/money-and-payments) explains the easiest way to get dirham. A bag you can wear in front of your body is handy in the crowds. On Friday afternoon many workshops are closed for prayer. So we prefer to plan this tour on another day, or early on Friday morning. During [Ramadan](/en/practical/ramadan) the souks are quieter in the morning and busy in the evening. If you want to combine this tour with another day, put that in your message through the [contact page](/en/contact). ## Program step by step - **Start: spices and argan** We begin with the spice sellers and a cooperative where women press argan oil. Prices are fixed here and you can check the quality yourself. - **Leather and metal** We walk past the leatherworkers and the blacksmiths of Souk Haddadine. You see lanterns being made before you buy one. - **Textiles and rugs** We go into a rug shop where you don't have to buy anything. Soukayna explains the difference between wool, cotton and synthetic, and what a realistic price is. - **Wrapping up** We drink tea on a roof terrace above the souks. You have time to decide what you really want to buy, and you can go back to that one shop afterward if you like. ## Included - Soukayna as your guide in the souks - Pickup and drop-off at your riad or hotel - Water along the way - Mint tea at one of the workshops - Advice on fair prices and quality ## Not included - Your purchases - Lunch - Tips - Shipping costs for large pieces ## Frequently asked questions **Do I have to bargain?** In most souks you do, but Soukayna does it with you or tells you beforehand what a good price is. At cooperatives and in some shops the prices are fixed. If you would rather not bargain at all, we mostly go to those places. **Can I just look without buying?** Yes. You are never obliged to buy anything, not even after you have had tea in a shop. **How do I get a rug or a large lamp home?** Many shops ship internationally. Soukayna helps with the arrangements, so you know what you are paying and when it will arrive. Smaller things usually just fit in your suitcase. --- Source: https://soukytours.com/trips/souks-and-crafts-tour Souky Tours, contact through the chat on https://soukytours.com/contact