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Marrakech is a city of approximately 1.4 million inhabitants. It is known as the red city due to the red walls that surround the medina, the old town. Marrakech is famous for the square of Jemaa El F'Naa where every evening as sun sets the entertainment begins - acrobats, musicians, fortune tellers, snake charmers, magicians and story tellers entertain the crowds.
In summer the temperatures rise up to 50 degrees with bright sunny days and little rain.The climate is very dry and during winter temeratures drop to
5-6 degrees at night. Snow can been seen on the Atlas Mountains and there is even a ski resort a short drive from Marrakech . |
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The locals are friendly and there is a large community of french ex pats as Morocco was once a french colony.
Marrakech has some lovely places to eat and drink and is great for the bargains that can be had in the souks.
During the holy month of Ramadan if you are not fasting it can be difficult to go about a daily routine as many things are closed.
It is wise for women to dress conservatively - ie covering shoulders and knees which may help (not always) avoid unwanted advances.
Like any big cities there is some crimes - bag snatching and it's recommended to be very vigilant in the main square which is known for pick pockets.
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| Foreigners can stay for up to 3 months then they must apply for a "Carte de Sejour". |
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Many expats live around the Gueliz (new town ) area in modern apartment blocks. Rent can vary greatly depending on the area and if teh apartment is furnished or unfurnished. In Gueliz single and 2 bed apartments start from around 5-8000 dhs/ per month plus bills and building maintenance fee (syndicat) (£4-500 or 5-800 euros)although further out of the main town they can be half this price.Normally rent is paid month -by - month. If you have any assistance to find accomodation there is normally a finder's fee to be paid which can be around 1 month's rent.
There are many agencies and prices are negotiable but going through an agency will be more expensive as they take their percentage. |
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Most properties have a "guardien" who sits outside the building. Cleaning ladies can be found - there are some that can be employed on an ad hoc basis that sit waiting on the street for work but they are not recommended. It is adviseable to take help by recommendation, or ask the help that is already working in the building. One morning housecleaning will be from 60-100dhs (£4-6 6-10 euros). |
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There are teleboutiques all over the city and phone cards for public phones.
Mobile phones with SIM cards are cheap but expensive to call on a
pay-as-you- go contract. Once you have a "Carte de sejour" you can apply for a landline and a mobile phone with contract which are cheaper.
Nearly all aprtments have satellite which has American channels MBC2 (films) and MBC 4 (chat shows and series). There are news channels, most french channels, music channels.
Most kiosks stock french newspapers and magazines, a few in the centre of Gueliz stock english/american papers (30-60dhs) The local postal service is fairly reliable but quite slow. |
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Moroccan Arabic is the mainly language spoken but many people also speak Berber. Most Moroccans have an understanding of french though english is not as widely spoken.
There are arabic courses at the French Institute. |
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| It is not adviseable to drink the tap water as it is highly chlorinated and has a very unpleasant taste. |
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It is not easy to find a job as unemployment is high in Morocco and jobs taken with local companies pay at a local wage. |
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The local currency is the moroccan durham - 16 MAD = approx £1 10MAD = approx 1 euro..
It is a closed currency so it cannot be obtained outside morocco and should not be taken out of the country. The only official place to change dirhams back to hard currency is at the airports. |
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Appointments can be made with private specialists who have nearly all trained overseas (mainly France). One session is around 150-200MAD. |
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Marrakech is a very busy city and there is a lot of traffic from donkeys, horses and carriages, mopeds, bicycles. There are several rush hours and the driving can be quite hair-raising. Police conduct frequent checks on all main roads and roundabouts - on the spot fines are common (speeding, disregarding stop sig,, no seatbelts, using mobile phones...etc etc). You can drive using an inernational drivers license and it is wise to always have all documentation with you at all times.
Petit taxis take up to 3 people and should be metered.(Daytime approx 10-20dhs - supplement at night) Grand taxis run set routes and you pay a set amount per place (up to 6 places) or you can pay for the whole taxi.
Local buses are very cheap but extremely overcrowded and unreliable.
Intercity bus companies CTM, Supratours are reliable, good value and safe. |
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| Gueliz has several beauty centres. Haircuts (ex Toni and Guy) at Sofitel hotel. |
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There is a tennis club in Gueliz and several cinemas showing films dubbed in French. |
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City Description
Healthcare
