Cash, card, pourboires, alcohol and how Ramadan changes the day — the answers we send by email fifty times a season.
The practical questions we answer by email fifty times a season, in one place.
Money: bring cash
Morocco is still largely a cash economy outside the big cities. Card payments work in Marrakech, Casablanca and Agadir hotels; in a surf village, a café or a small shop, they usually do not.
The currency is the dirham (MAD), running at roughly 11 to the euro. It is a closed currency — you cannot buy it before you arrive, and you should spend or change back what you have before you leave.
Where to get it: exchange at the airport on arrival, or use an ATM in a city. ATMs exist in Taghazout, Tamraght and Essaouira, but they can be out of order or out of cash — do not build your week around finding one in a village.
How much: enough for lunches, dinners, taxis, tips and anything you buy. Budget generously; running out is more annoying than carrying too much.
Paying us: the deposit is arranged when you book. The balance is normally settled on site, and cash is simplest — euros or dirhams. If you need to pay another way, ask before you arrive rather than on the day.
Tipping
Normal, expected and appreciated — never demanded.
- Restaurants and cafés: 5 to 15%, or round up generously on a small bill.
- Taxis: round up.
- Guides, instructors, camp staff: whatever feels right at the end of your stay. Many guests leave something collectively for the team.
Small notes are genuinely useful. Break large ones when you can.
Alcohol
Available, but not freely. Some licensed restaurants and hotels serve it, supermarkets in Agadir sell it, and many village cafés do not serve it at all.
Drinking openly in the street or in unlicensed places is not done. This is not heavily policed so much as simply not the local norm.
Ramadan
Ramadan moves each year with the lunar calendar. If your trip falls during it, three things change:
- Eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight should be discreet, out of respect for people fasting. Restaurants that serve tourists stay open; you just do not eat while walking through the village.
- Some places close or shorten hours, especially in the afternoon. Evenings become livelier after sunset.
- Alcohol is generally not served during daylight.
The surf and the wind carry on exactly as normal, and lessons run as usual. Plenty of visitors find it one of the more interesting times to be here.
A few other norms
Dress. Beachwear on the beach, fine. Away from it, most visitors find that covering shoulders and knees draws less attention and is appreciated. Nobody will enforce anything.
Haggling. Expected in souks, not in shops or restaurants with marked prices. Stay good-humoured; it is a conversation, not a fight.
Photos of people. Ask first. Particularly in markets and particularly of women.
Friday. The main prayer day. Some businesses close around midday and many families eat together — a quieter day in the villages.
Visas
Passport holders from most European countries, the UK, the US, Canada and many other nations enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Rules change, so check the current requirement for your own passport with an official source, and make sure your passport has enough validity left on it.
Anything else
If there is something you are unsure about — dietary needs, medication, accessibility, travelling with children — message us before you book rather than after. It is almost always easier to arrange in advance.