Tipping in Morocco: Who to Tip and How Much

Is tipping expected in Morocco?

Yes, tipping is expected in most services that visitors use, but it is a custom, not a rule. Wages in tourism and hospitality are low, and for drivers, guides, camel handlers and camp staff, tips can be a large share of what they earn. A tip is also how people say thank you for good service.

Moroccans tip too, though often smaller amounts than visitors, such as leaving the coins from the change. Visitors are generally expected to give a little more, especially in Marrakech, Fes and upmarket places. You will not offend anyone by tipping, and nobody can demand a tip from you.

How much to tip in Morocco

The amounts below are customary ranges drawn from the guidance Hassan and his team in Marrakech give their guests and from what independent travel guides suggest. They are guidelines, not rules. Adjust them for the length and quality of the service, and for your own budget.

A few principles explain the ranges. Tip people who give you their time, such as guides and drivers, by the day. Tip people who give you a quick service, such as porters and café staff, a small fixed sum. In restaurants, check the bill first: some upmarket places add a service charge, in which case a further tip is optional.

How to tip tour guides and drivers in Morocco

Tip a city guide at the end of the walk, and tip a driver on a multi-day trip once, on the last day. The driver on one of our tours is with you from pickup to drop-off, carries bags, waits at stops and often helps with ordering food and buying tickets. Most travellers treat that as a full day of service for every day on the road.

Local city guides are separate people from your driver. On our longer tours a local guide leads the walking day in Marrakech or Fes, and the guide is tipped separately from the driver. If a guide spends much of the day in shops rather than sights, it is fair to tip at the low end, and to let us know.

What to tip on a multi-day private tour: a worked example

On a week-long private tour, tips for the whole trip usually come to somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 dirhams for a couple. The example below uses our 7-day tour from Marrakech, which has a guided day in Marrakech, five days on the road and two nights at the Merzouga dunes. Treat it as an illustration, not a bill.

Set aside the tip money in dirhams on your first day, in an envelope or a separate pocket of your wallet, so it is ready when you need it. Our tour prices do not include tips, and neither do anyone else's. See Morocco tour cost for what our prices do include.

How to tip at riads, hotels and desert camps

At a riad or hotel, the simplest approach is one tip at the end of your stay rather than small sums every day. Many riads keep a tip box at reception, and what goes in is shared among the people you rarely see, such as the cook and the cleaners. If one person went out of their way, for example the manager who booked a hammam or the cook who made an extra meal, add something for them by hand.

In a desert camp the same people often serve dinner, light the fire and make breakfast before sunrise. Give the camp tip once, the morning you leave, to the camp manager or the person who looked after you, and say it is for the whole team. The camel handler is usually tipped separately, straight after the ride, because he may not be at the camp in the morning. Fossil and trinket sellers who set out goods after the trek are not owed anything unless you buy.

Should I tip in dirhams or euros?

Tip in dirhams. It is the currency everyone uses day to day, and it saves the person you tip a trip to an exchange office. Euros are sometimes accepted by drivers and guides who work with visitors, but coins in euros or dollars cannot be exchanged at all, so never tip in foreign coins.

The dirham is a closed currency, which means you cannot easily buy it before you travel. Withdraw dirhams from an ATM or change money after you land, and ask for some of it in 20 and 50 dirham notes. Large 200 dirham notes are hard to break in cafés and taxis. Our guide is Morocco expensive covers cash, cards and everyday prices.

When you do not need to tip

You do not need to tip when the service was poor, when you did not ask for it, or when a service charge is already on the bill. Some common cases:

• Unofficial guides. Someone who attaches himself to you in the medina and leads you somewhere you did not ask to go is not owed a tip. Say a polite no early. If you did accept help finding your way, a small sum is enough.
• Poor service. A guide who rushes, or spends the day steering you into shops, can be tipped less or not at all.
• Service already charged. Check restaurant and spa bills for a service line.
• Shop owners and staff at fixed-price places. Tipping is not expected in supermarkets, pharmacies or when you buy something in a shop.
• Photos you did not take. If you decline a photo, you owe nothing, however insistent the request.

Tipping etiquette in Morocco

Give tips quietly, by hand, with a word of thanks. Folding the notes and passing them with a handshake is common and avoids an awkward moment in front of others.

• Carry small notes and coins. Asking for change from a tip is awkward, and many people will not have it.
• Give it to the person, not the table. In restaurants, hand the tip to the waiter. In riads, use the tip box if there is one so the kitchen and cleaning staff share it.
• Tip at the end. Drivers and guides are tipped when the service ends, not each day, unless you change driver along the way.
• Use your right hand. It is the polite hand for giving and receiving.
• Keep it in proportion. Very large tips can raise expectations for the next visitor. Generous within the ranges above is fine.

For more practical advice on money, dress and getting around, see our Morocco travel guide. If you are still choosing a trip, start with our desert tours or the 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour.