Essaouira is one of the best places in Morocco for shopping. But thanks to the airlines’ exorbitant baggage fees, lots of visitors end up unable to buy the fantastic, locally made products they’d love … disappointing for them, and bad for business. Leave Your Wardrobe in Morocco (LYWIM) offers you a great opportunity to free up some space in your bags, and do your bit for charity at the same time. The idea is this … when you pack to come to Morocco, bring along some stuff you don’t mind leaving behind. Then you can shop to your heart’s content in Essaouira, and when you pack for your return, hand over the stuff you no longer need to the people who run the place you’re staying in. They’ll pass it on to LYWIM who will sell it at a local market and pass on ALL the profit to a good cause. For more information see http://leaveyourwardrobeinmorocco.wordpress.com
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Useful information ...
Health
No vaccinations are required for Morocco. There are very few mosquitoes in Essaouira so anti-malaria tablets are not necessary (though if you spend time on the beach, especially during summer evenings, the odd sandfly bite is a possibility). Morocco does not have any reciprocal health care agreements so it is advisable to have travel insurance. There is a small hospital in Essaouira, plus numerous excellent pharmacies clearly marked with a green cross.
Language
The official language in Morocco is classical Arabic but the locals generally converse in a distinct dialect which is usually referred to as Moroccan Arabic. Many people, especially in rural areas, speak Berber, either as a first language or bilingually with the Arabic dialect. French is widely understood and is the usual language for communicating with foreigners. English, while still far behind French (and Spanish in the North) is rapidly becoming the European language of choice among the educated youth. If you want to learn some Moroccan Arabic we can recommend Lonely Planet’s Moroccan Arabic Phrasebook and Survival Phrases Arabic. You can download the latter’s first 10 lessons as a free podcast – great listening to on the plane!
Money
Moroccan Dirhams (MAD, MDH or DH) are a restricted currency and are difficult to obtain outside the country, though you are allowed to take up to 1000 DH in or out with you. There are approximately 10 DH to the Euro. You will find facilities for changing money at Marrakech airport and at banks and ATMs in Essaouira. The ATMs will usually only allow you to take out 2000 DH per day and sometimes run out of money, especially at weekends. Some of the banks will change travellers cheques but they are a bit quirky and often change their policy about which travellers cheques they will and won’t accept so it is best to take more than one type (e.g. Sterling and Euros), plus cash. Please note that very few shops or restaurants accept credit or debit cards, even if they have a sign saying that they do (and if they do, they usually charge commission).
Click here for exchange rates.
Opening hours
Opening hours are very variable. Banks are usually open from 08:30 - 11:30 and 14:30 - 16:30 Monday to Friday. Large shops tend to open between 09:00 - 13:00 and 15:00 - 19:00 Monday to Saturday. Small shops in the medina may not open until about 10:00 but often stay open until quite late.
Packing
Moroccan holidays
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New Year's day: 1 January Attestation d'Independance day: 11 January Labour Day: 1 May Feast of the Throne: 30 July Allegiance Day: 14 August Day of the Green March: 6 November Independence Day: 18 November
Religious (Note: dates may vary and premises may be closed for several days either side of a holiday):
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Telephone
The international dialling code for Morocco is 212. All Moroccan phone numbers were changed in March 2009 – if you have an old (nine digit) one you need to add 5 after the 0 if it is a landline (so published numbers beginning with 0 24 become 05 24) or a 6 if it is mobile.
Time
Since 2009, Morocco has been on Central European Time (GMT) all year round.