What are the best things to buy in the Marrakech souks?

Marrakech has the widest, deepest souks in Morocco, so it's the place to buy a bit of everything in one trip. The medina's markets are loosely organised by trade — there's a babouche district, a metalworkers' section you'll hear before you see (the constant tap-tap of hammers on brass), a leather area, dyers' lanes hung with skeins of wool, and the carpet souk. My advice on arrival is to walk through without buying for the first hour, just to learn the going range of prices and spot which stalls have the better-quality work.

The standout Marrakech buys, in my order of regret-if-you-don't: a pierced-brass or coloured-glass lantern (they throw beautiful patterns at home and are genuinely emblematic of the city), babouches in every colour, a rug or kilim from the carpet souk, and hand-painted ceramics and tagines. Beyond those, the metalwork is excellent — brass trays, teapots, mirrors — and the woven palm baskets and straw bags are cheap, charming and pack flat. Spices and argan oil round out the haul, though for argan I still prefer a cooperative.

Rough Marrakech prices, all negotiable: babouches 80–200 MAD, a small lantern 150–400 MAD and a large statement one 400–800+ MAD, a brass teapot 150–400 MAD, a woven basket bag 60–150 MAD, a leather pouf cover 250–500 MAD. The opening prices here are some of the most inflated in the country because the footfall is so touristy, so expect to knock them down hard — starting around a third of the quote is normal and fair.

A couple of honest Marrakech-specific tips. The souks are a maze and 'helpful' young men may offer to guide you to a workshop — they're often working on commission, which inflates your price, so a polite firm 'no thank you' is fine. Prices near the main square Jemaa el-Fnaa are highest; venture a few lanes deeper and they soften. And the famous 'tanneries this way, free to look' invitation usually ends at a sales pitch — go if you want, but know what it is. Buy what genuinely delights you, compare two or three stalls, and enjoy the haggle.