What is the tipping etiquette in Morocco (who and how much)?

Tipping — we call it "pourboire" or "baksheesh" — is woven into daily life here, but it is far gentler than visitors fear. The single most useful thing I tell my clients is to keep a pocket of coins and small notes (5, 10 and 20 dirham) separate from their bigger bills. Most tips in Morocco are a handful of dirhams, not a percentage you calculate on a phone. A few coins to the man who helped you find a parking space, a 10-dirham note to the porter who carried your bags up a riad staircase, a couple of dirhams left on the café saucer — these small gestures keep everything turning smoothly and are genuinely appreciated rather than expected with resentment.

In restaurants the rule of thumb is around ten percent, a little more in a smarter place where service has been attentive, a little less in a casual grill where you ate quickly. Check whether "service compris" is already on the bill — in tourist-facing restaurants it sometimes is — and if so, just round up. For taxis I tell people to round up to the nearest 5 or 10 dirham rather than working out a strict percentage; on a 35-dirham petit taxi fare, handing over 40 and waving away the change is perfectly normal and warmly received.

Guides and drivers are where I encourage real generosity, because they are the people who shape your trip and often earn a modest base wage. For a private guide on a half or full day in a medina, 100 to 150 dirham per couple is a fair, kind tip; for a multi-day driver who has looked after you across the country, I suggest 100 to 200 dirham per day, handed over discreetly at the very end with genuine thanks. If a desert camp team has cooked, drummed and poured tea for you, leaving 50 to 100 dirham in the shared box rewards the whole crew you do not always see.

A couple of honest cautions from years of doing this. Do not feel pressured into over-tipping just because someone is insistent or has attached themselves to you uninvited — an unsolicited "helper" who guides you twenty metres has not earned a fee, and a polite "la, shukran" (no, thank you) is enough. And never feel you must tip in euros or dollars; dirham is always best and easiest for the recipient to actually use. Tipping in Morocco is about warmth and acknowledgement, not obligation, and once you settle into the rhythm of small coins given with a smile, it becomes one of the quiet pleasures of travelling here.