What do people love and hate about Marrakech?

Marrakech is a genuinely polarising city, and I think it is fairer to a traveller to lay out both sides than to sell only the romance. What people love is easy to list because it is extraordinary: the labyrinth of souks, the hidden beauty of the riads with their tiled courtyards and fountains, the food, the craftsmanship of the metalworkers and weavers and woodcarvers, the rooftop sunsets, the High Atlas on the horizon, and above all the theatre of the Jemaa el-Fna at night — storytellers, musicians, food stalls, smoke and crowds, a scene that has run for centuries. The warmth and humour of Moroccans, once no transaction is involved, surprises and wins over almost everyone.

What people hate is equally real, and pretending otherwise sets you up to be blindsided. The number one complaint, by a mile, is the hassle — the relentless attention from touts, faux guides and shopkeepers, the pressure of haggling for everything, the "helpful" strangers who lead you somewhere and demand money. Add getting hopelessly lost in the medina, the small scams (the tannery "guide," the moved restaurant, the closed-square detour), the motorbike noise and exhaust, and the occasional upsetting animal-welfare sight — the chained monkeys and snake charmers on the square — and you have a list of genuine irritations that can sour a trip for some visitors.

The interesting truth is that the very same features show up on both lists depending on the traveller and their mindset. The intensity that one person calls "vibrant and alive" another calls "exhausting and stressful." The bargaining that thrills a confident haggler grinds down someone who hates conflict. The chaotic, unfiltered authenticity that makes Marrakech feel real to one visitor makes it feel hostile to another. It is not really that some people are right and others wrong — it is that Marrakech demands a certain robustness and good humour, and gives the most back to people who can roll with it.

My honest take, after countless trips: the haters are usually reacting to the first day or to a poorly planned trip, and the lovers are usually those who came prepared, set boundaries with the touts, chose a good riad as a refuge, and let the city be what it is rather than what they expected. If you are easily overwhelmed or hate being hustled, you can still love Marrakech — but lean on a good base, a registered guide for the souks, and a few calm days outside the medina. Go in with eyes open about the hassle, and the magic far outweighs it for most.