Do You Need a Guide in Morocco? Private Driver vs Licensed Guide
You do not need a guide for your whole trip in Morocco. A private driver takes you from city to city and to every site; a licensed guide is worth it for half a day or a day in the big medinas, Fes and Marrakech above all. Your driver is not a guide: in Morocco only licensed guides may guide visitors inside medinas and monuments. With us, a licensed local guide is booked on request, with its price depending on the city and included in your quote.
Here is what each one does, where a guide makes the difference and how to plan it.
Drives you between cities and sites, door to door, and waits for you
Walks with you through medinas, souks and monuments and explains them
Inside medinas and monuments
Does not guide: the law reserves it to licensed guides
Yes, with the official badge
Languages
Arabic, French, Spanish and English always
The language you ask for, when we book
Price
The vehicle and the driver, on quote or in the price of a tour
On request, depending on the city, in your quote
When you need them
Every day of the trip
The days you visit a big medina or a major site
What your private driver does, and does not do
Your driver is with you every day: driving, planning the timing with you, suggesting where to stop for a view, a coffee or lunch, and telling you about the places you drive through. Ours speak Arabic, French, Spanish and English.
What your driver does not do is guide you inside the medinas and monuments. In Morocco, guiding visitors is a licensed profession (law 05-12): only official guides, who carry a badge issued by the authorities, may do it, and a driver who did it would be breaking the law. So your driver takes you to the gate of the medina or to the entrance of the site and waits for you; inside, it is you or a licensed guide.
Where a licensed guide is worth it
The medina of Fes. Fes el Bali is a maze of narrow lanes with no cars, workshops, the tanneries and the old schools, the madrasas. On a first visit, a guide saves you hours of getting lost and opens the doors of places you would walk past. If Fes is on your trip, see our page on a private driver in Fes.
The medina and the souks of Marrakech. The souks, the palaces and the old quarters are easier to enjoy with someone who knows them, especially on a first day.
Meknes and the Roman ruins of Volubilis. History is everywhere and there is little on site to explain it: a guide brings it to life. Both are on our Imperial Cities Tour.
Tangier. The kasbah, the medina and their stories. Our Tangier Day Trip already includes a licensed local guide for 4 hours, and so does our Marrakech Day Trip.
Where you can do without
Driving days. On the road through the Atlas, the desert route or along the coast, your driver is all you need.
Small towns. Chefchaouen, Asilah and Essaouira are easy to walk on your own; a guide there is a nice extra, not a need.
The desert. In Merzouga the camp and its activities are booked with the camp, which has its own team. We recommend good ones; you book and pay them directly.
How much does a guide cost, and how to book one
With us, a licensed local guide is booked on request, with its price depending on the city and included in your quote. We arrange one who speaks your language, for the days and the cities you choose: tell us when you book, or add it when you design your private tour. On our multi-day tours the guide is an extra on request; on the two day trips, 4 hours of guide are included in the price.
Official guides and unofficial guides
In the busiest medinas, people may offer to show you the way. A licensed guide always carries the official badge; someone without one is not a guide, however friendly. A polite "no, thank you" is enough. When we book your guide, it is always a licensed one.
Tipping your driver and your guide
Tipping is never compulsory in Morocco. If you are happy with the service, around 100 to 200 MAD per day for a driver or for a guide is common, given at the end of the day or, for your driver, at the end of the trip.
Not for the whole trip. A private driver is enough on the road, in the mountains and in small towns. A licensed guide is worth it for half a day or a day in the big medinas, Fes and Marrakech above all, and at sites like Volubilis.
Can my private driver also be my guide?
No. In Morocco guiding visitors is a licensed profession: only official guides, who carry a badge issued by the authorities, may guide you inside medinas and monuments. Your driver advises you, tells you about the places on the road and takes you to the gate; inside, a licensed guide takes over.
How much does a licensed guide cost in Morocco?
With us, the price depends on the city and is included in your quote. We arrange the guide on request, in your language, for the days you want. Our Tangier and Marrakech day trips already include a licensed local guide for 4 hours.
How much should I tip a driver or a guide in Morocco?
Tipping is never compulsory. If you are happy with the service, around 100 to 200 MAD per day for a driver or for a guide is common, given at the end of the day or of the trip.
Do your tours include a guide?
Our two day trips, in Tangier and in Marrakech, include a licensed local guide for 4 hours. On the multi-day tours the guide is an extra on request, booked by us, with its price depending on the city and included in your quote.
