MinnBeef

If you are a seasoned traveler, then with proper due diligence I don't think you should have any real concern. I understand the trepidation...I had a bit of my own before spending 17 days in Morocco in Spring 2016. Use normal precautions--a money belt or some sort of hidden place for your cash and credit cards. Leave valuables at home. Don't engage in conversation that you don't want to. If you stop to browse at shops in the medina, expect to be approached but if you are not interested, a simple "merci" and walking away with conviction will serve you just fine. I did a food tour there myself with Marrakech Food Tours and cannot recommended them highly enough. It is fun by a gal from the U.S. who married a Moroccan. He was our host that evening and for around $60 or so, we ate like kings and queens that evening and visited places I never would have thought to go to on my own.

Relax, use common sense and stay positive and you should have a wonderful time.

fourfortravel

Barb, thank you for your kind comments. I can only echo the above comments regarding safety; at no time did I (or, we) feel unsafe or threatened, even when we were "lost" in the souks. The shopkeepers approached with enthusiasm but never with aggression, and overall our experience was positive.

Would I travel to Marrakesh as a solo, Western female? Yes, if I were a seasoned solo traveler. If this were my first solo travel, I might consider a guide, just so that I could enjoy my visit with my camera and senses and not concern myself with logistics.

I hope this is helpful.

livetoroam

Enjoyed this hugely as my husband and I were there this past October and your trip from the airport and into the medina was just how I would have described it if I had your writing talent. Read it to my husband and we both laughed at remembering the cats, the twisty alleys and all the rest.

Themacs

Thank you fourfortravel for your wonderfully descriptive report on Marrakesh. My wife and I are in the process of planning a 12-day trip to Morocco in November and are really looking forward to it. Your report on the Medina brings forth all the sights, smells and sounds of the many markets we've visited in Egypt, India, Southern Africa and other places we've lived or visited and enjoyed.

I completely agree with MinnBeef...if you relax, pay attention to your surroundings, stay calm and stay positive a wonderful time can be had.

fourfortravel

livetoroam and Themacs, thank you both for your kind comments. No doubt you had, and will have, more agreeable weather for sightseeing!

yestravel

Great report -- thanks for sharing. I'm in the process ofplanning a trip for the spring and this gave me a great insight into Marrakech.

fourfortravel

Thank you, yestravel. Hopefully you will enjoy Marrakesh as much as we did.