One of the most iconic parts of travelling to and through Morocco is the medinas. Medinas are the old cities – demarcated by long walls and located within a bigger city, medinas are a pocket of Moroccan culture and tradition within the modern cities that we know today.

Medinas hold a lot of the things that a city would need – schools, mosques, restaurants, and markets, which are also known as souks. The markets are the heart of many people’s travel experiences here in Morocco. It is common to visit the medina markets whenever you go to a new city, and it is where you will spend a lot of time, and buy a lot of things. I have personally visited the medinas in six cities!

Looking down the market alley between shops selling textiles, shoes, poofs, and more. The market is covered by carved wooden panels. — The Rabat medina is so beautiful. This picture shows some of the typical items you can find in most medinas: leather poofs, pottery, and traditional Moroccan clothing. Photo credit: Benito Correa, 2025.

The markets in the medina can feel overwhelming – there is a lot of beautiful merchandise everywhere, there are so many shops to visit, and there are so many sales people encouraging you to buy it all. That is why I am writing this blog post – I hope to guide you through how to get the best prices for your purchases and how to avoid overconsumption and impulse buys, in hopes of helping you have excellent medina shopping experiences!

Taken at night, the market is extremely well lit. People drive their scooters through the narrow passages between shops selling all sorts of clothing, accessories, and textiles. — Feast your eyes! From the floor to the sky, medinas are full of different products. This beautiful medina is in Tangier. Photo credit: Benito Correa, 2025.

The first thing you should know about the medinas in Morocco is that most of them have essentially the same merchandise. Medinas tend to have a part where they sell more touristy items and parts where they sell items that are of interest to the locals. You can expect most of the items in each part to be the same across all medinas – unless it is a specialty of the city you are visiting. You can find the same pottery, leather goods, clothes and shoes, magnets, beauty products, and spices (and more) in all of the medinas (at least in my experience!). So, my first point is: if you see something that you like, don’t buy it the first time you see it. You will see it again! I recommend taking pictures of what you like and think about making that purchase. If you still want it by the time you visit the next medina, then buy it! If you buy everything you want when you see it, you’ll end up making purchases that you might deem necessary later.

Shelves full of simple glazed clay cups in different colors. — Here is a picture of some cups I took at a pottery shop in the Essouria souk. I really liked these cups, and decided that if I wanted them later, I could buy them at another medina. A few months later, I found the same cups in Rabat! Photo credit: Benito Correa, 2025.

Negotiating prices in the medinas is not only common, but many people say it is necessary! Many shop owners will charge you more if they perceive you are a tourist, so negotiating can help you get a “fairer” price. My go-to move when negotiating is to “bundle” items together. I ask the shop owner “If I buy these two things, can I get X discount on the total?” If your negotiations don’t come out in your favor, you might consider buying the same item at another shop: remember, you’ll see the same thing at another medina, or even at a shop a few meters away.

Go with a local! Having a local Moroccan with you at the medina is helpful as they can tell you if a price is too high, help you negotiate, and give their opinions on the quality of products. I have personally asked my Amideast language partner and someone from my host family to go with me!

Maria Benito Correa is a student at Macalester College and studied abroad in the Fall 2025 on Amideast’s Area & Arabic Language Studies program in Morocco.