Tipping in Morocco is a courtesy, not an obligation, and the sums are smaller than most visitors expect. For a full day tour, 100 to 150 dirhams to the guide and 50 to 100 to the driver is generous. In a cafe, rounding up is enough. Nobody will be offended if you give nothing.
The local currency is the dirham, written MAD or DH. Ten dirhams is roughly one euro, which makes the mental arithmetic easy: move the decimal point one place.
What to give, by situation
| Tour guide, full day | 100 to 150 DH (10 to 15 EUR) per group, not per person |
| Tour guide, half day | 50 to 100 DH (5 to 10 EUR) per group |
| Driver, full day | 50 to 100 DH (5 to 10 EUR) |
| Driver, multi-day trip | 100 to 150 DH (10 to 15 EUR) per day, given at the end |
| Restaurant | 5 to 10 per cent, or round up. Check whether service is already added |
| Cafe or street food | Round up to the nearest 5 or 10 DH |
| Riad or hotel staff | 20 to 50 DH (2 to 5 EUR) at the end of the stay |
| Porter, per bag | 10 to 20 DH (1 to 2 EUR) |
| Taxi | Round up. Agree the fare before you set off, or ask for the meter |
| Hammam attendant | 20 to 50 DH (2 to 5 EUR) |
| Camel handler, desert camp staff | 20 to 50 DH (2 to 5 EUR) each |
Guides and drivers: the two that matter most
These are the people who spend a whole day, or several, on your trip, and they are where a tip genuinely changes someone’s week.
The guide. For a full day, 100 to 150 dirhams from the group is a proper thank you. Note that it is per group, not per person: a family of four does not give four times that. If the guide has done something beyond the job, taken you somewhere unplanned, spent the afternoon answering a child’s questions, then give more, and say why.
The driver. Often a separate person, often overlooked, and on a mountain road the one doing the most demanding work of the day. Fifty to a hundred dirhams for a full day. On a multi-day desert trip where the same driver stays with you, 100 to 150 dirhams a day, handed over at the end rather than daily.
On a private trip such as a day in the Ourika Valley or Ait Ben Haddou, the same person is often both. Then treat it as one tip, at the upper end.
Restaurants, cafes and riads
In a sit-down restaurant, five to ten per cent is normal and welcome. In smarter places check the bill first: service is sometimes already included, in which case rounding up is plenty.
In a cafe, at a street stall or for a mint tea, rounding up to the nearest five or ten dirhams is what locals do. Nobody expects a percentage on a twelve dirham tea.
In a riad, the usual practice is a single tip at the end of the stay, 20 to 50 dirhams, left with reception to be shared among the staff, or given directly to whoever looked after you.
The practical part, which matters more than the amounts
- Carry small notes. This is the real difficulty. Twenty, fifty and hundred dirham notes are what you want, and you will not get them from an ATM, which dispenses two hundreds. Break them early, in a supermarket or a busy cafe.
- Tip in dirhams, not euros. Foreign coins in particular cannot be changed at all in Morocco and are worthless to whoever receives them.
- Give it directly, with your right hand. The right hand is the courteous one for giving, eating and offering.
- Cash, not card. A tip added to a card payment rarely reaches the person.
- At a desert camp, the staff, the cook and the camel handlers are often several different people. A single sum left with whoever runs the camp, asked to be shared, works better than trying to find everyone.
When not to tip
Two situations where the honest answer is no.
Unrequested help. If someone in the medina walks up, leads you somewhere you did not ask to go, then asks for money, you are under no obligation. A firm, polite “la, shukran” (no, thank you) is the whole answer. This is a normal part of a busy tourist city and not something to feel awkward about.
Poor service. A tip is a thank you. If there is nothing to thank anyone for, there is nothing to give, and no one will think worse of you.
Frequently asked questions
How much do you tip a tour guide in Morocco?
100 to 150 dirhams, around 10 to 15 euros, for a full day, from the group rather than per person. Half that for a half day.
How much do you tip a driver in Morocco?
50 to 100 dirhams for a full day. On a multi-day trip, 100 to 150 dirhams per day, given at the end.
Do you tip in restaurants in Morocco?
Yes, 5 to 10 per cent in a sit-down restaurant, or simply rounding up in a cafe. Check first whether service has already been added.
Should I tip in euros or dirhams?
Dirhams. Foreign notes are awkward to change and foreign coins cannot be changed at all.
Is tipping expected in Morocco?
It is customary and appreciated, but it is not an obligation and there is no fixed percentage as there is in some countries. Small amounts given often is the local pattern.
How much should I tip at a riad?
20 to 50 dirhams at the end of the stay, left to be shared among the staff.
Planning the rest
If you are still working out the shape of your trip, our guide to how many days you need in Marrakech covers what each length of stay makes possible. On a private day in the mountains you will have a guide and a driver with you, which is where most of this applies.
Current exchange rates and background on the currency are on Wikipedia’s Moroccan dirham page.
