What should I pack for Marrakech?

Closed-toe walking shoes, not sandals. The derbs inside the medina are uneven sandstone and packed earth, sometimes slick with water where shopkeepers hose down their storefronts before 8 AM. You'll share these narrow passages with motorbikes and donkey carts that appear around blind corners. Flip-flops are a rolled ankle waiting to happen on the stone step-downs between Jemaa el-Fnaa and the Saadian Tombs. Marrakech is a Muslim-majority city. Nobody enforces a dress code at the Bahia Palace or Majorelle Garden the way Bangkok's Grand Palace turns away bare knees, but covering shoulders and knees in the medina is the difference between being left alone and drawing constant commentary from touts. Loose linen trousers and a cotton shirt handle both the 35°C heat and the cultural context. Women will want a lightweight scarf for the area around the Almoravid Koubba and mosque exteriors. Two or three outfits get you through a week. Most riads offer laundry for 30-50 MAD per kilogram. Pack earplugs. The first call to prayer from nearby mosques reaches most medina riads around 4:30 AM.

June temperatures in Marrakech currently sit around 29°C at night and reach 42°C by mid-afternoon. Dry heat, not Bangkok humidity. You'll feel fine in shade at 35°C, but direct sun on the open expanse of Jemaa el-Fnaa at 2 PM feels like standing next to an oven door. Pack a wide-brimmed hat and SPF 50. Polarized sunglasses are non-negotiable. The light reflects off Marrakech's pink-ochre rammed-earth walls and hits harder than beach glare. A refillable water bottle saves you 5-10 MAD every hour at the tourist stalls around the square. Most riads have filtered water for refills. That said, don't overpack for summer heat. Evenings drop to 22-25°C on rooftop terraces in the Kasbah district. If you visit in January, mornings might reach 5°C, and you'll want a real jacket.

Morocco uses European Type C and E plugs at 220V. Leave 110V North American hair tools at home or they'll burn out. A portable charger is worth the bag space. Google Maps works well enough inside the medina's unmarked alleyways, and the battery drain on a full day of navigation between the Majorelle Garden and Bab Agnaou is serious. Get a Jetogo eSIM activated before you land at Marrakech Menara Airport. Maroc Telecom and Inwi sell airport SIM cards for 30-50 MAD with basic data, but the queue can stretch 45 minutes after a full Ryanair flight. A small crossbody bag beats a backpack in the souks. Pickpocketing tends to happen around Jemaa el-Fnaa after dark, and a zipped front bag removes the worry.

Skip packing toiletries, scarves, and leather goods. The souks near Rahba Kedima sell argan oil shampoo for 20-40 MAD, hand-milled olive soap for 10-15 MAD, and cotton scarves for 30-80 MAD. All better and cheaper than what you'd bring from home. The smell of fresh-cut cedar and raw leather drifts through the Bab Debbagh tannery quarter, where babouche slippers sell for 80-200 MAD. The price depends on your willingness to haggle. You should haggle. Pharmacies near the Koutoubia Mosque carry French-brand sunscreen like Avène and La Roche-Posay at close to Paris retail prices. Mosquito repellent is less critical here than in Southeast Asia. Marrakech's dry climate keeps mosquitoes mostly around riad courtyards where garden fountains hold standing water after dark. Pharmacy stock runs 25-40 MAD if you need it.