Morocco Local Custom Tips by JLBG

Language

The two languages spoken in Morocco are arab and berber (several dialects). Most travelers don't speak any of them. Anyhow, learning some arab might help in some ''out of the beaten path'' places.
All educated Moroccan speak French (and/or Spanish in the north and around Sidi Ifni). In touristy areas, they will also practice English, sometimes German. But in remote places, small villages, you can find people that do not speak any foreign language. However, there will usually be in the vicinity someone speaking some French and that will help. If you don't speak French and that you want to go "out of the beaten path" it will be difficult to communicate unless you are clever in gesture language !

Telephone

There are many telephones around the country using the kind of card shown here. However, beware, they are of different types. Some can be used in the public telephones that are set along the streets. Others, sold in a telephone shops, will work only in the telephones of this shop and will work neither in the next telephone shop nor in public telephones.

Hassan II coins

You must also know how the coins look like. It is essential for tipping ! Most of the coins are Hassan II. There remain a few of his father, Mohamed V. The new coins with Mohamed VI have been issued but in 2004, there are very few in circulation.

Banknotes

Have a look at what the banknotes of 200, 100, 50 and 10 dirham look like. They all bear on one face the picture of the king. Until 2004, it was still king Hassan II and the new king Mohamed VI had not yet issued banknotes with his portrait. On the other side various landscapes or scenes of Moroccan life.

Mohamed VI coins

The new Mohamed VI has issued new coins with his figure but there are very few in use yet. They are mostly alike his father's coins but there is now a 2 dirham coin, useful for tiping, if you find any. Actually, I did not get any of these Mohamed VI coins and had to go and ask in a bank if they had some. They had only the ones shown and no 10 dirhams.

Tipping

Tipping is unavoidable. You have to reward anybody that has helped you one way or another by a small coin. This is especially true if you drive in Morocco. In most towns, even small ones, there will be a warden that helps you to park and that will watch your car. Usually, official parking wardens wear a blue overall and a red plastic badge (it used to be an oval brass badge). When you leave, he will help you again to drive out and will come close to your car. You are supposed to tip him discreetly. One or two Dirhams (better 2 !) will be OK in normal places. The more touristy the place, the more you should give : some visitors ''overpay'' and those guys get used to that. Then, try to give the right tip. Not too little, not too much even if according to our standards, this is not much : 2 Dirhams are about 20 euro or dollar cents. For an overnight parking that might be from 3 to 5 dirhams.
Consider that the official average earning is 1800 dirhams per month (180 euros/dollars) but that many must live with less than 500 dirhams !
You should be prepared to that. Avoid to take your purse full of banknotes and extract that little coin for tiping ! You should have a garment with many pockets. In one pocket, you will have only 1 dirham coins. In another only 5 dirhams. That will be easy to give what you want, discreetly and not showing how much money you have.