Morocco etiquette for tourists: customs, dos and don'ts
How to greet, eat, accept tea, take photos and say no politely in Morocco, and which few rules are actually law. A calm guide from our team in Marrakech.
By Ismail10 min read
Etiquette in Morocco comes down to a few habits: greet people before you ask them anything, use your right hand, accept hospitality gracefully, ask before you photograph someone and keep kissing for private places. Only a handful of rules are actual law, such as not drinking alcohol in the street; the rest is custom and courtesy, and Moroccans are patient with visitors who make an effort.
Below we separate law, custom and courtesy, explain why each custom exists and give you the words to use.
The short version: 10 things to know
- Greet first: a salam alaykum comes before any question.
- Use your right hand to eat, give, take and pay.
- Accept the tea if you have time: it commits you to nothing.
- Ask before you photograph anyone, and take no for an answer.
- Keep kissing and cuddling for private places.
- Cover shoulders and knees: our guides on what to wear as a woman and what to wear as a man go into detail.
- Leave mosques to worshippers: most are open to Muslims only.
- In Ramadan, don't eat, drink or smoke in the street during the day.
- A smile and la, shukran ("no, thank you") is enough to say no.
- Be patient with time: greetings, tea and meals all take longer than at home.
Law, custom or courtesy?
Only the law can get you into real trouble; the rest is about being a good guest.
| Examples | If you get it wrong | |
|---|---|---|
| Law (applies to visitors too) | drinking alcohol in the street or outside licensed bars and restaurants; photographing military or sensitive political sites; trying to convert a Muslim; criticising Islam in public; same-sex relations; public displays of affection, which can be prosecuted | arrest, fines, prison in the worst cases |
| Custom | greetings, the right hand, hospitality, modest dress, discretion in Ramadan | awkwardness, people feeling slighted |
| Courtesy | asking before a photo, patience, a smile when you say no | the same as anywhere |
The legal points come from the UK government's travel advice for Morocco, which is regularly updated.
Greetings: salam, handshakes and the hand on the heart
A greeting in Morocco is more than a quick "hi". Walk into a shop, a riad or a taxi and start with salam alaykum ("peace be upon you"); the reply is wa alaykum salam. Then come questions: how are you, how is the family? No details needed: labas, hamdullah ("fine, thanks be to God") is the expected answer, and asking back is polite.
- Between men: a handshake, often gentle and unhurried, sometimes followed by a hand placed on the heart. Close friends and relatives kiss on the cheeks; how many times varies by region.
- Between women: the same.
- Between a man and a woman: the man waits for the woman to offer her hand. If she doesn't, a nod and a hand on the heart is the polite greeting. Some devout men and women never shake hands with the opposite sex, and as a woman you can do the same: nobody is offended by the hand on the heart.
- In a group: greet everyone the way you greeted the first person.
You will hear sidi ("sir") and lalla ("madam") used as respectful forms of address. In small talk, asking someone's salary or a woman's age is awkward, and a man doesn't ask another man about his wife or sisters: "how is the family?" covers it. For the words themselves, see our Moroccan Arabic phrases for travellers.
The right hand
Eat, give, take and pay with your right hand. The left is traditionally associated with hygiene, so taking food or handing over money with it looks careless, even if nobody says so. Left-handed? It matters mostly at a shared dish and when you pass something to someone.
At a shared meal you eat from the part of the dish in front of you, with bread as your spoon. The rest of the table manners, from washing hands at the table to the order of the dishes, are in our guide to what to eat in Morocco.
Hospitality: tea, invitations and visiting a home
Hospitality is a point of honour. The Moroccan sociologist Rahma Bourqia counts failing to offer a guest tea or a meal among the lapses that bring hshouma, the sense of shame and propriety explained below. That is why tea arrives so quickly.
Tea in a shop
A glass of mint tea in a carpet shop is hospitality, and it doesn't oblige you to buy. Drink it, enjoy the conversation and leave empty-handed if nothing suits you; a shukran and a smile is all you owe. In a hurry? Decline with a hand on the heart. The ritual itself, and why the tea is poured from so high, is in our article on Moroccan mint tea.
Invitations
Invitations home are common and usually sincere, sometimes after a single conversation. If you would like to go, accept warmly and agree on a day. If you can't, thank them and give a simple reason ("we leave tomorrow"). Hosts often insist out of courtesy: it is fine to say no again, kindly. As anywhere, use judgement if a stranger's "invitation" seems to lead towards a shop.
In a Moroccan home
- Shoes: take them off at the door, or at least before you step onto the carpets of the salon; the row of shoes by the entrance tells you where. Walking on the sitting-room carpet in shoes is seen as disrespectful.
- Seating: sit where you are shown. Guests are received in the salon, the room with long banquettes along the walls.
- Eating: the host will keep pushing the best pieces towards you (kul, kul!, "eat!"). When you are full, say shbe't, hamdullah ("I'm full, thanks be to God") with a hand on your heart, twice if needed.
- Thanks: Allah ykhlef ("may God repay you") is the classic thank-you to a host after a meal.
- Gifts: for a first visit, bring something small: pastries, fruit, or a cone of sugar, still the traditional gift in the countryside. No alcohol unless you know the family drinks.
On our Imlil day trip, lunch is served at our guide's family home, and our cooking class in the Atlas takes place in a Berber family's house, where you share the meal you have cooked. In both cases the meal is part of the trip, arranged and paid for in advance, so there is no awkwardness about money: you are simply a guest.
Family and social life in a few lines
- Family comes first. Ties are close and wide, and adult children often live with their parents until they marry, sometimes after.
- Elders are respected. Younger relatives may greet an older person by kissing their hand or head, and disrespect towards parents is one of the clearest cases of hshouma.
- Friday brings the main weekly prayer at midday, then the family couscous: that is why many restaurants serve couscous on Fridays, and some shops close around midday.
- Cafés: in older neighbourhood cafés, especially in small towns, the customers are almost all men, a habit rather than a rule. Modern cafés in the cities are mixed and popular with young people and women; women travelling alone often find them more relaxed.
Photographing people
Always ask before photographing people, especially children: the UK government's travel advice says so, and it is simple respect. Many Moroccans don't like being photographed, and in villages women and older people often say no. Take it as an answer, not as the start of a negotiation.
- Jemaa el-Fna: musicians, water sellers and snake charmers in Marrakech's main square expect a coin for a photo. Agree before you shoot: around 10 to 20 dirhams (about €1–2) is usual. In 2019 the tourist police arrested a snake charmer who had demanded 450 dirhams for one picture, so don't let anyone push you far beyond that.
- Streets and villages: doors, markets and landscapes are fine, but when a person fills the frame, ask. In Chefchaouen the blue lanes are a residential neighbourhood: photograph the walls rather than the residents, unless they agree, and stay off private steps.
- Never: police officers, military sites or sensitive political sites. It is illegal. Drones need a permit, one of the points in our things to know before you go to Morocco.
Affection, modesty and couples
Holding hands is generally fine for couples, and you will see Moroccan friends of the same sex walking hand in hand, a sign of friendship rather than romance. Kissing and cuddling in public are another matter: they embarrass the people around you, and the UK government warns that public displays of affection can lead to prosecution. Keep them for your riad.
Sex outside marriage is illegal for Moroccan nationals, including sharing a hotel room. According to the UK government, this does not generally apply to visiting foreigners, especially in tourist areas. Couples in which one partner is Moroccan are the grey zone: since 2024 hotels are no longer told to ask for a marriage certificate, but practice varies, so check with the hotel before booking.
Same-sex relations are illegal in Morocco. LGBT+ travellers do visit, discreetly; our article on whether Morocco is safe for tourists sets out the laws and the real risks calmly.
Religion: what is expected of a non-Muslim visitor
Nothing beyond respect: nobody expects you to pray or fast. A few habits help:
- Don't walk directly in front of someone who is praying, in a mosque doorway, a shop or by the roadside: go around behind them.
- Keep your voice down near mosques, especially at prayer time, and don't photograph people at prayer.
- Most mosques are open to Muslims only. The exceptions, and how the call to prayer shapes the day, are in our guide to Islam in Morocco for visitors.
- In Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight. For Moroccan Muslims, eating in public during the fast is an offence under article 222 of the penal code; for you it is courtesy, not law. What changes in practice is in visiting Morocco during Ramadan.
- Trying to convert a Muslim (up to three years in prison) and criticising Islam in public (up to two years) are offences.
Saying no without offending
In the medina you will be offered things all day: a guide to the tanneries, a henna tattoo, a look inside a shop. A smile, la, shukran, and walking on is enough. You owe nobody an explanation and there is no need to be rude; a hand on the heart softens the no. If someone insists, repeat it calmly and keep going. Be wary of help you didn't ask for: the "shortcut" that ends in a shop is the classic.
Conversation, time and inshallah
Family, your home country and the places you have seen are easy openers, and so is football: Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, a run people still talk about. Religion and politics are better left out of small talk with people you have just met.
Inshallah ("if God wills") follows almost every mention of the future, from "see you tomorrow" to "the bus leaves at eight". It is meant sincerely, but plans are held loosely: leave slack in your day, and if a time really matters, say so clearly.
Behind much of this sits hshouma (also written hchouma), a word that means both shame and modesty: the unwritten rule of what you don't do in front of others, such as swearing, answering back to your parents, eating in public in Ramadan or kissing in the street. Visitors aren't held to it, but knowing it exists explains a lot.
Tips are part of how many people earn a living: see tipping in Morocco for amounts. Bargaining in the souks is expected and good-humoured, with one rule: once you have agreed on a price, you buy.
FAQ
Is it rude to eat with your left hand in Morocco?
At a shared dish, a little: eat and pass food with your right. With a knife and fork in a restaurant, use your hands as you normally would.
Can couples hold hands in Morocco?
Yes, holding hands is generally fine. Kissing and cuddling in public are not, and can lead to prosecution.
Do women have to cover their hair in Morocco?
No. Many Moroccan women wear a headscarf and many don't, and foreign women are not expected to. Loose clothes covering shoulders and knees are the sensible choice, and a light scarf is handy against sun and dust.
Can I say no to mint tea?
Yes: a hand on the heart and la, shukran. In a home, though, accepting at least one small glass is the gracious thing to do.
If any of this still worries you, ask us on WhatsApp before you travel: no question about customs is a silly one.