Tipping might be considered rude or offensive in some cultures but tipping in Morocco is regarded as a generous and appreciated gesture.
In fact, not tipping is considered offensive sometimes in Morocco.
There is no rule that obliges people to tip in Morocco, and nobody should force you to do so. It's just a generous act to show gratitude to people for their hard work and their good service.
Tipping is significantly part of the Moroccan culture, it is even a daily habit of Many people in Morocco.
Due to the low salary range of some jobs, many workers in Morocco rely on tips to help them cope up with their daily living expenses.
Many travellers who don't come from a tipping culture, find tipping very confusing. They don’t know who and when to tip, and how much is good enough for a tip.
Based on my personal info as a Moroccan I am providing you in this post with useful information to help you get familiar with the culture of tipping in Morocco, and also to help you avoid any sort of confusion during your stay in Morocco.
Is tipping expected in Morocco
Yes, especially in all the services that are related to tourism, if you sit somewhere to sip a coffee; a tip is highly expected from the waiter.
Tour guides, drivers, room service are all services where tipping is expected in Morocco.
Here is some practical information about how to tip and how much to tip in some places while in Morocco:
Cafes & restaurants
As in many countries in the world waiters in Morocco expect tips. This job pays very low in this country no matter how fancy the place is. In some places, that's how waiters get paid. They work with no salary they just work for tips.
If ever in a cafe or a restaurant in Morocco and you felt like tipping, 10% of the bill is usually expected, 20% or more would be very appreciated.
When having a cup of coffee with 10dh-15dh it's very acceptable to leave 2dh-3dh as a tip.
If you were in a fancy place and the bill was 500dh or so and the service was good, it would be rude to leave less than 30dh as a tip for the waiter.
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Spas & hammams:
Tips are highly expected in spas and hammams in Morocco. You normally pay a fee for their services but you are also expected to leave tips for the masseuse and the Hammam attendant.
For a 200dh massage session, 50dh will be highly appreciated.
For a full-body scrub, it would be rude if you leave less than 50dh for the person that does the scrubbing.
Drivers
Tour drivers: If you enjoyed the driving of your tour driver and noticed that they made sure you feel amused and safe during the tour. It would be nice to leave a tip. Tour drivers expect 100dh to 200dh tip but anything more than 50dh is acceptable.
Taxi drivers: Moroccans don't usually tip taxi drivers, it's not a common thing in Morocco. People normally pay what the meter shows.
Tour Guides
If you get a personal tour guide, they would expect a good tip at the end of their service. They will make sure to provide you with all the information you need, take you to the most interesting places. But what you should know is that they are going to take commissions of everything you buy from the shops they take you to, and they're not expecting you to count those commissions as tips.
Hotel staff
Room service: If you received a good room service, your room was clean and the towels were clean and soft and changed in time. It would be nice to tip the person in charge. Just make sure you hand the money directly to the intended person. You will never know if the money will reach them or not if you left it in the room after the check-out. They might not be the same person that checks the room after your departure.
Toilet attendants
In restaurants, bus stations, and parks there is usually no fee to use the toilets, but it's a common thing in Morocco to leave few dirhams for the person that keep the toilets clean, provide toilet papers, etc...
Delivery guy
It's common to tip the delivery guy 10dh to 20dh no matter how much the bill is.
Car washers
If it happens that somebody offers to wash your car in the street (usually street parking guardians) anything more than 20dh is acceptable.
Photos
: Sometimes you would feel amazed by the well-decorated shops in the old medinas, or by the snake charmers and would like to take photos. Tip them first then take photos. They might ask for 50dh or 100dh but 10dh-20h is okay for a couple of photos.
This post is intended to help people that would like to be familiar with the tipping culture in Morocco. No one should ever feel obliged to give tips or embarrassed for not leaving tips. It's only a nice gesture to thank people for their good service.
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I was in Morroco for 3 weeks on vacation. While there, I stayed in Rabat, visited Fez, and Marrakech. I like the different cities and activities. I was very agitated by the beggars, the high cost of items that people wanted to sell items. That was very disappointing and dishonest. I didn’t appreciate people trying to force you to buy even when you continually say, no thank you. Then they will say, it’s to help my family. Morroco is a nice country to visit and tour, but the beggars, and dishonest vendors makes you not want to go to the Medina. We did come across some good people that were honest, but they were very few.