Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Post office sign
Centre
A Moroccan bank
Right
Easily available ATMs
Useful Information
!
Business and
end hotels. However, this
may not be the case for
all restaurants in the city.
Some places may decline
your card in the hope
that you will pay cash.
Insist that you have no
other means of payment
and your card may just
be accepted.
spacious, well-equipped
centre in Cyber Espace,
Arset Moulay Abdesslem
(5 Dh per hour).
shopping hours
Although a Muslim
country, much of
Morocco follows a
Monday to Friday
working week. Business
hours for banks are
8:15am-3:45pm Monday
to Friday (9:30am-2pm
during Ramadan). Shops
start their day a bit later
but stay open until 8pm
or 9pm. On Fridays, the
shops in the souks stay
shut at lunchtime.
*
Post offices
The main post office
on Place du 16 Novembre
in Guéliz opens from
8am-4:15pm Monday-
Friday and from 8:30am-
noon on Saturday. There
is also a post office on
the south side of Jemaa
El Fna with the same
opening times and
outside public phones.
For all international
express parcel post, the
Amana Bureau Guéliz is
open from 8am-6:15pm
Monday-Saturday and
there is Chronoposte on
Avenue Hassan II.
Stamps are also available
at the local tobacconists.
%
Mobile phones
National operator
Maroc-Télécom and rival
Meditél both have
arrangements with
European networks that
allow visitors to use
mobiles in Morocco.
Calls will, of course, be
expensive. If you are
visiting for a long period,
buy a pre-paid SIM card
from either of the oper-
ators, with shops just off
Place du 16 Novembre in
the New City.
^
International
@
Currency
The Moroccan unit of
currency is the dirham
(Dh), divided into 100
centimes; centimes are
of little value but beggars
are grateful for them. The
most useful coins are the
denominations of 1 Dh, 5
Dh and 10 Dh. These are
really handy when travell-
ing by taxis. Notes are in
denominations of 20, 50,
100 and 200 dirhams.
Always try to have a stock
of 10 Dh coins for taxis.
£
Banks and ATMs
(
Poste restante
The main post office
in Marrakech offers a free
poste restante service.
All mail should bear the
first name and surname
of the recipient, as well
as the post office add-
ress. You will need some
form of identification
when collecting mail.
phone booths
For overseas calls, use
one of the
téléboutiques
(phone offices) dotting
the medina, identified by
large blue-and-white
signs with a telephone
handset. The phones take
5 Dh and 10 Dh coins;
get change from the
person manning the
desk. You can use the
street cardphones with
phonecards from post
offices or
tabacs
. The
international access code
from Morocco is 00.
Banks are clustered
on Rue de Bab Agnaou in
the medina and Place
Abdel Moumen Ben Ali in
the New City. Most of
the banks have automatic
cash dispensers (ATMs),
most of which give cash
if your card is part of the
Cirrus, Maestro or Visa
networks. Cash is issued
in dirhams only.
$
Credit cards
)
Shipping and
couriers
Many shops offer a
shipping service for
overseas customers,
however, it is advisable
to take care of the
arrangements yourself.
The parcel office is
located next door to the
main post office on the
Place du 16 Novembre.
&
Internet access
There are internet
centres off Jemaa El Fna,
but the best one is a
Credit cards are
accepted by most high-
105
To call Morocco from abroad, dial 00 212 + number; Marrakech area
code is 0524; always dial 10 digits when ringing within the city.
