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Blondie in Morocco

August 30, 2017

Ultimate guide to cycling in Marrakech

morocco blondie bicycle africa cycling

bicycle morocco marrakech girl cyclist sycling market

I had lived in Amsterdam before I moved to Marrakech. No wonder why, on my second day in the city, I  bought a bike.

It worried me, though, how I will manage to cycle in the hectic streets of Marrakech. This city has so many more forms of transportation. Mopeds, motorcycles, donkey carts, horse and carriages – all like to use their own rules like a constant horn blowing and hand gestures. Even pedestrians cross the streets anywhere. Besides, in Amsterdam, cars always stop at the red light. In Marrakech – not necessary.

It took me a few days to get used to the local cycling rules. Even though the traffic in the streets looks disorganised, in this chaos everyone knows its place. In Marrakech, bicycle roads are not everywhere. So, it is a good idea to recall your car driving skills (I have my driving license for 10 years, but rarely use it).

Where to park your bike in Marrakech? Leaving it attached to something in the street is a significant risk. You must look for a special guard that takes care of cars, bikes, scooters for a 2-3 DH fee. How does it work? First, look for a place with many bikes/scooters, and next to it you will see a guard with a safety vest. Say “hi”, show your bike, and he will lead you to the best parking spot. Often, they will mark your seat with white chalk and will give you some paper. In Medina, there are many parking garages, be careful, they get full speedy, and your bike can be hidden under a dozen of others.

Where did I buy my bicycle? I bought my bike in the Bab El Khemis flea market. In this large souk, you can find all sorts of old things. It has workshops making furniture, bedding, pottery and metalwork alongside the market stalls and individuals with their wares laid out on the ground. 

My first bike cost 700 DH, and it was a good catch. My current motorcycle cost 1200 DH (around 100 euro), and I have no regrets. It is a great Dutch-style city bike, almost new, with gears, front basket and locks. Even more, the seller also gave me the receipt with an original bike number, so it is a very legal, registered beauty.

Marrakech is the first city in the African continent having the functioning bike-sharing scheme! The Medina Bike Marrakesh project is launched in partnership with UNIDO, GEF, the Ministry for the Environment of the Kingdom of Morocco and the town of Marrakesh. Medina Bike is an entity of the system operator Estates Vision, working in partnership with Smoove SAS, the bike-sharing specialist. This project was organised for COP22, the UN Climate Change Conference, which took place on November 2016, in Marrakesh.

The project installed 320 brand new bikes and around 12 stations in locations, such as Koutoubia or Majorelle Garden. Bicycles are available 24/7; you will need your credit card.  A day pass cost 50 Dh and annual one  – 500 Dh. More information here.

 

Regarding the bicycle tours in Marrakech, I would recommend the Pikala Bikes project.  They bring old bicycles from Holland to Marrakech and refurbish them here to use them for social bicycle projects. Pikala bikes also offer professional bicycle tours.

Photo by Facebook.com/pikalabikes

Another company, doing bicycle tours in Marrakech, is the Baja Bikes, organising fun bike tours in over 150 cities worldwide.  You can book a bicycle tour in Marrakech here.

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TAGS:bicyclesbicycles marrakechbicycles moroccobike tours moroccocycling marrakechcycling toursmarrakechmorocco
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4 Comments
  • Bike Inquire
    November 30, 2017

    This is really amusing article. I like this kind of informative article.. Marrakech is the starting point to start the cycling in Africa.

    Reply
  • Ryan
    February 27, 2018

    Marrakech gives off the impression of being an exotic place, yet it seems the cycling infrastructure is pretty decent! Thanks for the post!

    Reply
  • Nick Lipkowski
    March 2, 2018

    Thank you for this very informative site. Nice to learn that Marrakech is a bike friendly city.

    Reply
  • Vernon Davis
    August 28, 2019

    Places are wonderful for biking. I see from the article pictures many many Best City Bikes around the Marrakech. I really get information about biking in Marrakech. Thanks!

    Reply

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Salam, my name is Rasa, and I call myself Blondie in Morocco. Originally from Lithuania, I am a journalist, freelance blogger, cinema maniac, communication manager, ideas generator and slow traveller. For five years, I live in Marrakesh, a city that somehow maintains my love for it, even when the temperature hits 50°C.

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  • 5 star review  Geriausias sprendimas keliaujant į Maroką buvo pasirinkti Rasos rekomenduotą 3 dienų kelionę į dykumą - super smagūs nuotykiai, besikeičianti gamta ir neišdildomi įspūdžiai garantuoti! Ačiū Rasai už kantrybę ir pagalbą dėliojant maršrutą po šalį - labai greitai ir išsamiai atsako į iškilusius klausimus. Rekomenduoju!

    Agnė Svetlauskaitė Avatar Agnė Svetlauskaitė
    June 5, 2018
  • positive review  Rekomenduoju! Viskas vyko labai sklandžiai, džiaugiuosi jog susisiekiau :)

    Kristina Šeiningaitė Avatar Kristina Šeiningaitė
    September 21, 2018
  • 5 star review  Aciu, ekskursijos buvo nuostabios :-)

    Justina Samsonova Avatar Justina Samsonova
    July 2, 2018
  • 5 star review  Super blondinė! Suorganizavo viska greitai ir be problemu, o laiko buvo tik kelios dienos! Mes jau buvom beveik nosis nukabinę, kadangi viena pažintinė kelionė vos nenuėjo šuniui ant uodegos, kuria užsisakėm per kita žinoma firma.. Viskas super! Kelionės, įspūdžiai, gidai!!! Ačiū dar karta �� Bandėm keliauti ir vieni patys pagal Rasos aprašymus bei informacija! (Taghazout, Anza beach-super! Matėm ir dinozauru pėdsakus!) P. S. Noriu grįžti!

    Agnė Ir Kazys Avatar Agnė Ir Kazys
    June 22, 2018
  • positive review  100% rekomenduoju, greita, konkretu, nereikia del nieko sukti galvos! 🇲🇦😍💫

    Evelina Benetytė Avatar Evelina Benetytė
    August 23, 2018
  • 5 star review  Thank you Rasa for all answered questions and help for excursions bookings. Everythink was perfect and on time. We had a briliant time in Morocco!

    Nerijus Pilipavičius Avatar Nerijus Pilipavičius
    April 30, 2018
  • 5 star review  Ačiū Rasai už pagalbą susidėliojant turus ir patarimus ką aplankyti ir pamatyti. Pasirinkome tris turus - Essaoirą, Saharą, Ouzoud krioklius. Kiekvienas iš jų labai skirtingi ir leido pamatyti kuo įvairesnį Maroką - nuo jūrų uosto, turgaus,įvairių žmonių žmonių iki gamtos stebuklų - kalnų, krioklių, oazių ir pačios Saharos dykumos. 7 D. kelionė nei trupučio neprailgo ir nevargino nors didelė dalis laiko praleista autobuse, bet vaizdai pro langą nuolat keitėsi ir vis kaustė dėmesį.

    Aurimas Kupp Avatar Aurimas Kupp
    March 16, 2018
  • positive review  Strongly recommend trips in Morocco by Rasa!!! Safety+profesional guides+modern cars+bonuses with stops in wonderful places (ex. trip Agadir-Es Soueira)😉👍

    Jevgenija Zacharova Avatar Jevgenija Zacharova
    February 16, 2019
  • positive review  Thanks for quick responce. She was very helpful with planning our trip in Marocco. 🌞

    Edgaras Galminas Avatar Edgaras Galminas
    November 6, 2019
  • 5 star review  Mėgstame keliauti ir seniai svajojome apie Maroką, Sacharos dykumą.Šiemet pagaliau pavyko vasario 15-23d. išvykti į kelionę (12 keliautojų). Didžiulis ačiū Rasai už pagalbą organizuojant ekskursijas, pervežimus. Labai džiaugiamės, kad atskridome į Marakešą, o parskridome iš Agadiro. Pavyko pamatyti labai daug.Ilgam išliks įspūdžiai iš Marakešo, kelionė prie krioklių, išvyka (3 dienų) į dykumą, Essaouirą, krokodilų parką. Puikiai pailsėjome prie vandenyno Agadire. Visur vežė malonūs vairuotojai, pasitikdavo puikūs vadovai. Stebėjomės jų nuoširdumu, paslaugumu. Norintiems keliauti rekomenduoju Rasos pagalbą. Labai greit ir nuoširdžiai atsako, padeda. Mes dar ilgai nepamiršime kelionės, o gal dar sykį atvyksime į spalvingąjį Maroką. Ačiū Rasai.

    Albina Jasinskaitė Avatar Albina Jasinskaitė
    March 1, 2018
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