In Fes, the small gift of thanks — baksheesh — is woven into how the medina runs; it was never invented for visitors. Handled with a light touch it stays quiet, warm and modest. Handled clumsily it turns a kind moment into theatre. What follows is exactly what we brief our own guests on, in hard numbers, from the gates of Bab Boujloud out to the edge of the Sahara.
Private medina guides
A Fassi guide earns a licence the hard way — years of study and state exams — and the best of them can turn nine thousand confusing lanes into a story you remember for life. For a full day on foot through Fes el-Bali, the figure the city itself uses is US$15–25 per guest per day, slipped over folded at the door as you part. When a guide-driver carries you across the imperial north for several days, pool US$10–20 per guest per day and hand it over together at the end.
Drivers
One simple shuttle from Fès–Saïs airport to your riad: US$3–5 covers it. A whole day behind the wheel — out to the Roman mosaics of Volubilis and Moulay Ismail's Meknès and back — is US$10–15 from the group. Spread a chauffeured route over several days and budget US$10–15 per day from everyone together, settled at the final drop-off.
Riad & hotel staff
- The person who shoulders your bag up the stepped derb: US$1–2 per bag.
- Housekeeping: US$2–3 per night, tucked under the pillow.
- Riad host or front of house: US$5–10 on departure if they fixed your taxis, dinner tables and the names of the right maâlems to visit.
- The breakfast cook: round the tab up, or leave 10 MAD on the tray.
Restaurants & cafés
A service charge is usually already sitting on the bill. Add 5–10% when the kitchen has done well by you. In a tiled café watching the crowds pour down Talaa Kbira, leaving the coins is plenty. In a grand riad dining room, 10% reads as handsome.
Sahara camp crews & camel handlers
After a night under the dunes, collect US$10–15 per guest and give it to the camp manager to split among the cooks, the drummers and the crew who pitched your tent. The men leading the camels are glad of US$2–3 placed in the hand.
Hammam, cooking class & workshop hosts
For a private hammam scrub, 50–100 MAD per attendant. For a morning learning pastilla and tagine in a family kitchen, US$10 per guest. And for the maâlems who open their benches to you — the zellige cutter, the weaver, the tanner of Chouara — US$5–10 per guest on top of whatever the visit cost.
Cash, currency & etiquette
- Tip in cash only — a tip added to a card never finds the staff.
- Dirhams (MAD) sit best in the hand. Small dollar or euro notes pass; coins from beyond the Eurozone are worthless here.
- Pass notes folded, or in an envelope, and don't make a show of counting them.
- If the service genuinely let you down, leaving nothing is understood — no one will be wounded by it.
- Resist tipping at every turn. Reward an unasked-for "guide" in the lanes and you will collect a tail of them for the rest of the afternoon.
The whole thing, on one card
| Service | Suggested tip |
|---|---|
| Full-day private guide | US$15–25 / guest / day |
| Multi-day private driver-guide | US$10–20 / guest / day |
| Airport transfer driver | US$3–5 |
| Riad housekeeping | US$2–3 / night |
| Riad manager (end of stay) | US$5–10 |
| Restaurants | 5–10% on top |
| Sahara camp crew (per night) | US$10–15 / guest |
| Camel handler | US$2–3 |
| Hammam therapist | 50–100 MAD |
Frequently asked
How much do you tip a private tour guide in Morocco?
A licensed Fassi guide who walks you through Fes el-Bali for the day is worth US$15–25 per guest per day — that is the figure locals settle on. If the same guide-driver stays with you across several days of imperial-cities touring, US$10–20 per guest per day, pooled at the finish, lands generously.
How much do you tip a driver in Morocco?
A single run between the airport and your riad door warrants US$3–5. A full day at the wheel — say a Volubilis and Meknès loop — is US$10–15 from the group. Stretch that over a multi-day route and US$10–15 per day from everyone together is the going rate.
Do you tip in Fes riads and hotels?
Yes, and the sums are tiny. Reckon on US$1–2 per bag for whoever hauls your luggage up the stepped derbs to the riad, US$2–3 a night for housekeeping tucked under a pillow, and US$5–10 at checkout for the riad host who lined up your petit-taxis, dinner tables and guides.
How much do you tip in Moroccan restaurants?
Service has usually been folded into the bill already. Add 5–10% for a kitchen that looked after you. In a tiled café off Talaa Kbira, leaving the loose coins behind is all anyone expects.
Should you tip in cash or by card?
Cash, every time, and dirhams (MAD) for preference. Small dollar or euro notes get accepted but they are a nuisance to break. Coins minted outside the Eurozone are dead weight — no Fassi bank will touch them.
Do you tip Sahara camp staff and camel handlers?
Yes. After an overnight in the dunes, gather US$10–15 per guest and pass it to the camp manager to divide among the cooks, drummers and tent crew. The men who lead the camels are happy with US$2–3 handed straight over.
Planning a trip?
Let us take the guesswork out of who gets what.
Every Fes & Imperial Cities trip ships with a single-page tipping card — the medina names, the right numbers, the moments that matter — and your Fassi trip lead stays reachable throughout, so you never have to wonder mid-souk.
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