Which city is better for shopping? Marrakesh or Fes

hi all,

would like to know which city is better for shopping, Marrakesh/Fes? Cos we are deciding which city to be the last stop of the journey, we don't want to carry too much stuff from the very begining of our trip.
We are looking for some Ceramic products, Lamp, leather goods, accessories likes earrings, bangels.......

thx

both are excellent

I would say Fes for most things and the prices are generally slightly lower, especially for ceramics.

Having said that, the notion of "price" in Morocco is a relative concept. It all depends on how well you negotiate and how tough the person trying sell you something is. I would recommend offering ridiculously low prices for what you want. The sellers will come down to a particular level and this will give you some guide as to what a standard tourist price is. Then walk away saying its too much and see what their "final" price is when the seller chases after you... you'll probably still end up paying more than you need to but in the context of US$ or UK£ it doesn't really matter - and the bargaining is half the fun.

Edith is right. But a native Moroccan woman who once was on a tour of Morocco with me kept telling me to wait until we got to Marrakech to shop, because it had the best variety and prices. I have found over the years that is true. But of course you can find great things to buy in any town in Morocco, depending on how hard you shop, how lucky you are and your personal tastes. Strangely, the two items I treasure the most I bought in weekly markets in Merzouga and Zagora. And bargain? Of course. I rarely pay over a third of the original asking price--sometimes less.

Personally, I prefer Marrakech - My Moroccan mother-in-law says Fez is more expensive than Marrakech (for her, a good bargainer). I find prices to be lower in Marrakech because there are so many tourists, whereas in Fez shopkeepers often won't bargain with foreigners much.

On the other hand, Fassi ceramics are of a much higher quality and more "Moroccan" than a lot of what you can find in Marrakech (with exception - Safi/Asfi ceramics are the best, but much of what's in Marrakech is not from there). Fez has much better fabrics (both traditional and non-). The leather is slightly better (although again, a lot of Fez leather is, strangely, sold in Marrakech.

Marrakech has more modern variations on Moroccan products, Fez is more "authentic," generally speaking. Marrakech has a more diverse selection of stuff from all over Morocco, and better small (read: affordable) antiques. Fez has more of those "once-in-a-lifetime" purchases. I prefer the clothes, handbags, and jewelry in Marrakech.

So, obviously, both are great for different reasons.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Personally, I prefer Marrakech - My Moroccan mother-in-law says Fez is more expensive than Marrakech (for her, a good bargainer). I find prices to be lower in Marrakech because there are so many tourists, whereas in Fez shopkeepers often won't bargain with foreigners much.<hr></blockquote> I totally agree & I was told, more than once, that the Fassis would rather not sell something than give a really good price.

Also the feel of the shopping in Fez is very different from Marrakech. Fez is more organised, with more shop like shops. Often you have to go deep into buildings/up stairs to get to the sales rooms. & that's not something I always feel comfortable with.

Marrakech souks were to me, much much more fun, it was more exciting & vibrant. I also got better bargains there...

We didn't want to drag lots and lots of stuff with us when we travelled around the country so we waited till we got to Fez. I really wish I hadn't waited - there was so much stuff/variety I just couldn't find in Fez. I would love to go back to Fez but much more to Marrakech - esp. for shopping.

To me Marrakech was much 'better' all around...