Walking Tours
It used to be common to step outside a hotel and find a 'guide' willing to give you a tour around Marrakech for a fee, but these days the tourist police have clamped down on the unlicensed escorts who inevitably guided you to a monument or two by way of a cousin's carpet shop. If you're short on time and exploring the souks solo holds no appeal, ask your hotel or riad to recommend a reliable, knowledgeable guide or get a list of licensed guides from the tourist office. As always, a fee should be negotiated in advance. Visitors shopping in the souks with a guide should be aware that they'll probably get better deals coming back later alone, since most guides have commission arrangements with specific shops. For small groups, MCI Tours, 154 Avenue Mohamed V, Guéliz (tel: (024) 438 742; website: www.mcitours.ma), can arrange various walking tours, such as exploring the medina.

Other Tours
Grands taxis can be hired for tours of the city and day excursions at the ranks in Guéliz by the Post Office or at Jemaa el Fna. It is also possible to hire a calèche for a tour of the town. For both modes of transport the price should be negotiated in advance.

There are scores of travel agents in the streets around place Abdel Moumen ben Ali. Mountain Voyage, 5 Avenue Mohammed V, second floor, Guéliz (tel: (024) 421 996; website: www.travellink-morocco.net), is a licensed British-owned company based in Marrakech that offers tailor-made tours inside the city and trekking excursions in the High Atlas Mountains. There is a growing market in adventurous excursions, such as desert camel journeys, Atlas trekking, and hunting, fishing and white-water rafting in the High Atlas Mountains, but not all companies offer experienced English-speaking guides. Two other reliable companies that do are Inside Morocco Travel (tel: (061) 182 090; website www.insidemoroccotravel.com) and High Country Tours, 6 Residence el Baraka, Boulevard Allal el-Fassi, Guéliz (tel: (024) 332 182).