Marrakech travel guide
Riads, souks and the square that never sleeps
Marrakech is Morocco's best-known city: a walled medina of souks and riads, Jemaa el-Fnaa square, and gardens in the shadow of the Atlas. Visit in spring or autumn; three days suits the city, and more if you head into the mountains or the desert. Costs are moderate, and many passports enter Morocco without a visa.
Marrakech lies on a plain at the foot of the High Atlas, whose snow-capped ridges are visible from the city on clear winter days. The Almoravids founded it around 1070, and it gave its name to the whole country. Its red-walled medina has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.
The medina still works as a city, not a museum. Narrow lanes lead past mosques, bakeries and workshops into the souks, where leather, brass and wool are sold by trade. Many visitors stay in riads, traditional houses built around an inner courtyard, behind plain doors that give no hint of what lies inside.
At the centre sits Jemaa el-Fnaa, the great square that changes character through the day. Juice sellers and henna artists work it by morning; at dusk, food stalls, storytellers and musicians take over. The 12th-century Koutoubia minaret, about 77 m tall, stands just beyond it and remains the city's main landmark.
Outside the walls, Gueliz is the French-built new town of boulevards, galleries and cafes, and the Majorelle Garden lies on its edge. The September 2023 earthquake damaged parts of the old city and many villages in the mountains, and restoration work continues on some monuments.
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Top things to do in Marrakech
Palaces, gardens, madrasas and markets, most inside or just outside the medina walls.
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Best time to visit Marrakech
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Warm and green, with snow still on the Atlas peaks; the most popular season.
Pleasant days and good conditions for mountain and desert trips.
Sunny days but cold nights; riads can be chilly.
Very hot in the afternoon; locals and visitors move to the mountains or the coast.
Easter and the late-October holidays bring big European crowds, so book well-located riads early for those weeks.
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Getting there
Menara airport and the rail line north
Marrakech Menara Airport lies just south-west of the city, with direct flights from much of Europe and the Gulf. Taxis and the airport bus reach the medina quickly. The railway station in Gueliz connects the city with Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier, with changes for the high-speed line north.
- Marrakech Menara (RAK)
- South-west of the city, a short taxi ride
- ONCF trains
- To Casablanca, Rabat, Fes and Tangier
- Supratours and CTM buses
- To Essaouira, Agadir and the south
- Riad pick-up
- Recommended for first arrivals in the medina
- Agree taxi fares before you get in, or use the official airport taxi rates.
- Carts and porters wait at medina gates to carry luggage to riads; settle the price first.
- Arrive by daylight the first time; medina lanes are hard to follow at night.
Where to stay
Riads in the medina or hotels in Gueliz
For atmosphere, stay in a riad inside the medina, where courtyard rooms surround a fountain or a garden. Quarters near Jemaa el-Fnaa are lively; the Kasbah and Mouassine areas are calmer. Gueliz and Hivernage, outside the walls, offer larger hotels with pools and easier taxi access.
- Mouassine
- Central medina, near the souks and Le Jardin Secret
- Kasbah
- Near the Saadian Tombs and the royal palace; quieter
- Gueliz
- New town with cafes, galleries and the train station
- Palmeraie
- Resort hotels and villas in the palm groves
- Check how far the riad is from the nearest street for taxis.
- Rooftop terraces are the reason to choose some riads; ask for photos.
Getting around
Walking the medina, taxis outside
Inside the walls, walking is the only practical way to get around, and getting lost is part of the experience. Petit taxis, small beige cars, cover trips to Gueliz, the Majorelle Garden and the station. Calèches, horse-drawn carriages, wait near Jemaa el-Fnaa for slow rides around the ramparts.
- On foot
- Jemaa el-Fnaa to the Ben Youssef Madrasa through the souks
- Petit taxi
- Medina to Gueliz or Majorelle
- Calèche
- Tours of the walls and gardens
- City buses
- Run along the main boulevards
- Ask drivers to use the meter.
- Ignore unsolicited guides who offer to show you the way.
Know before you go
The best of Marrakech, and what visitors wish they had known first.
Why travelers love it
- Jemaa el-Fnaa at dusk, seen from a rooftop cafe as the food stalls light their grills.
- The Ben Youssef Madrasa, its carved cedar and stucco courtyard reopened after restoration.
- The Bahia Palace, a 19th-century vizier's residence of painted ceilings and tiled courtyards.
- Breakfast in a riad courtyard, with msemen, honey and mint tea.
- The Menara gardens at sunset, the pavilion reflected in its pool with the Atlas behind.
Good to know
- Touts are persistent. A polite, firm 'no, thank you' works best.
- Ask before photographing people, including performers in the square, who expect a tip.
- Dress modestly in the medina; shoulders and knees covered is respectful.
- Haggle with a smile. Bargaining is expected and should stay friendly.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Marrakech, month by month
Marrakech is dry most of the year, with hot summers and cool winter nights; the panel has each month's averages.
Climate figures are long-term averages for Marrakech Menara Airport, 1991 to 2020 (NOAA, Deutscher Wetterdienst and Meteo Climat, via Wikipedia).
Three days in the medina and beyond
Three days in Marrakech allow for the main monuments, the souks and a garden or two at an unhurried pace. Start early each day, rest in the afternoon heat, and return to the streets in the evening.
Day one. Walk from the Koutoubia gardens into the square, then lose yourself in the souks to the north. Stop at Le Jardin Secret, a restored riad garden, and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, a 16th-century Quranic school.
Day two. Head south to the Kasbah for the Saadian Tombs, rediscovered in 1917, and the ruined El Badi Palace, then visit the Bahia Palace and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter.
Day three. Take a taxi to the Majorelle Garden and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, opened in 2017, then spend the afternoon in Gueliz. End the trip with a hammam and a last dinner overlooking the square.
Tagine, tanjia and the night market
Marrakech is one of Morocco's great food cities. Tagine, stewed slowly in a cone-lidded clay pot, comes with chicken and preserved lemon, lamb and prunes, or seasonal vegetables.
The city's own dish is tanjia, beef or lamb sealed in a tall clay urn with spices and left for hours in the ashes of a hammam furnace. Look for it in small restaurants near the souks.
At night, the food stalls of Jemaa el-Fnaa serve grilled meat, harira soup, snails and fried fish at shared benches. Prices should be shown; check before you sit down. For something calmer, the rooftop restaurants around the square and in the Kasbah serve Moroccan menus with views of the Koutoubia.
Atlas valleys, the desert and the coast
Marrakech makes an easy base for trips into very different landscapes, from snowy peaks to sand and sea.
Imlil, in the High Atlas, is the starting point for treks and for ascents of Jebel Toubkal, North Africa's highest mountain. Nearer the city, the Ourika valley has Berber villages, riverside cafes and walks to waterfalls.
The Agafay desert, a stony plateau south-west of the city, hosts camps for sunset dinners and nights under canvas. For true sand dunes, multi-day tours cross the Atlas via the fortified village of Aït Benhaddou to Merzouga.
West, the windswept port of Essaouira has a whitewashed medina, fresh fish and a cooler climate, welcome in summer.
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How we research our Marrakech travel guide
Sites, transport and visa rules are checked against the Moroccan National Tourist Office and UNESCO. Climate figures come from long-term airport records.
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Checked against trusted sources:
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answers to the questions travellers ask most before visiting Marrakech.
Visa & documents
Citizens of the EU, the UK, the US, Canada and many other countries can stay up to 90 days without a visa. Check the rules for your passport.
Getting there
A short taxi ride, about 15 to 20 minutes. Many riads arrange a pick-up, which helps because cars cannot reach most medina lanes.
General
No, the mosque is open only to Muslims. Visitors can walk around the gardens and view the minaret from outside.
Prices in the souks are rarely fixed. Decide what an item is worth to you, start well below the first offer and walk away politely if needed.
Yes, especially early in the morning. Book timed tickets online, and add the Yves Saint Laurent Museum next door.
The dirham is a closed currency, so you buy and spend it inside the country. Change leftovers back at the airport before you leave.
Supratours and CTM buses take about three hours to the coast. Shared and private taxis are faster but cost more.
A Marrakchi dish of beef or lamb slow-cooked with spices, preserved lemon and garlic in a clay urn, traditionally in the embers of a hammam furnace.
Yes. Imlil, the Ourika valley and the Agafay desert are all within about an hour and a half by road.
Inside the walls, walking is the only practical way to get around, and getting lost is part of the experience. Petit taxis, small beige cars, cover trips to Gueliz, the Majorelle Garden and the station. Calèches, horse-drawn carriages, wait near Jemaa el-Fnaa for slow rides around the ramparts.
Marrakech is best known for:
- Jemaa el-Fnaa at dusk, seen from a rooftop cafe as the food stalls light their grills
- The Ben Youssef Madrasa, its carved cedar and stucco courtyard reopened after restoration
- The Bahia Palace, a 19th-century vizier's residence of painted ceilings and tiled courtyards
- Breakfast in a riad courtyard, with msemen, honey and mint tea
- The Menara gardens at sunset, the pavilion reflected in its pool with the Atlas behind
For atmosphere, stay in a riad inside the medina, where courtyard rooms surround a fountain or a garden. Quarters near Jemaa el-Fnaa are lively; the Kasbah and Mouassine areas are calmer. Gueliz and Hivernage, outside the walls, offer larger hotels with pools and easier taxi access.
Timing & weather
March to May and October to November, when days are warm and evenings mild. Summer highs often reach the upper 30s.
July is the warmest month in Marrakech, with average highs of 38°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 6°C. March is the wettest month, at about 35 mm of rain; July is the driest. Marrakech is dry most of the year, with hot summers and cool winter nights; the panel has each month's averages.
Health & safety
Hassle in the medinas is a bigger issue in Morocco than crime. Persistent touts, unofficial guides and scams are the main annoyances. Women travelers may face unwanted attention.
