Things to do in Marrakech: 15 ideas, from the medina to the desert

The top 5 if you only have a day or two

1. Jemaa el-Fna at sunset, from a rooftop, then dinner at the food stalls.
2. The souks, the maze of covered markets north of the square.
3. The Majorelle Garden and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum next to it.
4. The Bahia Palace, for its painted ceilings and tiled courtyards.
5. An evening in the Agafay desert: a camel or quad ride, the sunset, dinner and a fire show.

The details of each are below, with ten more ideas and a plan for 1, 2 or 3 days.

In the medina: the square, the souks and the mosque

The old walled city, the medina, is where most of the sights are. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you see it best on foot.

1. Jemaa el-Fna

The big square at the heart of the medina. By day there are juice carts and snake charmers; from late afternoon the food stalls go up, and musicians and storytellers gather until late. Read what to do in Marrakech at night for the evening on the square.

2. The souks

North of the square, a maze of covered lanes sorted by craft: leather, lanterns, spices, carpets, slippers. Prices are rarely fixed, so bargain with a smile and walk away if it feels wrong. Getting lost is part of the visit; an offline map helps you get back.

3. The Koutoubia Mosque

Its 77 m minaret, built in the 12th century, is the landmark you will steer by all week (Wikipedia). Non-Muslims cannot go inside, but you can walk around it and through the gardens beside it.

4. The Ben Youssef Madrasa

A former Quranic school completed in the 1560s, with carved cedar, stucco and tiles around a courtyard and pool, and the small rooms where students lived.

5. Le Jardin Secret

A restored palace garden hidden in the souks: a quiet courtyard of fountains and plants, and a tower with a view over the rooftops. A good pause between two walks in the markets.

Palaces and tombs

6. The Bahia Palace

Built from the 1860s to 1900 for two grand viziers, Si Musa and his son Ba Ahmed (Wikipedia). Painted cedar ceilings, zellige tiles and courtyards with orange trees. It gets busy: go at opening time.

7. The Saadian Tombs

The burial place of the Saadian sultans, from the late 16th century, walled up for centuries and rediscovered in 1917 (Wikipedia). The main hall is small, so there is often a short queue.

8. The El Badi Palace

Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur started this palace in 1578. Today it is a huge ruin of red walls and sunken gardens, with storks nesting on top, and very few crowds.

These three are close together in the south of the medina, so you can see them in one morning. Bring cash in dirhams for the tickets.

Gardens and museums

9. The Majorelle Garden and the YSL Museum

The painter Jacques Majorelle created this garden of cactus, bamboo and his famous deep blue; Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé later bought and saved it (Wikipedia). The Yves Saint Laurent Museum next door opened in 2017.

• Tickets are sold online only, on the official ticket site. Tickets bought elsewhere may not get you in.
• The garden is open every day from 8:00 to 17:30 (last entry 17:00). The museum opens from 10:00 to 18:00 and is closed on Wednesdays.
• Go at 8:00, before the tour groups.

10. The Menara Gardens

Olive groves around a large basin with a pavilion, and on clear days the snowy Atlas behind it. A calm walk and a classic photo at the end of the afternoon.

Experiences: hammam, cooking and a balloon

11. A hammam

The Moroccan steam bath, with black soap and a scrub that leaves your skin new. Choose a simple neighbourhood hammam or a spa hammam in a riad or hotel, often with a massage.

12. A cooking class

Many riads and cooking schools run half-day classes: a walk through the market for the spices, then you cook a tagine and eat it.

13. A hot air balloon at sunrise

You are picked up before dawn and float over the plains outside the city as the sun comes up over the Atlas. Book a day or two ahead, and keep a spare morning in case the wind cancels the flight.

14. An evening in the Agafay desert

The desert is closer than most people think. The Agafay desert, a stone desert of golden hills, is about 45 minutes from Marrakech. You leave in the early afternoon, ride a quad or a camel, watch the sun set over the Atlas, then have dinner at a camp with Gnawa music and a fire show. You're back in the city the same night.

Our sunset camel ride and dinner costs 250 DH (about €23) per person, and the full desert evening, with a quad ride, costs 350 DH (about €32). Both include transport from our free meeting points in Marrakech. Rather drive yourself? There are buggies by the hour. To compare an evening with a night in a camp, read Agafay desert camps.

Full desert evening350 DH · per personSee details →Sunset camel and dinner250 DH · per personSee details →Buggy rideFrom 1,200 DH · 2-seat buggy, 1 hourSee details →

15. A day in the mountains or by the ocean

With 3 days or more, take a day out of the city:

• Imlil and the Atlas, about 1.5 hours: Berber villages, walnut trees and views of Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak.
• The Ourika valley, about 1.5 hours: a river, small waterfalls and lunch at a riverside café.
• The Ouzoud waterfalls, about 3 hours: Morocco's best-known falls.
• Essaouira, 2.5 to 3 hours: the ocean, a walled port town and grilled fish.

Distances, times and how to choose are in our guide to day trips from Marrakech. For the Sahara's big dunes, which need 3 days, read the Sahara or Agafay?

How many days do you need?

1 day

The Majorelle Garden at 8:00, then the Bahia Palace. Lunch in the medina, an afternoon in the souks, sunset from a rooftop above Jemaa el-Fna, dinner at the food stalls.

2 days

Day 1 as above. Day 2: the Ben Youssef Madrasa and Le Jardin Secret in the morning, then an evening in the Agafay desert. Pickup is between 13:00 and 15:00, and you're back at about 20:00 in winter.

3 days

Add the Saadian Tombs and the El Badi Palace, a hammam, and either a cooking class or a day trip to the Atlas or Essaouira.

Good to know

• Cash: most sights, the souks and the food stalls want dirhams in cash. Keep small notes.
• Go early: the palaces and Majorelle are calmest at opening time. The middle of the day is hot from May to September.
• Clothes: in the medina, covering shoulders and knees is respectful and avoids attention. Bring a warm layer for winter evenings.
• Fake guides: if someone says a street is closed and offers to guide you, say no thanks and keep walking.
• When to go: spring and autumn are the most comfortable. Winter is mild and sunny by day; read Marrakech in December.

Things to do in Marrakech: your questions