Attraction
Jardin Majorelle
Jacques Majorelle's cobalt-blue villa and cactus garden, later owned by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, with a museum of Amazigh culture inside the villa.
There are more things to do in Marrakech than most visitors expect, from the palaces and madrasas of the walled medina to gardens, rooftop bars and day trips into the High Atlas. The old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, centres on Jemaa el-Fnaa, the square where storytellers, musicians and food stalls gather every evening, with the souks spreading north towards the Ben Youssef Madrasa and the palaces and Mellah lying to the south. Outside the walls, Guéliz is the French-built new town of cafés, galleries and the Jardin Majorelle, while Hivernage holds the large resort hotels.
Food is a major reason to come. You can eat slow-roasted mechoui and tanjia at simple counters, classic tagines and pastilla in grand riads, and modern Moroccan cooking on roof terraces overlooking the souks. Three or four days allow time for the main sights, a hammam, a food tour and a sunset drink; with five or more you can add a balloon flight, a cooking class or a trip to the Atlas foothills or the coast at Essaouira.
Attraction
Jacques Majorelle's cobalt-blue villa and cactus garden, later owned by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, with a museum of Amazigh culture inside the villa.
Attraction
A museum devoted to the couturier Yves Saint Laurent, opened in 2017 beside the Jardin Majorelle, with a permanent collection hall, temporary exhibitions, a library and…
Attraction
A late 19th-century palace of around 150 rooms built for the grand viziers Si Musa and Ba Ahmed, known for painted ceilings, zellij and marble courtyards.
Attraction
Marrakech's largest mosque, founded by the Almohads in the 12th century, whose 77-metre minaret is the landmark visible across the medina.
Attraction
A 16th-century Saadian Quranic school, once the largest in the Maghreb, with a marble courtyard, a reflecting pool and 130 former student rooms.
Attraction
The late 16th-century burial complex of the Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur and his family, walled off for centuries and opened to visitors in 1917.
Café
A relaxed café overlooking the medina's spice square, with a roof terrace of low tables and cushions, Moroccan breakfasts, fresh juices and light meals.
Café
An opulent coffee salon inside the Dar El Bacha palace museum, serving a long list of 100 per cent Arabica coffees with pastries and light meals.
Café
A 1920s café-brasserie beside the main post office in Guéliz, restored in 2005, serving French dishes on its palm-lined terrace from morning until late.
Café
A cultural café in a former school building in the Kasbah, known for its camel burger, roof terrace, live music, storytelling nights and workshops.
Café
A café open since 1912 on the edge of Jemaa el-Fnaa, whose upper balconies and terraces give a classic view over the square at sunset.
Café
A tiny coffee stall near the Ben Youssef Madrasa where Saharan-style spiced coffee is brewed in small brass pots set in hot sand.
Hotel
Marrakech's grand palace hotel since 1929, set in historic gardens inside the medina walls, with four restaurants, four bars, a large spa and outdoor pools.
Hotel
A luxury hotel inside the medina walls made up of 53 private riads, each with its own courtyard, set in gardens with a spa and several…
Hotel
A garden resort of around 16 hectares in Hivernage, between the medina and the new town, with several pools, a spa, tennis and padel courts and…
Hotel
A boutique hotel of 41 individually designed rooms near the Koutoubia, with three pools, a large roof terrace with bar and restaurant, a spa and an…
Hotel
An 18th-century riad near Bab Doukkala restored with traditional materials and craftsmen, run as a small luxury hôtel de charme with a spa and restaurant.
Hotel
A boutique riad hotel of eleven rooms and suites opposite the Royal Palace ramparts near El Badi Palace, with a restaurant, spa, hammam and roof gardens.
Bar
A long-running Hivernage restaurant and club combining Moroccan and Mediterranean dinners with belly dancing, live music and DJs every evening until late.
Bar
A rooftop bar and restaurant facing the Koutoubia, serving cocktails, Mediterranean dishes and sushi from late morning until 02:00, with DJs and live music.
Bar
A restaurant, bar and café in a riad on the edge of the Mellah near El Badi Palace, known for sunset drinks and cocktails on its…
Bar
A restaurant and lounge bar in gardens on the Ourika road south of the city, known for Mediterranean fusion cuisine, cocktails, shows and DJs from 20:00…
Bar
A rooftop restaurant and sky bar near Jemaa el-Fnaa with a three-level terrace, Moroccan cuisine, sunset cocktails, tapas and a belly dance show every night at…
Bar
A Guéliz cocktail bar that calls itself Morocco's first mixology bar, using house-made infusions, bitters and spices, with an adjoining restaurant and mixology classes.
Restaurant
A long-established Guéliz restaurant run by an all-female team, serving traditional Moroccan cooking such as pigeon pastilla, tagines and a spread of cooked salads.
Restaurant
A modern Moroccan restaurant just off the spice square in the medina, reworking traditional dishes with fresh seasonal produce, open from noon until 23:00.
Restaurant
La Mamounia's restaurant dedicated to Moroccan cuisine, serving refined versions of traditional dishes under chef Rachid Agouray inside the historic hotel's grounds.
Restaurant
One of the oldest table d'hôte restaurants in Marrakech, serving dinner in a decorated medina house near Bab Doukkala, every evening except Monday.
Restaurant
A simple counter restaurant on the medina's mechoui alley, selling slow-roasted lamb by weight and clay pots of tanjia, eaten with bread, cumin and salt.
Restaurant
A non-profit lunch restaurant in Guéliz where women from difficult backgrounds train as cooks, serving a seasonal Moroccan menu and couscous every Friday.
Thing to do
The medina's main square, recognised by UNESCO for its oral heritage, where juice stalls, performers and storytellers give way to open-air food stalls at night.
Thing to do
A walk through Marrakech's historic Jewish quarter, founded in 1558 beside the royal Kasbah, centred on the Lazama Synagogue and its courtyard.
Thing to do
A walk around the 16th-century Mouassine quarter, centred on its decorated public fountain and mosque complex, between Jemaa el-Fnaa and the northern souks.
Thing to do
The finely carved 12th-century Almohad gate to the royal Kasbah, starting point for a walk along the medina's earthen ramparts in the southern old city.
Thing to do
A vast walled royal estate of orchards and reservoirs south of the medina, founded by the Almohads in the 12th century and listed by UNESCO.
Tour operator
A Marrakech food tour company offering evening street food walks beyond Jemaa el-Fnaa, artisan and snack tours, Ramadan iftars and food-focused day trips.
Tour operator
A hot-air balloon company operating flights over the Marrakech area since 1990, with classic, VIP and private options and a booking office in Guéliz.
Tour operator
A licensed hot-air balloon operator based in Marrakech, flying over the foothills of the High Atlas, Berber villages and valleys near the city.
Tour operator
A cycling social enterprise in the medina that trains young Marrakchis as guides and mechanics, offering guided bike tours of the city and a repair workshop.
Tour operator
Daily Moroccan cooking classes in the garden kitchen of the non-profit Amal association in Targa, where classes support the training of disadvantaged women.
Three or four days cover the medina, the palaces, the Jardin Majorelle and a few good meals; allow five or more to add day trips to the Atlas or Essaouira.
The medina, in a riad near Jemaa el-Fnaa, Mouassine or the Kasbah, puts you close to the sights; Hivernage and Guéliz offer larger hotels, wider streets and easier taxi access.
Marrakech Menara Airport is a short drive from the medina; take a taxi from the official rank, agreeing the fare first, use the airport bus, or arrange a transfer through your hotel or riad.
It can suit most budgets: street food, simple riads and public sights are good value, while luxury hotels, rooftop bars and fine dining are priced at international levels.
Generally yes, with normal precautions: watch for pickpockets in crowds, decline unsolicited guides firmly, agree prices in advance and use a map app in the medina.