Marrakech

Rooftops, spice and the call to dusk.

Overview

“Get lost on purpose. Every lane ends somewhere good.”

Marrakech is a walled city of rose-coloured clay, where the medina's lanes narrow until you can touch both sides.

By day it hums with craftsmen, spice sellers and the clack of looms.

By dusk the great square fills with smoke, drums and the smell of grilled meat.

Toward the centre: calm, culture, budget, near

When to go

Choose your season.

March

Marrakech in March: weather ideal, crowds busy, prices high.

Darker means more of it. Estimates from each place's best months.

An evening
Jemaa el-Fnaa
The great square: storytellers, musicians and food stalls after dark.
1.5 hours
Majorelle Garden
Cobalt-blue walls and cactus shade, a calm pocket in the city.
1 hour
Bahia Palace
Painted cedar ceilings and quiet courtyards.
1 hour
Ben Youssef Madrasa
A former Islamic college with carved stucco and a tiled courtyard.
45 minutes
Saadian Tombs
Sixteenth-century royal tombs hidden behind the Kasbah wall.

Itinerary

1
Day 1
The square at dusk
Arrive for Jemaa el-Fnaa as the light fades and the square fills with music and smoke.
- Jemaa el-Fnaa
2
Day 2
Palace and tombs
Tour Bahia Palace's painted ceilings, then the quiet Saadian Tombs.
- Bahia Palace
- Saadian Tombs
3
Day 3
Souks and the madrasa
Lose yourself in the souks, then slip into the calm of Ben Youssef Madrasa.
- Ben Youssef Madrasa
4
Day 4
Blue garden
Visit Majorelle Garden for its cobalt walls and cactus shade before the heat builds.
- Majorelle Garden
Day 5
Into the Atlas
Drive to the Ourika Valley or Imlil for a day among Atlas villages and cool mountain air.