Things to Do in Marrakech

Details

About each place in Marrakech

14 of 26 places have a photo of the place itself so far. The others show none rather than a stand-in.

Jemaa el-Fnaa

Square, 1.5 h, best late afternoon or evening

The main square of the Marrakech medina, and still where locals and visitors both end up. By day it holds orange-juice carts and stalls; from late afternoon the food grills, musicians and storytellers take over. UNESCO lists the square's tradition of storytelling and performance as intangible heritage.

Near: Souk Semmarine (240 m), Mouassine Museum (370 m), Mouassine Fountain (450 m). On our trip Marrakech City Tour. Jemaa el-Fnaa on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Koutoubia Mosque

Mosque, 30 min, best morning or sunset

The largest mosque in Marrakech, founded by the Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min in 1147 and rebuilt around 1158. Its 77-metre minaret, finished around 1195, is the landmark you steer by anywhere in the medina. Large gardens flank it.

Non-Muslims see the mosque from outside and from the gardens around it.

Near: Jemaa el-Fnaa (470 m). On our trip Marrakech City Tour. Koutoubia Mosque on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Bahia Palace

Palace, 1 h, best morning

A 19th-century palace begun in the 1860s by the grand vizier Si Musa and enlarged by his son Ba Ahmed between 1894 and 1900. Around 150 rooms open onto courtyards and riad gardens. You come for the painted cedar ceilings, the carved stucco and the zellij.

Near: Slat al-Azama Synagogue (160 m), Tiskiwin Museum (180 m), Dar Si Said (230 m). On our trip Marrakech City Tour. Bahia Palace on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Ben Youssef Madrasa

Madrasa, 45 min, best morning

An Islamic college commissioned in 1564-65 by the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib and named after the Ben Youssef Mosque beside it. At its height it was the largest madrasa in the Maghreb. Student rooms on the upper floor look down on a courtyard of carved cedar, stucco and tile.

Near: Marrakech Museum (110 m), Almoravid Qubba (130 m), Maison de la Photographie (150 m). On our trip Marrakech City Tour. Ben Youssef Madrasa on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Saadian Tombs

Tomb, 30 min, best morning

A royal necropolis on the south side of the Kasbah Mosque, built up mostly under the Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur, who reigned from 1578 to 1603. Many art historians count its decoration as the high point of Saadian architecture.

Near: Kasbah Mosque (50 m), Bab Agnaou (200 m), El Badi Palace (290 m). On our trip Marrakech City Tour. Saadian Tombs on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

El Badi Palace

Palace, 1 h, best morning or afternoon

A reception palace that Ahmad al-Mansur began in 1578, dressed in materials brought from as far as Italy and Mali. After his death in 1603 it was neglected and its marble carried off to other buildings. What you walk today is a vast ruined court of walls, pools and sunken gardens.

Near: Saadian Tombs (290 m), Kasbah Mosque (300 m), Slat al-Azama Synagogue (390 m). El Badi Palace on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Jardin Majorelle

Garden, 1 h, best morning

A one-hectare garden that the painter Jacques Majorelle built up over almost forty years from 1923, around a Cubist villa. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought and restored it in the 1980s. The villa now holds the Berber Museum.

Near: Musée Yves Saint Laurent (150 m). On our trip Marrakech City Tour. Jardin Majorelle on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Musée Yves Saint Laurent

Museum, 1 h, best morning or afternoon

A museum dedicated to the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, opened in 2017 a short walk from the Jardin Majorelle. Most visitors pair the two.

Near: Jardin Majorelle (150 m). On our trip Marrakech City Tour. Musée Yves Saint Laurent on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Menara Gardens

Garden, 45 min, best late afternoon

Olive orchards laid out around 1157 by the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min, listed with the medina as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. A large basin waters the trees, with a 19th-century pavilion on its edge. The pavilion against the High Atlas is one of the classic views of Marrakech.

On clear winter days the High Atlas behind the pavilion carries snow.

Menara Gardens on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Agdal Gardens

Garden, 1 h, best morning

A large spread of historic orchards and gardens south of the Kasbah and the royal palace, listed by UNESCO in 1985 together with the medina and the Menara. Old water reservoirs and pavilions, among them Dar el-Hana, sit among the trees.

Agdal Gardens on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Le Jardin Secret

Garden, 1 h, best morning

A palace complex on Rue Mouassine whose site goes back to the Saadian building of the district in the 16th century; the palace you see was rebuilt in the 19th century on the old layout. Inside are an Islamic garden restored to its likely 19th-century plan and an exotic garden. A tower, on its own ticket, looks over the medina to the Atlas.

Near: Mouassine Fountain (130 m), Dar el Bacha (210 m), Mouassine Museum (220 m). Official site Back to Marrakech list

Maison de la Photographie

Museum, 1 h, best midday or afternoon

A private museum in the medina, open since 2009 and founded by Hamid Mergani and Patrick Manac'h. Its collection of prints, glass plates, postcards, maps and documentary film shows Morocco from the 19th century to 1960.

Near: Ben Youssef Madrasa (150 m), Marrakech Museum (240 m), Almoravid Qubba (270 m). Maison de la Photographie on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Dar Si Said

Museum, 45 min, best morning or afternoon

A late 19th-century palace a few lanes from the Bahia, now home to the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets.

Near: Tiskiwin Museum (130 m), Bahia Palace (230 m), Slat al-Azama Synagogue (370 m). Dar Si Said on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Tiskiwin Museum

Museum, 45 min, best morning or afternoon

The early 20th-century house of the collector Bert Flint, near the Bahia Palace, open since 1996 as a museum of Moroccan crafts.

Near: Dar Si Said (130 m), Bahia Palace (180 m), Slat al-Azama Synagogue (270 m). Tiskiwin Museum on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Slat al-Azama Synagogue

Synagogue, 30 min, best morning or afternoon

A synagogue with a living congregation in the Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter of the old city. The Mellah of Marrakech is the second oldest in Morocco.

Near: Bahia Palace (160 m), Tiskiwin Museum (270 m), Dar Si Said (370 m). Slat al-Azama Synagogue on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Bab Agnaou

Gate, 15 min, any time

The carved stone gate into the royal Kasbah, attributed to the Almohad caliph Ya'qub al-Mansur and finished around 1188-1190. It is one of the best-known gates of Marrakech; the Kasbah Mosque and the Saadian Tombs lie just inside.

Near: Kasbah Mosque (170 m), Saadian Tombs (200 m), El Badi Palace (470 m). Bab Agnaou on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Kasbah Mosque

Mosque, 10 min, any time

The mosque of the Kasbah district, built by Ya'qub al-Mansur in 1185-1190. With the Koutoubia it is one of the two great historic mosques of the city, and the Saadian Tombs sit against its south wall.

Non-Muslims see the mosque from outside.

Near: Saadian Tombs (50 m), Bab Agnaou (170 m), El Badi Palace (300 m). Kasbah Mosque on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Almoravid Qubba

Monument, 20 min, best morning or afternoon

A small domed pavilion from the early 12th century, one of the only Almoravid buildings left in the city that dynasty founded. Its carved interior dome is the reason to stop.

Near: Marrakech Museum (50 m), Ben Youssef Madrasa (130 m), Mouassine Fountain (260 m). Almoravid Qubba on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Marrakech Museum

Museum, 45 min, best midday or afternoon

A historic palace in the old centre, next to the Ben Youssef Madrasa, showing historic Moroccan art objects alongside contemporary work.

Near: Almoravid Qubba (50 m), Ben Youssef Madrasa (110 m), Maison de la Photographie (240 m). Marrakech Museum on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Dar el Bacha

Palace, 45 min, best morning or afternoon

The House of the Pasha, a palace in the Mouassine quarter of the medina that now holds the Museum of Confluences.

Near: Le Jardin Secret (210 m), Mouassine Fountain (330 m), Mouassine Museum (410 m). Dar el Bacha on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Mouassine Museum

Museum, 30 min, best morning or afternoon

A restored 16th-17th-century house with an upper-floor apartment, a douiria, now run as a museum of music with permanent and temporary exhibits.

Near: Mouassine Fountain (90 m), Souk Semmarine (170 m), Le Jardin Secret (220 m). Mouassine Museum on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Mouassine Fountain

Monument, 10 min, any time

A public fountain built with the 16th-century Mouassine Mosque complex, from the Saadian years when the city's fountains turned monumental.

Near: Mouassine Museum (90 m), Le Jardin Secret (130 m), Almoravid Qubba (260 m). Mouassine Fountain on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Souk Semmarine

Souk, 1.5 h, best morning or late afternoon

The main covered souk street, running north from Jemaa el-Fnaa into the market lanes. Side streets branch off it by trade: leather, metalwork, spices, carpets.

Near: Mouassine Museum (170 m), Jemaa el-Fnaa (240 m), Mouassine Fountain (260 m). On our trip Marrakech City Tour. Back to Marrakech list

La Mamounia

Hotel, 1 h, best afternoon or evening

A five-star hotel opposite the Koutoubia, whose guests over the decades have included Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and Nelson Mandela. Its name is usually given as 'safe haven'.

La Mamounia on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Café Clock Marrakech

Café, 1 h, best midday or evening

The Kasbah branch of the café that began in Fes, at 224 Derb Chtouka. Café Clock lists live music every night at each of its cafés, plus classes from cooking to calligraphy.

Near: Saadian Tombs (480 m). Official site Back to Marrakech list

Palmeraie

Oasis, 2 h, best early or late afternoon

A palm oasis of several hundred thousand trees along the northern edge of the city, reached by the Circuit de la Palmeraie off the Fez road. Our balloon, quad and camel trips start out here.

On our trip Marrakech Hot-Air Balloon Flight. On our trip Marrakech Quad Biking Adventure. Palmeraie on Wikipedia Back to Marrakech list

Questions about visiting Marrakech

How many days do you need in Marrakech?

Two to three days is enough to cover the medina, the major palaces and gardens, and a hammam, while leaving time for the souks. Adding a fourth day lets you fit a day trip to the Atlas Mountains, Ourika Valley or the Agafay Desert.

What is the best time of year to visit Marrakech?

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer warm, comfortable days ideal for sightseeing. Summer can be very hot, often exceeding 40C, while winters are mild by day and cool at night.

Is it better to explore the medina with a guide?

A licensed guide helps you navigate the maze of souk lanes, adds historical context at sites like the Saadian Tombs and Ben Youssef Medersa, and eases bargaining. Independent exploring works well too, especially for gardens and the main square.

More on Marrakech: the Marrakech city guide.

More things to do in Morocco: Things to Do in Fes, Things to Do in Essaouira, Things to Do in Chefchaouen, Things to Do in Ouarzazate, Things to Do in Merzouga, Things to Do in Tangier, Things to Do in Rabat, Things to Do in Meknes. All cities.