Marrakech City

The Red City of Marrakech, with the sleepless Jemaa el-Fnaa square, maze-like souks and palace gardens, and day trips to the Atlas valleys, the Agafay Desert and Essaouira.

Marrakech lies in south-central Morocco at the northern foot of the High Atlas Mountains, at an elevation of about 460 m. It is called the "Red City" for the ocher-red walls and buildings, and its old medina became a World Heritage site in 1985.

Main areas: ① The medina inside the walls: centered on Jemaa el-Fnaa square, with a maze of souks to the north, along with the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Secret Garden, the Maison de la Photographie and the leather tanneries; to the south are the Bahia Palace, El Badi Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Mellah (Jewish quarter) and the Agdal Gardens. Most visitors stay in riads (courtyard guesthouses) in the old city. ② Outside the walls: the new town of Guéliz to the northwest has the Majorelle Garden and the YSL Museum, cafés and galleries; the Menara Gardens lie to the west, and the Palmeraie resort area to the north. ③ Day trips: the Agafay Desert (about 40 km), the Ourika Valley and the Setti Fatma waterfalls, Imlil and Mount Toubkal, and Lalla Takerkoust Lake; farther afield, classic day trips include the Atlantic coast town of Essaouira (about 190 km) and the Ouzoud Falls (about 150 km). Aït Benhaddou/Ouarzazate and the Merzouga Sahara are covered as separate destinations.

Climate: Mar–May and Oct–Nov are the most comfortable, with daytime temperatures of 20–28°C; Jun–Aug often tops 40°C; winter nights can drop to 5°C, and most riads have no heating. Getting there and around: Menara Airport is about 20 minutes from the old city; Chinese citizens can enter visa-free for 90 days; trains run directly from Casablanca. Recommended stay: 3–4 days. Notes: in the souks, start haggling at one third of the asking price; decline offers from strangers to "guide" you; agree on a price before taking photos with performers in the square; women are advised to cover shoulders and knees; some restaurants close during the day in Ramadan; cash in dirhams is the main way to pay.

Top sights

• Jemaa el-Fnaa – A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: by day, juice stalls and snake charmers; by evening, it turns into a hundred barbecue st…
• Jardin Majorelle / Musée Yves Saint Laurent – The cobalt-blue garden created by French painter Jacques Majorelle, later bought by Yves Saint Laurent, who is buried here. Cacti, bamboo…
• Bahia Palace – A 19th-century palace of a grand vizier, with 150 rooms around orange-tree courtyards. Its cedar-carved ceilings and zellige mosaics are th…
• Ben Youssef Madrasa – An Islamic college founded by the Marinid dynasty in the 14th century and rebuilt by the Saadians in the 16th. It is North Africa's largest…
• Koutoubia Mosque – Built by the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century. Its 77-metre minaret is Marrakech's landmark and the height benchmark for city buildings…
• Medina Souks – A labyrinthine market north of Jemaa el-Fnaa, organized by trade: leather, copper lanterns, carpets, spices and dye works. Haggling and get…
• Saadian Tombs – The royal necropolis of the 16th-century Saadian dynasty, sealed for 200 years and rediscovered in 1917. The Hall of Twelve Columns is the…
• El Badi Palace – The ruins of a grand 16th-century Saadian palace, with a vast courtyard, sunken gardens and storks nesting on the walls that hint at its fo…
• Dar Si Said Museum – A late 19th-century noble residence, now Morocco's National Museum of Weaving and Carpets, with painted cedar ceilings and a beautiful gard…
• Maison de la Photographie – A small photography museum in the north of the Old Town with old photographs of Morocco from 1870 to 1950. The rooftop café has views over…
• Le Jardin Secret – A restored garden in a Saadian-era townhouse deep in the markets, where a traditional Islamic quartered garden and an exotic plant garden m…
• Menara Gardens – An olive grove and reservoir built in the 12th century under the Almohads. The green-roofed pavilion is reflected in the water, with the sn…
• Agdal Gardens – A royal orchard of about 400 hectares south of the Royal Palace, dating from the 12th century, with rows of olive, orange and pomegranate t…
• Palmeraie of Marrakech – A palm oasis stretching for thousands of hectares to the north of the city, with camel rides and 4x4 buggy tours, and home to many luxury r…
• Mellah of Marrakech – A Jewish quarter founded in 1558, with the well-preserved Slat al-Azama synagogue, a centuries-old Jewish cemetery and a spice market.
• Marrakech Tanneries – A traditional leather-tanning area in the northeast of the Old Town, near Bab Debbagh. In open-air dye pits, workers still use age-old meth…
• Ramparts of Marrakech & Bab Agnaou – Twelfth-century ochre rammed-earth ramparts that encircle about 19 kilometers of the Old Town. The Bab Agnaou gate, with its fine stone arc…
• Dar El Bacha – Musée des Confluences – The luxurious residence of Pasha Glaoui in Marrakech, with exquisitely carved courtyards. It is now the Confluences museum, and the Bacha C…
• Guéliz – A new town built during the French colonial period, with cafés, galleries, fashion boutiques and restaurants lining wide tree-lined avenues…
• Agafay Desert – A stony desert about 40 kilometers southwest of Marrakech, with rolling barren hills backed by the snowy Atlas Mountains. Visitors can ride…
• Ourika Valley & Setti Fatma – A river valley in the High Atlas, with Berber villages along the river. At the bottom of the valley, Setti Fatma village is the starting po…
• Imlil & Toubkal National Park – The starting point for climbing Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa at 4,167 meters, and a trekking base among Berber villages and te…
• Lalla Takerkoust Lake – A reservoir about 40 kilometers southwest of Marrakech, reflecting the snowy Atlas Mountains. You can go kayaking or ride camels, and there…
• Anima Garden – An art garden created by Austrian artist André Heller, with sculptural installations among exotic plants and the snowy Atlas Mountains in t…
• Ouzoud Falls – A multi-tiered waterfall about 110 meters high in the Middle Atlas, the most spectacular waterfall in Morocco. Wild Barbary macaques can be…
• Oukaïmeden – A high plateau valley at about 2,600 meters, one of the few ski resorts in Africa. In summer it is a cool mountain pasture with Bronze Age…

Where to eat

• Al Fassia (Gueliz) – An established Moroccan restaurant founded in 1987 and run entirely by an all-female team, famous for its slow-roasted…
• Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha – An institution in the Mechoui Alley, famous for its pit-roasted whole lamb and Marrakech tangia.
• Nomad – A rooftop restaurant overlooking the Spice Square, offering a contemporary twist on Moroccan flavors.
• Dar Yacout – A set-menu dinner in the Medina featuring traditional Moroccan diffa, stunning architecture, and live music.
• Le Jardin – An all-day dining green courtyard restaurant hidden in the Medina's alleys, surrounded by green tiles and lush plants.
• Amal Women's Training Center & Restaurant – A non-profit restaurant helping disadvantaged women find employment, serving seasonal Moroccan home cooking for lunch.

Itineraries

• Marrakech-Sahara Dunes Round Trip – Cross the Atlas Mountains, pass kasbahs and gorges to the Erg Chebbi dunes, and spend the night in a tented camp.
• Marrakech, the Red City, for First-Timers – Three days covering Jemaa el-Fnaa, the medina souks, the palaces and royal tombs, and the Majorelle Garden.
• Classic Imperial Cities & Sahara Loop – Head north from Casablanca to the Blue City and Fes, then cross the desert and gorges to Marrakech.
• Marrakech Medina in Depth and the Atlas – Wander the medina's districts and museums at a leisurely pace, plus a day hiking the High Atlas villages of Imlil.
• Marrakech City and Day Trips – Use the medina as your base for day trips to Ait Ben Haddou, Essaouira, the Ourika Valley and Agafay.
• Morocco Rail Journey: North to South – Skip the car rental and private drivers; connect Tangier to Marrakech via high-speed and standard trains
• Marrakech Gardens and Art – A tour of famous gardens and palace museums, including Majorelle, the Secret Garden, Menara and Anima.
• Road Trip: Red City to the Atlantic Coast – Drive west from Marrakech to Essaouira, then head south along the coast to Taghazout and Taroudant
• Draa Valley & Erg Chigaga 4x4 Adventure – Drive south along the Draa Valley to the end of the road, then take a 4x4 into the remote dunes of Erg Chigaga
• Andalusia to the Sahara Crossing – Cross the sea from Seville via Tarifa, traveling through the Blue City, Fes, and the desert to Marrakech
• Mount Toubkal Summit Trek – From Marrakech to Imlil, summit North Africa's highest peak (4,167m) in two days, then return to the Red City