Why go
Marrakesh works on a rhythm: quiet riad courtyards behind unmarked doors, a souk that is genuinely disorienting, and a main square that changes function three times a day. The Atlas mountains are visible from most rooftops and reachable in an hour.
Five things to do
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01
Jemaa el-Fnaa after dark
Food stalls, storytellers, gnawa drums.
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02
Le Jardin Secret
A restored riad garden, quiet at opening.
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03
A hammam, properly
Black soap, a scrub, a cold plunge.
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04
Majorelle and the YSL museum
Cobalt blue and cactus.
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05
Sunset from a kasbah rooftop
Atlas snow behind the minarets.
Neighbourhoods
The Medina
Souks, riads and the Ben Youssef Madrasa.
Gueliz
The new town — galleries, boulevards, cocktail bars.
Sidi Ghanem
An industrial quarter of design studios and outlets.
Ourika valley
Amazigh villages, an hour's drive south.
Getting around
Buy the transport card on arrival — every city on this list has one, and it is cheaper than single fares within about four journeys. Walking covers more than the map suggests: most of the districts above are within thirty minutes of each other on foot.
Taxis and ride apps are worth it late at night and when you are carrying luggage. Everything else is faster on the metro, the tram or the ferry, in that order.
Where to eat
The rule that holds in Marrakesh is the rule that holds everywhere: eat at the busy place, at the hour the locals eat, and order the thing the kitchen makes most of. Reserve for dinner in the districts above; lunch rarely needs it.
Two days here
- Morning: Jemaa el-Fnaa after dark
- Afternoon: walk The Medina
- Evening: A hammam, properly
- Day two: Sunset from a kasbah rooftop
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