“I don’t believe there’s any city in the world quite like Marrakech”, our guide Youssef told us as we strolled around the city. “It’s not the oldest or the largest city in Morocco, and it’s not the capital, but it’s the most captivating”.
As we strolled around Jemaa el-Fnaa square, with juice vendors hollering and the call to prayer permeating the air, I was inclined to agree.
There’s a reason Marrakech enthralls tourists. Founded by the Almoravid dynasty in 1070 AD, Marrakech was used as a trading city between Spain (and Europe) and sub-Saharan Africa. For nearly 1,000 years, travellers have shared stories of this fabled medina. The city grew and prospered, becoming one of the most important in the Islamic world in the 12th century.
Importance and power shifted to other cities in latter centuries, and Marrakech became part of the Moroccan French protectorate. But once Morocco gained independence in 1956, it was Marrakech that became one of the nation’s key tourist destinations, along with its subtropical coastline.
Today, it’s the historic mosques and medinas, along with the manicured Yves St Laurent gardens and of course, the winding souks, that make Marrakech a prime tourist destination.
I visited Marrakech with my mum last November, and we were immediately taken in by the city. It was actually my mum’s third time there, she loves it so much!
But if you’re a first-timer to the city, you might be wondering “what are the best things to do in Marrakech?”. Let’s go into them!
Things to do in Marrakech
1. Guided tour of the city centre
The first must-do in Marrakech is a guided city centre tour. I’d recommend this on your first morning in the city. It really helped us to get an orientation of Marrakech and ask any burning questions we had!
Marrakech does have a reputation for tourists getting hassled. This didn’t happen to us at all during our trip, but I think this is most likely to happen (or at least have a severe impact on tourists) during your first day. By having a guide during your first morning, you can get to know the city in a more relaxed way.
We booked this tour on Get Your Guide. It’s run by a man named Youssef, who gave us a wonderful introduction to the city. He speaks fluent English and is a mine of information on Moroccan history and culture! You can see him in action in my YouTube video.
2. Stay in a riad in the medina
Spending time in our riad was honestly one of my favourite things we did in Morocco, and package holidays to Marrakech often include a few night’s stay in a city riad. In our riad, wee were welcomed with fresh mint tea on arrival and were offered breakfast each morning.
We had exclusive use of the whole riad, which had four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a courtyard swimming pool and a rooftop terrace. It was big for just the two of us, but the experience of staying in a private riad was one of my favourite things about Morocco.
3. See Bab Agnaou and the historic gates
One of our first stops in Marrakech was Bab Agnaou and the historic gates. Bab Agnaou means “gate of the black ram” and was the entrance to the official palace and military area in Marrakech.
4. Visit the Koutoubia Mosque area
Koutoubia Mosque is one of the main landmarks in Marrakech. If you’ve been to Turkey or Middle Eastern countries before, you’ll notice that this style of mosque differs – the minarets look “Moorish”, typical of North Africa. Often, they’re decorated with palm patterns, which harks back to a story in the Quaran about Muhammad doing the call to prayer from around a date tree.
This mosque was built by the same architect who constructed La Giralda in Seville, which, if you’ve visited, you’ll know used to be a Muslim city!
The name “Koutoubia Mosque” comes from the word “book”; traders and travellers passing through the city brought books with them and its thought that a book market once operated by the mosque, and perhaps even that proceeds from the market helped fund the mosque’s construction!
Just beside the Koutoubia Mosque, you can still see the foundations of the original mosque. This was abandoned after it was built slightly off alignment with Mecca and replaced by the version that stands today.
5. Ben Youssef Madrasa
One of the busiest places we visited in Marrakech was the Ben Youssef Madrasa. A madrasa is a Muslim school, and this one dates back to the 16th century, when Marrakech was an important centre of learning.
Interestingly, this wasn’t actually the main teaching space itself. Instead, it functioned more as accommodation for students studying nearby, with small rooms arranged around the courtyard. When you walk through the building, you can still see these rooms on the upper levels.
The madrasa remained in use until the early 20th century, when Morocco became part of the French protectorate in 1912. After that, its role as a place of education came to an end.
Today, it’s one of the best places in Marrakech to see traditional Islamic architecture up close. The courtyard is framed by carved wood, intricate plasterwork and tiled floors, all designed with geometric patterns rather than images of people or animals.
It does get busy – we actually decided to postpone our visit after seeing how long the queue was initially – so it’s worth arriving early in the morning or later in the afternoon if you want to see it with fewer crowds.
6. Smaller museums in Marrakech
When we did our guided tour with Youssef, we asked him to take us to some of the hidden gems in Marrakech. He showed us some of the smaller museums which don’t make it onto all itineraries – but we found them really interesting!
- Just around the corner from the madrasa is Dar Bellarj, also known as the “House of the Storks”. It was originally created to care for storks, which migrate through Morocco, but today it’s a small art space. It’s free to visit, and as well as the exhibitions, it’s worth going inside just to see the layout of a traditional riad-style building.
- We also visited the Marrakech Museum of Photography, which documents around 80 years of Moroccan history through photographs. The collection isn’t just focused on Marrakech either; there are images from across the country, including Tangier and other regions. It’s a good place to get a bit more context about Morocco beyond what you see walking around the medina.
- Another quieter stop is the Marrakech Museum of Music. The rooms themselves are just as interesting as the exhibits, with detailed geometric decoration throughout. This style comes from traditional Islamic design, where depicting people and animals was historically avoided, so artists instead used repeating patterns and shapes.
Here are a few more hidden gems in Marrakech to add to your list.
7. Explore a foundouk
Marrakech’s trading history is everywhere you look in the city, but some places are more obvious than others!
We visited a Marrakech foundouk (caravanserai). These buildings had similarities to caravanserais I’ve seen in Central Asia, the ancient Silk Road hubs.
Travellers arriving in the city with goods would stay here, bringing their animals and merchandise into a large central courtyard. Rooms around the edges, both upstairs and downstairs, were used for sleeping, storage and business.
When we visited, you could still see how this worked. In the centre of the courtyard were scales, which were used to weigh goods brought into the city. We were invited to try out the scales ourselves!
Many foundouks fell into disrepair over time, but some have been restored and given new life. The one we visited now houses small workshops and artisan spaces while still keeping its original structure.
8. Browse the leather and metal souks
You can’t avoid the souks in Marrakech, but a couple of the most interesting ones to visit are the leather and metal souks. Unlike the other souks, these are non-tourist focused and the traditional craftsmanship methods are very much practiced.
In the leather souk, we met a craftsman whose family had been working with leather for generations. The business originally started with repairing children’s footballs in the neighbourhood, and over time, he started creating bespoke footballs!
We watched the process for a while – damaged leather panels are cut away and replaced, a new inner chamber is fitted, and the ball is carefully reshaped by hand.
Youssef explained that higher-quality leather can be used on its own, while lower-quality leather needs a fabric lining inside to strengthen it.
Just a short walk away is the metalworks area, where you’ll find artisans making items like traditional locks and other iron goods.
This is one of the last parts of the souks where this kind of work is still concentrated.
“Leather and metal have to stick together” Youssef explained, half-joking “they both smell a bit and they’re both very noisy!”
9. Visit the Yves Saint Laurent Gardens
One of the most well-known attractions in Marrakech is the Jardin Majorelle, often referred to as the Yves Saint Laurent Gardens.
I didn’t actually visit these during my trip, but they’re consistently recommended as one of the top things to do in Marrakech. The gardens were originally created by French artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s, before later being restored by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé.
They’re known for their bold blue buildings, exotic plants and carefully designed pathways – and very different ambiance to the medina!
There’s also a museum on site dedicated to Yves Saint Laurent, along with smaller exhibition spaces that explore Moroccan culture and design.
10. Visit La Mamounia for a drink
On our last night in the city, we visited La Mamounia. This is one of the most famous hotels in the city – it’s known for its gardens and long list of high-profile guests!
Winston Churchill stayed here and was known to spend time painting in the gardens.
Even if you’re not staying overnight, you can still visit for a drink and walk around parts of the grounds.
We visited for a glass of wine (our only one on our whole Morocco trip!) and for a stroll around the gardens. It’s not cheap – my wine cost the equivalent of £10 – but it’s worth it for a one-off during your trip!
BONUS: Go on a day trip!
While there’s plenty to keep you busy in the city itself, one of the best things to do in Marrakech is to head out on a day trip and see a different side of Morocco. Some of these feature on my two weeks in Morocco itinerary, too!
- One of the most popular options is a trip to the Atlas Mountains. These mountains sit just outside the city, and within a couple of hours you can be in small villages, walking through valleys and seeing a much more rural side of the country.
- Another option is the Ouzoud Waterfalls. These are some of the highest waterfalls in North Africa, and they’re often visited as a full-day trip from Marrakech.
- If you’d prefer somewhere coastal, try Essaouira. It’s a smaller city on the Atlantic coast, known for its surf. It’s a long day, but doable if you leave early.
- There’s also the Agafay Desert, which isn’t a sandy Sahara landscape but a rocky desert just outside the city. Many tours head here for sunset.
- You can also do multi-day trips to the Sahara desert!
Secret Escapes has some fantastic packages including accommodation in Marrakech and a Sahara desert trip – here’s an example.
Final thoughts on Marrakech
I adore Marrakech, and I can’t believe it took me nearly 32 years to visit! If you’re planning a trip here, take a look at my full thoughts on is Marrakech worth visiting (spoiler: yes!) and my safety guide. Enjoy your trip!
