Marrakech is a city that assaults all five senses simultaneously and refuses to apologise for it. Souks, spice mountains, rooftop terraces, riads concealing gardens behind unmarked doors, and a medina that took the World Heritage listing and largely ignored it.
Getting There and Around
Direct flights from London take around three hours. Marrakech Menara Airport is 6km from the medina — petit taxis are metered and cheap; agree a price before departing or insist on the meter. The train from Casablanca is comfortable and takes around three hours.
Within the medina, everything is walkable. Outside the medina, petits taxis are the right answer. Gueliz (the new city, to the west) has better international restaurants and cocktail bars if you need a break from the medina's intensity.
Where to Stay
Stay in a riad in the medina. This is not negotiable. The experience of coming through an unmarked door in a chaotic alley into a calm courtyard with a fountain is central to understanding the city. Most booking platforms have good riad listings; the key detail is whether the riad has a rooftop — the views over the minarets at dusk are worth paying for.
Avoid the large modern hotels outside the medina unless you specifically want a pool and the full resort experience.
The Food
Moroccan home cooking is one of the world's great cuisines and it's poorly represented in most tourist restaurants. The best approach: ask your riad to arrange a home-cooked dinner. If that's not possible, Nomad in the Mouassine quarter has a rooftop and a menu that takes Moroccan food seriously. Le Jardin is reliable for lunch.
Street food on Jemaa el-Fna at night — the square fills with food stalls after dark and the choice is overwhelming. Orange juice, msemen (a layered flatbread), harira soup in winter. The hygiene is fine; the theatre is magnificent.
What to See
Jemaa el-Fna is the obvious start — best early morning (empty, atmospheric) and late evening (food stalls, musicians, storytellers). The Bahia Palace is the most impressive of the historic palaces. The Saadian Tombs are extraordinary and small enough to see properly in an hour. The Mellah (Jewish quarter) is quieter than the main souk areas and worth an afternoon.
When to Go
October to April. May to September is hot — not impossible, but genuinely punishing in the medina during August. The Christmas and New Year period is crowded and expensive but the city is at its most festive.
Posts from Marrakech
The 7 Best Hidden Riads in Marrakech (2026)
Skip the overcrowded Instagram traps. These riads offer authenticity, stunning design, and genuine hospitality.
Day Trips from Marrakech: Atlas Mountains and the Ourika Valley
Marrakech sits at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, giving it easy access to Berber villages, cedar forests, and waterfalls that could not feel further from the medina's sensory overload.
Reviews from Marrakech
La Mamounia, Marrakech: Possibly the Most Famous Hotel in Africa
La Mamounia has been synonymous with Marrakech since 1923. Churchill painted watercolours here. Hitchcock filmed here. It has been comprehensively restored twice and is currently as good as it has ever been — which is saying something.
Videos from Marrakech
Inside the Marrakech Medina: A Complete Walking Guide
Getting lost in Marrakech's medina is inevitable; getting properly lost is avoidable. We walk the major souks, the tanneries, the Bahia Palace, and the Djemaa el-Fna in a single day.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.