Marrakech Travel Guide: Here's What I'd Tell You Over Mint Tea

A dazzling medina, countless wrong turns that somehow become the best stories, and a city that reveals itself one hidden courtyard, rooftop and cup of tea at a time. Here are my 2 fils to help you make the most of your first Marrakech adventure.

The Short Version

Marrakech is one of the great first trips. Check the entry rules for your passport, book a riad inside the medina, which is the one thing I will not let you compromise on, and ask them to collect you from the airport. Carry cash, agree every taxi fare before you get in, and go everywhere early. Haggling is a fun game.

Marrakech Doesn't Do Subtle

Your first time in Marrakech arrives all at once, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

The colour hits first. Then doors. The spice stalls stacked like paint palettes, the lanterns throwing patterns across the walls, mint tea poured from a height that seems to defy physics, the call to prayer drifting over the rooftops as the light goes gold. By your second day you will have folded your map away, because you are already navigating by scent and by that one blue door near the fountain.

That is the gift of this city. Give it 5 days and it hands you a version of itself that no photograph gets close to.

It helps that Marrakshis are quick to laugh, quicker to help, and quickest of all to sell you something, which we will absolutely get to and which is more fun than you think. It helps that the food is extraordinary and that good things are negotiable enough to say yes to. And it helps to have a friend who has already made the rookie mistakes for you (that's me).

When to Go

October to April is the easy answer. Spring and autumn are what Marrakech was built for, all warm days and soft evenings.

I went in mid-August for 9 days, peak summer, the season the guidebooks gently warn you about. The days were hot, comfortably into the forties, and the sun means business from late morning onward. So skip August if you can.

Mornings are for early sightseeing, when the light is best and the sights are half empty. Middays are for a long, lazy lunch and a bit of shade, ideally on a rooftop with a breeze. And the evenings are when Marrakech truly comes alive, when Jemaa el-Fnaa fills up and the whole city spills outdoors.

Go in spring if you can choose freely. Go in summer if that is when your time is, and simply love your mornings and your evenings. Either way, it is worth checking the Ramadan dates before you book, because the hours will shift.

Visas

The admin bit. Whether you can get an e-visa for Morocco depends on the nationality of your passport. Some nationalities can get a simple e-visa online, and some need to apply at embassies or consulates further in advance. The processing time of the e-visa applications is estimated between 24 to 72 hours and I got mine within that window.

So do this: look up your passport's requirements on the official Moroccan government portal. If you do need an e-visa, apply in good time and have your basics ready, a return ticket, passport photo, your hotel booking, and a passport valid well past your return date. Bring the paperwork even if nobody asks for it, because a folder you did not need beats a document you did.

Getting There and the One Arrangement Worth Making

Marrakech Menara airport is small, calm and easy, and direct flights land you there in good time from a lot of places. There are money exchange stands that are right by the luggage carousels too.

Here is the single arrangement to make before you go: ask your riad to arrange your airport pickup. That is the whole tip, and it saves you the hassle big time.

The reason is charming rather than daunting. Most riads sit deep inside the medina, where cars simply cannot go, so your arrival ends with a short walk through the lanes to a door you have never laid eyes on. Having someone there with your name on a card, who knows exactly which turns to take, turns that first walk into a lovely little welcome. Book it when you book the room.

Where to Stay: A Riad, No Arguments

Stay in a riad. Inside the medina. I am not going to hand you a balanced list of pros and cons here, because this is the thing I feel most strongly about in the entire guide.

A riad is a traditional Moroccan house built around an interior courtyard, usually with just a handful of rooms, tucked behind an unassuming door that opens onto something quietly spectacular. There is almost always a rooftop terrace. There is almost always a courtyard so peaceful you forget the souk is thirty seconds away. It is a once-in-a-lifetime way to stay, and it is the difference between seeing Marrakech and living in it for a few days.

I stayed at Riad Palais Sebban in the medina, a nineteenth-century residence lovingly restored, and I would book it again tomorrow.

What made it sing was how much of the day happened in the open air. Breakfast served outdoors. A gorgeous seating deck I parked myself on at every opportunity. A small plunge pool, which I will happily admit I mostly admired rather than swam in, and a rooftop deck that is exactly where you want to be as the sun sets over the rooftops. The room itself was genuinely stunning, the kind of carved ceiling you lie back and stare at before you have even unpacked.

One handy note for booking: I was on the ground floor and it was effortless. If stairs are a consideration for you, ask for a lower room, since these old palaces were built long before anyone thought of lifts.

Money

A few things are worth knowing before you land, and none of them are complicated.

The Moroccan dirham is a closed currency. In plain terms, you cannot really get hold of it before you fly, and you cannot take much of it home. So plan to arrive with another currency and change it there, and plan to spend down what you have before you leave.

It is a cash city. Cards work in the smarter restaurants, the malls and the bigger attractions. They do not work in the souk, in most taxis, or with the man selling you the best orange juice of your life, and you will want that orange juice.

Break your big notes early. Nobody ever has change, and a large note is close to useless for a small, delicious purchase.

To change money, ask your riad where they send their guests, because only a few places are worth your time. I kept going back to Bureau de Change Hotel Ali on Rue Moulay Ismail, right at the medina entrance.

What to Wear

Here is a wardrobe that is both comfortable and considerate.

Modest and light is the sweet spot. Shoulders and knees covered keeps you cool in the sun and comfortable in the culture, and it is genuinely the more pleasant way to dress in that heat anyway. Nobody expects a headscarf, and you will see the full range on local women. Cover a touch more in the medina, relax a little in Gueliz.

Think linen and cotton, loose and breathable. Long sleeves actually help against the midday sun and feel cooler than bare arms. A headscarf is the most useful thing you will pack, looks fab in pics, good for sun, for dust, and for the occasional moment you would like a bit more coverage.

Shoes are where people slip up, sometimes literally. The medina is uneven stone and you will walk far more than you plan to. Bring something closed, flat, and already broken in.

Navigating Around

Pick the 2 or 3 places you want to reach each day, and let the wandering happen in the gaps. With an anchor to aim for, getting delightfully sidetracked becomes a joy, because you always have somewhere to point yourself back toward.

The medina has no real signage, the lanes curve and repeat, and your phone will route you confidently into a wall. It is pedestrian only, which sounds serene until a motorbike whispers past your elbow, so keep half an ear open. And because the souk is covered but not air conditioned, the mornings really are your friend.

Taxis and the Friendly Fare Conversation

There are two kinds. Petit taxis are small and run within the city, and they are the ones you will use. Grands taxis are bigger and older and handle longer trips out of town.

Now the golden rule, the one thing I would have printed on a fridge magnet.

Agree the fare before you get in. Every single time.

Meters exist, and meters are also very often described as resting. Rather than a standoff, treat it as the start of a perfectly normal chat, because that is all it is. You say where you are going, they say a number, you say a friendlier number, you meet in the middle, everyone is happy.

The move that makes this effortless: ask your riad what a given trip should cost before you head out. Now you are not guessing, you are simply confirming, and you can say the number with the easy confidence of someone who already knows it.

If you are travelling solo, sit in the back, share your trip with a friend, and let your riad call the taxi when they can.

Where to Go, What to Skip, and When to Turn Up

One rule runs through this whole section, and I will keep repeating it because it is the single best thing I can give you.

Go early. Everywhere. Beat the crowds and the heat, which turn up together.

Ben Youssef Madrasa

Few places tell Marrakech's story quite like Ben Youssef Madrasa. Built in the 1560s, it was one of Morocco's most important centres of Islamic learning for nearly 400 years. Beyond its intricate carvings and colourful tiles, the 136 student rooms surrounding the central courtyard offer a rare glimpse into the lives of the scholars who once called this place home.

Entry is 50 MAD for foreigners and tickets can only be purchased at the entrance (as their online ticketing system is undergoing maintenance), open daily from nine. Arrive at opening and have that courtyard almost to yourself. Make sure to go up to the rooms to explore them from within, and ask a friend to take a photo of you from the courtyard looking out the room windows.

El Badi Palace

The one I would send you to first. Built in 1578 by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur to celebrate a military victory at the Battle of the Three Kings, the palace once dazzled with imported marble from Italy, gold from Sudan and hundreds of lavish rooms. Today, only its soaring walls and vast courtyards remain. Vast, sun-baked, romantic in its ruin, with storks nesting on the honey-coloured walls and views over the medina from the top. 110 MAD for entry. Shared and private guided tours are available and can be booked online.

Bahia Palace

Built in the 1860s by Si Moussa, the Sultan's grand vizier, and later expanded by his son Ba Ahmed, this palace was designed to showcase power, wealth, and Moroccan craftsmanship at its finest.

With its hidden riads, peaceful gardens, intricate zellij tiles, and ceilings that deserve a standing ovation, Bahia Palace lives up to its name: 'brilliance.' Today, it offers a glimpse into Morocco's royal past, where getting lost among its courtyards is part of the magic. 110 MAD for entry. Shared and private guided tours are available and can be booked online.

Koutoubia Mosque

The minaret that orients the entire city, and the landmark you will use to find your way home. Worth knowing that Morocco reserves its working mosques for worshippers, so for many non-Muslim visitors this is an exterior and gardens visit. Go at golden hour, wander the gardens, and let it be your compass.

Jemaa el-Fnaa and surrounding souks

Jardin Majorelle

Cobalt blue, wildly photogenic, and beloved for good reason. The garden is 170 MAD, with the YSL Museum and the Museum of Berber Arts ticketed separately or in combo offers.

That is genuinely useful, because you get to build the visit you want. I did the garden on its own and adored it. Tickets are online via the website, and the QR code arrives the day before. Go for the earliest time slot, and get there early as the ticket is only valid for 30 minutes after the selected time.

Riad Yima

The artist Hassan Hajjaj's gallery, shop and tea room, tucked behind Rahba Lakdima. Bold, joyful, pop-coloured work made from recycled everything, and a delightful change of pace in the middle of a day of palaces.

Where to Eat

Marrakech feeds you exceptionally well (I'm a tagine convert!) and this is one of the real pleasures of the trip.

Three quick notes. Not every place serves alcohol, and it varies by venue, so ask if it matters to you. Rooftops often cost a touch more for the view, which is usually money well spent. Some places close for summer breaks or renovations, so call/book ahead.

In the medina

L'Mida: a rooftop above the spice souk doing modern Moroccan cooking, with the Atlas on the horizon on a clear evening. Book ahead for a terrace table.

1112: a teahouse in a restored three-hundred-year-old riad, with a dozen teas each from a different region. It sits near Ben Youssef, so pair them into one lovely morning, madrasa at opening then tea afterward.

Dar el Bacha Coffee: the absolute do-not-miss. This is the original, opened in 1910 inside the Dar el Bacha palace, a room that once gathered an improbable guest list of twentieth-century legends over glittering pots of coffee. It has since gone global, but drinking it at the source, in the palace where the whole story began, is a proper occasion. People queue out here for reason. Be there well before it opens.

In Gueliz

Here is a find worth crossing town for. Three of the best things I ate sit within a few minutes of each other on and around Rue Mohammed El Beqal.

Farmers: in a restored Art Deco arcade, supplied by its own permaculture farm outside the city, with a menu that shifts with whatever the farm is growing. The space itself made TIME's World's Greatest Places 2025 and is the winner of the Sustainable Restaurant Award 2026 as part of the MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Blue Ribbon: a sustainable bakery and café in the same arcade. Nada's pick: the cinnamon babka. I still think about it.

+61: relaxed Australian-Moroccan cooking, on the MENA 50 Best list, closed Sundays.

Haggling Is a Sport. Here Are the Rules

In the souk, the first price is simply the opening line of a conversation you are both in on, and it is meant to be fun.

Here is how it flows.

They open high. You counter low, genuinely low, somewhere around a third. You work toward the middle together. You smile the whole way through, because everyone involved is enjoying this more than they are letting on.

If the number will not land, a warm "la shukran", no thank you, and a gentle walk away is the natural close. Sometimes a better price follows you down the lane. Sometimes it does not, and that is fine, because four more stalls are selling the very same thing.

Two things make you good at it. Know roughly what you are happy to pay before you open your mouth. And be genuinely ready to walk without the thing, because the freedom to leave is the whole trick.

One lovely thing I learned: a few words of Arabic change everything. Reaching for it warmed every exchange and, yes, helped at the stalls. If you have any Arabic at all, lead with it. If you do not, a warm salam alaikum still works wonders.

What to Buy, and How to Get It Home

The good stuff: leather, lanterns, rugs, spices, argan oil, kaftans, and babouches, the soft leather slippers in every colour under the sun. Shoes and belts are especially worth your attention, because the leather quality for the price is a joy.

Argan oil deserves its own line. Buy it from a women's cooperative rather than a medina shop. The cooperatives are run and staffed by Amazigh women, so your money goes somewhere that matters, and what is in the bottle is the real thing. That is where I bought mine.

The rough numbers: cooperative pricing runs around 300 to 400 MAD a litre for cosmetic oil and a little less for culinary, with small bottles from around 80 MAD. Anything suspiciously cheap is almost certainly watered down.

For a more modern, sit-down kind of shopping, M Avenue in Gueliz is a lovely afternoon, Marrakech's first open-air shopping district, with international names, an % Arabica for a very good coffee, and several Moroccan designers doing genuinely original work. I wish I wrote down their names. Fixed prices, no haggling.

The Hammam, Demystified

There are two kinds. Public hammams are neighbourhood bathhouses, cheap, communal and wonderfully local, where you bring your own supplies and get scrubbed by someone who has done it ten thousand times. Spa hammams are the riad and hotel version, private or semi-private, more expensive and a lot gentler on a first timer's nerves.

Here is what I booked.

La Sultana for a traditional hammam, 45 minutes, 700 MAD. That covers a purifying exfoliation with the kessa glove and black soap, then a full cleanse. The black soap goes on and rests, then the glove arrives, and the exfoliation is thorough in the most satisfying way. You will walk out with skin you have not had since childhood, glowing and faintly amazed.

On modesty, since it is the question everyone is too shy to ask: they give you disposable underwear to put on, there is somewhere to change, and in a spa setting the treatment is private with a same-gender attendant. If it matters to you, simply confirm when you book.

The Little Hustles, Handled With a Smile

None of this is dangerous, and all of it is easier once you have seen it coming. Think of it as local theatre you now know the script to.

"That way is closed." Usually it is not, and it usually comes with an offer to guide you somewhere better. A warm la shukran and a steady stride, and on you go.

The unasked-for guide. Someone falls into step and starts narrating, and there will be a fee at the end. Decline early and clearly, with a smile, because a vague maybe reads as a yes.

Photos with animals. Snakes and monkeys in the square. Lift your phone toward one and you are paying, and the number climbs. Decide before you raise the camera. Photograph the square in general and you are golden.

Henna. A local friend put it plainly: skip the free henna offered in the square, and if you want it done, have it done properly.

The thread running through all four: a friendly, unembarrassed "la shukran" and a gentle continuation solves almost everything. You are always allowed to not engage, and that is not rudeness.

Going Solo in Marrakech

Can you do this trip alone? Absolutely, and beautifully. Here is what I would tell a friend before she went.

On attention. You will get some, mostly the commercial kind, calls from stallholders and offers to help. Sunglasses, a clear direction and an unhurried pace that says you know where you are going will handle most of it. Long engagement is what extends it, so a warm decline and onward is your friend.

On your belongings. Crossbody bag worn in front, nothing precious in it, and your phone tucked away rather than in your hand. The souk is busy and distracted, and this is simply good city sense anywhere.

On evenings. Jemaa el-Fnaa at night is bright, busy and full of families, and the energy is exactly what you came for. The lanes off it get dark and quiet quickly, so stick to the routes with people on them and take a taxi rather than a shortcut.

On your riad as your ally. This is the real case for a small riad when you are solo. Staff who know your name will tell you the right taxi fare, walk you out to the main lane, call a driver they trust, and notice if you are not back. That is worth its weight in gold.

On eating alone. Do it, and do it well. A rooftop is perfect for it, with the view for company and nobody batting an eye. Lunch on your own is completely unremarkable everywhere.

And the loveliest part: this city gets warmer and easier every single day you are in it. By the end you will be striding through those lanes like you own a set of keys.

The Atlas Day Trip

Give one of your days to the mountains. The High Atlas sits about 90 minutes from the city, and the change of scale, air and temperature is worth the drive on its own.

And here is the part more of you will be glad to hear than you would expect: you do not have to hike. Most people assume an Atlas day means a serious trek, glance at the forecast, and quietly count themselves out. I skipped the hike entirely and had one of the best days of the whole trip.

What I did instead was spend the day with a Berber family in their village, and I came home a certified tea master. Or at least that is what I am telling everyone. They took me under their wing and walked me through the whole ritual, the pour from a great height, the little glasses, the works. Then we made bread, cooked, and ate lunch together on a patio with views that stopped the conversation cold. They even dressed me in traditional Amazigh clothing, and reader, I have never looked better.

A quick note on words: Amazigh is what the indigenous people of North Africa call themselves, and Berber is the older external name you will see on most tour listings. You will also spot the Tifinagh script, the Amazigh alphabet, on official signs across Morocco.

On booking: every vendor in Marrakech sells this day, and the quality varies enormously, so go direct to the guide. Mine was Lahcen Igdem at moroccanmountainguides.com, who runs both hiking trips and the eat-with-locals village experience, and it is well worth asking whether he can arrange pickup from Marrakech itself.

Heat, Health, Plugs and Staying Connected

Water. Bottled, and more of it than you think. Carry a bottle from the morning rather than hunting for one at the point of thirst.

Sun. Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a healthy respect for the middle of the day. When the sun is at its fiercest, be somewhere with a roof and a cold drink.

Plugs. Morocco uses the two round pin European sockets. Pack the right adapter, because it is the most irritating thing to discover at midnight on your first night.

Connectivity. A local SIM or an eSIM is cheap and simple, and worth arranging so you are not relying on patchy signal. Bought mine from a grocery shop.

Ten Words That Open Doors

Morocco runs on Darija, Moroccan Arabic, with French almost everywhere and standard Arabic widely understood. English is common in the tourist areas and thins out quickly beyond them.

Start with these.

La shukran: no thank you. The most useful phrase you will learn, warm and complete, and it ends any exchange kindly.

Shukran: thank you.

Salam alaikum: peace be upon you. It opens everything.

Bslama: goodbye.

Bshhal?: how much?

Ghali bezzaf: too expensive. Say it with a smile and you have begun the game.

Afak: please.

Bonjour, merci, s'il vous plait: French will carry you a long way, especially in Gueliz.

And a word from experience: a little Arabic goes a very long way. I speak fus-ha, and reaching for it turned quick transactions into actual conversations. If you have some, use it. If you do not, lead with a smile and a salam, and watch the door open anyway.

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Last thoughts

Marrakech gives generously to anyone who shows up curious and sets an early alarm. Give it a few days and it hands you the good stuff: light pouring through a carved screen at four in the afternoon, mint tea poured from a ridiculous height by someone who has never once spilled a drop, a stallholder who stops selling the moment you say a word of Arabic and just wants to talk instead.

Check that places are open. Go early. Agree the fare. Say la shukran like you mean it kindly. Get properly scrubbed. Buy kaftans, because you will want them all.

Shukran.