Marrakech, Morocco

Evergreen city guide with quick facts, travel, business, and culture.

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Overview

Marrakech is Morocco's 'Red City', a former imperial capital at the foot of the Atlas Mountains — a sensory whirl of ochre ramparts and labyrinthine souks, the legendary square of Jemaa el-Fnaa, serene palaces and gardens, and tranquil riad courtyards, and the country's great gateway to the mountains and the desert.

Jemaa el-Fnaa & Souks

The world-famous main square by day and night and the labyrinth of covered souks selling carpets, lanterns, leather and spices.

Palaces & the Medina

The Koutoubia minaret, the Bahia and El Badi palaces, the Saadian Tombs and Ben Youssef Madrasa within the UNESCO walled city.

Gardens & Riads

The cobalt Majorelle Garden and YSL museum, the Menara basin, and the calm of courtyard riads, hammams and rooftop dining.

Atlas, Coast & Desert

A base for the High Atlas and Toubkal, the Ouzoud Falls and Aït Benhaddou, the Sahara dunes, and the coast at Essaouira.
Travel Overview

Marrakech, the 'Red City' named for the ochre-pink walls and buildings that glow at dusk, is the most captivating of Morocco's four imperial cities and the country's tourism magnet. Founded by the Almoravids in the 11th century at the foot of the snow-capped High Atlas, it is a city of two halves: the ancient, walled medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is a dense maze of souks, alleys, palaces, mosques and hidden riads, and the modern districts of Gueliz and Hivernage, laid out in the 20th century with wide boulevards, cafés and boutiques. The medina's beating heart is Jemaa el-Fnaa, the vast main square that is one of the most famous public spaces in the world — by day a stage for orange-juice carts, snake charmers and storytellers, and by night a sprawling open-air food market and carnival of music and crowds, recognised by UNESCO as a masterpiece of intangible heritage. Around it spread the great covered souks, where craftsmen and traders sell carpets, lanterns, leather, spices and metalwork, and the monuments of the imperial city: the soaring Koutoubia minaret, the Saadian Tombs, the ruined Badi Palace and the lavish Bahia Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa and the Marrakech Museum. Beyond the walls, the famous gardens offer respite — above all the cobalt-blue Majorelle Garden, restored by Yves Saint Laurent and now beside a museum devoted to him, along with the Menara and Agdal gardens. Marrakech is also the city of the riad, the traditional courtyard house turned boutique hotel, and of the hammam and the spa, of rooftop restaurants and a celebrated food scene from street tagine to fine dining. And it is the great base for the wider region: the High Atlas valleys and Berber villages, the ski resort of Oukaïmeden, the waterfalls of Ouzoud, the coast at Essaouira, and the long road over the mountains to the Sahara dunes. The climate is hot and dry, fierce in midsummer; spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are the most pleasant, with cool winter days and cold nights.

Discover Marrakech

At the centre of Marrakech life is Jemaa el-Fnaa, the great square that has been the city's gathering place for nearly a thousand years and is the single most famous sight in Morocco. By day it simmers with orange-juice stalls, henna artists, water-sellers in costume, monkey handlers and snake charmers; as the sun sets it transforms into an enormous open-air food court, with dozens of stalls firing up grills under clouds of fragrant smoke, surrounded by drummers, musicians, acrobats and storytellers in a scene UNESCO recognises as a masterpiece of intangible cultural heritage. The cafés and rooftop terraces ringing the square are the classic vantage points to watch the spectacle. Leading off the square to the north is the labyrinth of the souks, the covered markets where the city's craft traditions are on full display — carpets and kilims, brass and iron lanterns, dyed leather babouches, spices, ceramics, woodwork and jewellery, grouped loosely by trade. Getting (gently) lost in the souks, haggling over mint tea, and emerging back into the light of Jemaa el-Fnaa is the quintessential Marrakech experience.

Frequently asked questions

The heart of any visit is the medina: the great square of Jemaa el-Fnaa, alive with food stalls and performers after dark, and the warren of souks around it. Add the imperial monuments — the Koutoubia minaret, the Bahia and El Badi palaces, the Saadian Tombs and the Ben Youssef Madrasa — and the gardens beyond the walls, above all the cobalt-blue Majorelle Garden and the Yves Saint Laurent museum. Much of the pleasure is simply soaking up the atmosphere from a rooftop café or the courtyard of a riad.

A riad is a traditional Moroccan house built inward around a planted courtyard and fountain, and many in the medina have been converted into beautiful boutique guesthouses. Staying in one is a quintessential Marrakech experience — once you step through the door, the noise of the medina gives way to a calm, decorative oasis, often with a plunge pool and a rooftop terrace. They put you right in the old city within walking distance of the sights; the modern Gueliz district offers more conventional hotels if you prefer.

Marrakech is the gateway to a wonderful region. Day trips include the Berber villages and valleys of the High Atlas (the Ourika Valley, Imlil and the foot of Mount Toubkal), the Ouzoud Falls, and — a long day or better an overnight — the kasbah of Aït Benhaddou over the mountains. The Atlantic port of Essaouira makes an easy coastal escape, and multi-day tours head south over the Atlas to the Sahara dunes of Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga for camel treks and desert camps.

Diplomatic missions in Marrakech

1 embassy based in this city, grouped by region.