10 must-see places to visit in Marrakech
The old and magical Marrakech, full of palaces, mosques, markets, and gardens, is one of those cities that you can not miss. Its Medina surrounded by a great wall and gates, is spectacular, where staying in a riad.
Marrakech is the most visited city in Morocco where you will find a lot of tourism, even becoming a bit overwhelming if you are at rush hour in the most visited places, so organizing your visit well will help you to savor the real Marrakech.
We have made a list of what we believe are the 10 must-see places in Marrakech, based on our trip to Marrakech and Essaouira in 5 days. Let’s start!
1. Jamaa el Fna Square
An alternative to have good first contact with the Medina. Also the Jamaa el Fna Square is to book this free tour of Marrakech Free!, considered one of the best free tours in Marrakech, or a private tour where you choose the itinerary, both with English speaking guide.
2. Ben Youssef Medersa
Entering the Medersa Ben Youssef is one of the best things to see and do in Marrakech, without any doubt. This Muslim school is the largest in Morocco and was built in the 14th century. The central courtyard is spectacular with an incredible iron chandelier, the arches and walls decorated with tiles, and the walls covered with handmade zellige, cedar, stucco and marble panels. At one time, 800 students memorized the Koran in its 130 cells until 1960. It has now become one of the must-see places to visit in Marrakech.
Visiting hours: daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Our recommended hotel in Marrakech
Riad Assalam, riad very central, just 10 minutes from Djemma el Fna Square. Delicious and varied breakfast. Large and clean room with a Moroccan bathroom and a couple of terraces with great views of the city. The owners and staff make the stay very comfortable.
For more information about the best hotels and neighborhoods we recommend you to check this post about where to stay in Marrakech.
4. The Souk
Get lost, bargain, buy or even get a little angry, are some of the premises that you have to know before entering the souk and one of the best tips for traveling to Marrakech. In the heart of the Medina and entering the north side of the Jamaa el Fna Square you will enter a maze of narrow streets full of stores and the occasional food stall.
In the souk you can buy the typical metal lanterns, slippers, djellabas, tea sets, spices or clothing … among many other typical items of the country. You will see that the artisans of the same branch are grouped in the same area of the souk, making it much easier for the traveler to find what he is looking for.
Our favorite is the dyers’ souk, with its colorful wool dried in the sun, although there are many others worth finding and visiting such as the Henna souk, with cosmetic items, the silk, cotton and slippers souk called Kissaria Serrajine, the carpet souk known as the Tillis souk, the cauldron souk called Es-Seffarine or the Nejjarine souk with wooden items.
As a tip we will tell you that you should not pay attention to the guides who want to make you a route through the souks, as you will surely end up in a store buying more expensive.
Although at some point it can become overwhelming, this is certainly one of the most essential places to visit in Marrakech.
Visiting hours: every day from 9.00 to 19.00h. Closed on Friday mornings.
5. Mellah, one of the best places to visit in Marrakech
Mellah or the old Jewish quarter is one of the least visited areas of the Medina, but one of the most interesting places to see in Marrakech. The creation of the neighborhood dates back to the sixteenth century with the expulsion of many Jews ordered by the kings of Spain and Portugal, which led to the formation of one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe.
6. Riads
The riads are small old Arab palaces with an inner courtyard that have been adapted as hotels. It is the perfect place to stay in the medina of Marrakech, with the noise of the fountain in the courtyard, the smell of the plants, the roof terrace overlooking the Medina while sipping a mint tea, the Arab hospitality, the delicious breakfasts and the tranquility of its few rooms.
Riad Assalam and it met all these requirements we were looking for, as well as exceeding all our expectations.
8. Wall
The Medina of Marrakech is surrounded by an impressive wall of 15 kilometers that separates its oldest part of the new neighborhoods. Built of clay and adobe has a height of about 10 meters and has 10 impressive entrance gates among which highlights the Bab Agnaou Gate of the twelfth century, with bas-reliefs and green colors. This protective wall, another of the places to see in Marrakech, you can go a good part or all walking or buggy, and thus find other interesting gates such as Bab el Robb, Bab Doukkala, Bab el Debbagh, Bab el Jadid and Bab el Khemis.
Travel insurance for Morocco
To travel to Morocco, nothing better than having a good travel insurance.
We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we take a fully adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip.
If you buy your insurance with Mondo here, just for being a Viajeros Callejeros reader, you get a 5% discount.
9. Koutoubia Mosque
One of the unmistakable buildings of the silhouette of Marrakech is the 66-meter minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque or Kutubia. The Koutoubia is the most important mosque in Marrakech and one of the largest in the Arab world. This mosque is located very close to the Jamaa el Fna Square and you can see it from the terraces of many restaurants and rooftops of the riads around, from where you can take good pictures of the medina with the minaret towering on the horizon.
The name of the mosque translates as “the one of the booksellers” and is a good reference point when you get lost. Like the other mosques in the city it is off-limits to non-Muslims. The atmosphere around the mosque when the calls to prayer begin is really interesting.
10. Bahia Palace
The Bahia Palace which was built to be the most spectacular palace in the world, is another must-see in Marrakech.
This set of buildings and gardens made in an Arabic style in the late nineteenth century occupy 8 hectares and among the highlights is the harem. with a pond in the central courtyard and surrounded by the rooms of the concubines. Although it is a bit abandoned and without any objects inside, the decoration of the walls, the wooden doors, and the ceilings are worth the visit. It is located in the southern part of the Medina about 20 minute walk from Jamaa el Fna Square.
Visiting hours: daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Remember that to avoid paying commissions and always have the current exchange rate we recommend you to use the Vivid card and the N26 card, they are the ones we use, they are free and will save you a lot of money.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
Itineraries around Marrakech
To not miss anything interesting in Marrakech you can follow these personalized guides according to the days you have available:
Also to get to the city in the most comfortable and fast way you can consult this guide on how to get from Marrakech airport to the center.
Moroccan Desert Tours If you have more days in the city we recommend you to visit some of the wonders to visit in Morocco such as the deserts of Merzouga and Zagora, Essaouira and the Ouzoud Waterfalls.
Among the best excursions from Marrakech with guide in English you have:
3 days tour from to Merzouga desert
2 days excursion to the desert of Zagora
Morocco Sahara Trips
For more information, you can consult this guide about the desert excursion from Marrakech.
