A plan for Marrakesh

The name Marrakech originates from the Amazigh (Berber) words mur (n) wakush, which means "Land of God". It is the fourth largest city in Morocco after Casablanca, Tanger and Fez and lies near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains and a few hours away from the foot of the Sahara Desert. Its location and contrasting landscape have made it an enviable destination in Morocco.

As the country's main tourist destination, Marrakech is where many Moroccans try to become rich fast by ripping off tourists. This mentality is so widespread that even Moroccans are now ripped off whenever possible so that they call the city "Marrakech, Arnakech" – which rhymes in French and translates to "Marrakech, Scam" (see Touts and scams below).

For further information, you may also visit the 1 Marrakech Tourist Information (at a small square at the intersection of Avenue Mohammed V and Rue de Yugoslavie).

There is much to see and do in Marrakech. An entire day can be dedicated to wandering around all the different souks, seeking out the best bargains. The city also offers several historical and architectural sites as well as some interesting museums.

1 Medina. The Medina is the old city quarter located within the sandstone city walls that give Marrakech the nickname the Red City. As an ancient hub, it contains a maze of narrow streets and outdoor marketplaces. (updated Dec 2024)

2 Djemaa El-Fna. The highlight of any Marrakech night. Musicians, dancers, and story tellers pack this square at the heart of the medina, filling it with a cacophony of drum beats and excited shouts. Scores of stalls sell a wide array of Moroccan fare (see the Eat section) and you will almost certainly be accosted by women wanting to give you a henna tattoo. Amateur boxing matches are sometimes held. Enjoy the various shows, but be prepared to give some dirham to watch or take photos. By day it is largely filled with snake charmers and people with monkeys, as well as some of the more common stalls. (updated Nov 2019)

3 The Souks (suuqs). Markets of Marrakech, just adjacent to Place Djemaa El-Fna, are where you can buy almost anything, from spices to shoes, jellabas to kaftans, and tea pots to tagines. Undoubtedly, being a foreigner means you will end up paying higher prices than a native would, but be sure to bargain nonetheless. If you happen to run out of dirham, you will also find plenty of people in the souks who will eagerly exchange your dollars or euros (though a fair rate here is less likely than at an official exchange). All that said, the sellers here are much less aggressive than, say, Egypt, so have fun! (updated Jan 2018)

1 Chez Ali Fantasia, La Palmeraie de Marrakech (10 km north of Marrakech), ☏ +212 5 24307730. Horse show, acrobats on Arabian horses firing rifles in the air, horseback acrobatics, belly dancing, etc. It takes place at night in a huge imitation of an old castle. €15.

Football: 2 Stade de Marrakesh (ملعب مراكش). This is multi-use but mostly for football, with a capacity of 41,356. It's the home ground of Kawkab, who play in Botola 2 the second tier. In 2025 / 26 it hosted matches in the Africa Cup of Nations. (updated Jan 2026)

Marrakech Paragliding (Paragliding Activity), Aguergour , Ouzguita 45 Km from Marrakech, ☏ +212 652630292, marrakechparaglidingactivity@hotmail.com. Leave the city behind and discover the incredible beauty of Morocco from above! Enjoy an exciting tandem paragliding experience near Marrakech, surrounded by the spectacular Atlas Mountains. (updated Sep 2026)

The Medina

The historic district of the city.

The main square in the Medina is Djemaa El-Fna. It is surrounded by endless labyrinths of souks (bazaars) and alley ways covering all of the Medina. Djemma El-Fna is a must as there is always something to see there day and night whether it be snake charmers, acrobats, sooth-sayers,or the musicians and food stalls. At night the square really comes to life as people navigate toward the exotic aromas and the entertaining sights. As the evening darkens, the hustle & bustle of activity rages on. The exotic music appears louder and more hypnotic.

The Medina is also the place to stay in a Riad, a Moroccan house with an internal courtyard. Most windows are inward facing towards the central atrium. This design of property suits Islamic tradition as there is no obvious wealth statement being made externally, no windows to peer through. Entering a Riad is like discovering an Aladdin's Cave in comparison to its non-descript exterior. They are great places to stay and offer an intimate and relaxing retreat.

How to eat (well) in the Djemaa El-Fna

Each night in the Djemaa El-Fna rows of street stalls are set up under giant white tents. The huts targeting tourists serve similar fare and have menus printed in French, Arabic and usually English. Everyone has tajine, couscous, brochette and some variety of soups. Some have specialities like offal, egg sandwiches or special tajines. Be aware that most restaurants employ rather insistent "greeters," who are very aggressive in trying to customers for their stall. The line 'we already ate' seems to work well to get them to stop. As of 2018, the "greeters" mentioned above have changed strategies to one of harassment and insults. They try to separate couples and corner women while hurling insults.

If you want to eat well in Marrakech, do what the locals do and eat at the food stalls in the square. It is a common misconception that these stalls are only here for the tourists. Actually, they have been in existence long before Marrakech became a tourist destination. All of the stalls can be regarded as perfectly safe to eat at. They are strictly licensed and controlled by the government, especially now as it is a popular destination for tourists. The locals eat at the cheaper stalls that don't employ greeters and serve the more interesting food: snails, sheep head, lentils and beans.

Some tips:

Prices tend to vary a little. Depending upon how hungry you are, you can pay anything from 10 dirham for a bread filled with freshly grilled sausages, or perhaps a bowl of harira soup to 100 dirham for a full three-course meal with salad, bread, starter, main course, and tea.

Try harira (great soup, of lamb/beef, red lentils and vegetables) and the fried aubergines. Don't be afraid to try the lamb head: it's really tasty. The "bull stew" (beef stew) should also be given a chance in the same stalls.

Street vendors offer fresh orange juice (jus d'Orange) by the glass for 4 dirham. Try it with a dash of salt like the locals, but be wary of vendors who try to water the juice down with tap water. Also, pay attention when you buy as they offer 2 types of orange... the blood orange juice costs 10 dirham per glass and a misunderstanding on what you want to drink could occur.

Confirm the price of your orange juice and pay for it before you drink. Unscrupulous vendors will sometimes try to charge you 10 dirham for a 4-dirham glass of jus d'Orange, so don't accept your drink until you've paid the correct amount.

Be wary also, that they do not always clean the glasses very well so it is possible to get an upset stomach from the juice.

There is a very limited selection of places selling alcohol in the Medina.

1 Chesterfield Pub (Bar Anglais), 115 Avenue Mohammed V (In the Hotel Nassim). 09:00-01:00. A slightly unusual experience, apparently an 'English pub' it serves Moroccan lager and has an outside pool in a courtyard with palm trees, not an entirely English experience. Much less touristy than it sounds with a mainly local clientele. It serves a decent pint.

2 Le Salama, 40 Rue des Banques (On Jeema El Fna, facing Cafe de France, take the road to the left of Café de France (as in walking behind it). After 100 m on the left hand side.), reservations@lesalama.com. 11:00-13:00. Happy hour from 17:00 until they close, mostly western pop classics on the top floor. Very touristy with shishas, belly dancing and waiters who wear a fez - none of it is typically Moroccan but the overall atmosphere is between relaxed and party vibe. Also offers traditional Moroccan snacks. Good for smaller (up to 10 people) groups. (updated Apr 2019)

3 Hotel Grand Tazi, Rue Bab Agnaou. The hotel has a public bar, serving beer and wine and is not overly expensive.

4 Narwama, Hay Zefriti 30, Rue Koutoubia., ☏ +212 6 7250 8700. Restaurant and bar that has a fire fountain in the centre and an open roof around the patio. The atmosphere is very chilled and their food is very good, but slightly expensive. Good for pre-dinner drinks. 150 dirham mains.

Outside the Medina.

5 Montecristo, Rue Ibn Aicha 20, ☏ +212 5 24439031. 20:00-02:00. Nightclub with rooftop terrace

Once in the medina, everything can be seen on foot, though you'll be doing a lot of walking. Many tourist destinations are signposted by brown, red or green signs affixed to posts or to buildings. Bear in mind that many of these signs don't take the direct route, and some seem to deliberately send tourists via various markets or other places money may be spent.

For exploring more of the city, buses and petits taxis are plentiful.

By bus

Alsa run the city buses and have maps, fares and a frequency guide on their web page.

Almost all buses stop at Djemaa El-Fna (the bus stop for Djemaa El-Fna is called Terminus Arset El Bilk, and it is marked on Google Maps) and Place Youssef Ben Tachfine and fares range from 2–5 dirham depending on the distance. Important municipal bus lines are:

No 1 - Towards Gueliz

No 8 - Stops at the central train station, and bus station (Gare Routiere Voyageurs Marrakech)

No 10 - Stops at the long distance bus station

No 11 - Will drop you off at the gardens of Menara

No 18 - Outside of Airport to Djemaa el-Fna.

No 19 - Airport express to Djemaa el-Fna (return for 30 dirham)

Bus No 19 leaves Djemaa el-Fna every half an hour, from 05:15 to 21:15. The trip to the airport takes about 25 minutes.

There is an open-topped City Sightseeing bus that will take you around the outskirts of the city, with commentary provided via headphones (supplied with your ticket) in any of 8 different languages. The best place to catch it is from the coach stops by Square de Foucauld. Tickets cost 145 dirham each and are valid for 24 hours from the time of issue, no matter how many times you get on or off. You can get a 48-hour ticket for very little extra and as there are two distinct tours, this can be a good deal. Check the timetable carefully, as the buses can stop running earlier than you might think.

Ride hailing apps. Uber started offering services in Marrakech Feb 2026. It’s reliable and costs a minimum of 50 dirham around the city and 200 dirham to the airport. Indrive - another local ride hailing app but it is not available for download by visitors outside (updated Apr 2026)

Marrakech is a generally safe city, with police presence. However, staying alert about your surroundings and taking general safety precautions is always a good idea like everywhere. Here are some tips:

Violent crime is normally not a major problem, but thefts are known to happen. Keep your money close and hidden, and avoid poorly lit streets or alleys at night.

Guides offering their services should display an official badge from the local tourist authorities.

In the Medina, if someone tells you a street is closed, ignore them, they are lying. It is a scam to lure you into a quiet alley to mug you at worst, and a way to redirect you to a business they are friendly with at best.

Be especially careful about being drugged, especially as a solo traveller. The common and easy-to-make drug GHB only lasts three hours and is undetectable in the body after 7 hours, so if you are attacked, take action immediately.

Be careful ordering room service if you are a solo traveller, as even older women can be targets for robbery. Don't ask the waiter to enter your room.

Get one of the shopkeepers to dress you up with a Berber style scarf, for men and women, it will cover your face (leaving only space for your eyes) and you can remain undetected and will definitely not be harassed by the shopkeepers, one or two beggars may catch on that you are still a tourist from the way you are dressed though, so bear that in mind.

Emergency phone numbers

Police, ☏ 19.

Ambulance/ Fire, ☏ 15.

Hospitals

Inb Tofail Hospital, Rue Abdelouahab Derraq, ☏ +212 4444 8011.

Polyclinique du Sud, 2 Rue Yougoslavie, Gueliz, ☏ +212 4444 7999, +212 4444 8372, fax: +212 4443 2424. In case of a medical emergency, it's always a good idea to know where to find the local physicians who speak your language. According to the U.S. Consulate website, Dr. Taarji Bel Abbass at the Polyclinique du Sud speaks "fair to good English".