Your guide to your first visit to Marrakech: everything you wish you knew in one place for Morocco!

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Visiting Marrakech remains one of my absolute favorite trips of all time! So many of the cliches are true: the vibrance, the color, the food, the shopping, the architecture. It blows your mind the beauty and intensity. I loved my first visit to Marrakech!

Marrakech is often folk’s entry point into Morocco, and it’s such a great city! It’s known as the red city, alongside Morocco’s white city (Casablanca) and blue city (Chefchaouen).

Your First Visit to Marrakech: Know Before You Go

Airport details: a small but costly mistake is that Moroccan airports require you to bring a paper ticket to the airport upon check in! Print your ticket, even if the airline doesn’t tell you this. Airport staff write on the ticket and it’s a requirement. If you fly a budget airline like Ryanair, they’ll charge you a 50€ fee to print the ticket at the check in desk.

How long to spend in Marrakech: this is always subjective! I was there for 4 days, with 2.5 days of excursions while still sleeping in Marrakech. For just in the city, I’d give yourself at least 2 days, but depending on what you want to see, maybe 3. Then consider day trips or nearby excursions and add days. I’ll share a whole guide to day trips from Marrakech soon!

Where to base your visit: Marrakech is loosely divided into the Medina and a newer (quasi-European) city. The Medina is the oldest part of the city, and where you’ll find the souks. I recommend staying in or within walking distance of the Medina. The newer part of the city is called the Gueliz or new town. You’ll find plenty of hotels, activities, here and you should go explore! But if you have to pick one, I recommend basing your trip in or on the edge of the Medina.

Currency: Morocco uses dirham. You’ll need cash a lot more often here, so plan to find an ATM or exchange currency with your local bank before you leave if they offer this service.

Weather: I cannot emphasize enough that it is delightful to visit in winter. The crowds are way less, particularly if you’re in Marrakech. The temperatures are still warm but cool at night, and not the blazing hot of summer. This also makes dressing more modestly an easier choice.

Clothing: Speaking of, keep in mind that this is a Muslim country and the local standard of dressing is more modest/more coverage. The goal isn’t to blend in: trust me, you won’t. But there’s a lot of reasons to do it: many places have a dress code, especially religious sites. In theory, dressing with a bit more coverage attracts less unwanted attention (more on safety in a minute). It is always a good idea to be respectful of local customs. I wore a mix of mostly lightweight pants and short sleeves during the day and it was the perfect combo for visiting in January.

Language: Marrakech is such an international hub that you’ll hear a ton of languages, but Arabic is the local language. You’ll also hear a lot of French, a colonial impact from early 20th century. But in the vast majority of tourist-facing situations, people speak English.

Let’s Talk About Safety in Marrakech

A note about safety.

Yes, be safe. Make smart choices. Pay attention to your surroundings, because GPS doesn’t always work.

But I want to draw a distinction between visitors feeling uncomfortable and calling it “unsafe” vs “overwhelmed/overstimulated.” Especially on a first visit to Marrakech, or any place that’s culturally very different than your home.

Souks are loud. Sellers will approach you, talk to you, try to convince you to buy. Especially if you stop and look at or touch their products. If you are firm – no need to smile! – and walk away if you’re not interested, they’ll move onto the next.

If you take photos of people or their products to sell, keep in mind they may want some money for that. They don’t always, but don’t assume you can take pictures without compensation.

Once I wrapped my head around the way it worked culturally, I felt just as a secure in Marrakech as I do in New York City or Venice or a festival. Additionally I had plenty of great interactions with locals, even when I wasn’t buying anything from them! People were kind and accommodating the vast majority of the time.

Without getting on a soapbox about it, a lot of language around discomfort can get translated as unsafe. Our nervous systems are programmed that way! But it does a disservice to the place you’re visiting, and to your experience as a traveler, we interpret “this is loud and new and different than I’m used to” as “this is not safe.”

Take a deep breath, be quick to say no when you need to, and look for the difference between uncomfortable and unsafe.

Marrakech Hotels

Marrakech hotels are called riads, and they’re almost always tiny. These boutique accommodations are built out of former homes or communal living spaces, so it’s no surprise! Especially if you want to stay in the more historic areas that are walking distance, you’ll want a riad.

We stayed in Riad Selouane and it was lovely! The rooms were gorgeous and there was plenty of open space to relax. The hosts welcomed us with Moroccan mint tea and the breakfast was an amazing spread every morning! I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something mid-range for price.

A few others I’ve had my eyes on are Riad El Cadi and The Central House.

And if you’re looking for a more luxe experience, try Riad Luciano or Hotel La Maison Arabe!

What to do

Try Everything on a Food Tour

Doing a food tour is my number one way to get your bearings on your first visit to Marrakech! We did one on our first day in Morocco and it gave us all the info we needed to make informed decisions on menus as well as where to shop and what to look for when haggling in the souks! 

I always recommend walking tours on your first day in a new place, and this food tour gave us the best of both worlds. Seriously, if you do one organized thing, do this. 

One note: the description on the website doesn’t do justice to how much food you’ll get. We did nearly 2 hours of walking around tasting small bites, and then sat down to a full dinner! You’ll get your money’s worth, I promise. 

Visit the Souks

Possibly the most essential experience of any first visit to Marrakech is exploring the souks!

A souk is a market. They’re often booths or shops that open into the path, bleeding into each other. This means the term applies equally to where the locals do their food shopping as it does to the booths selling a bunch of made in china junk, and everything in between!

Wandering the souks inside the Medina is the best way to get a taste. Walk, explore, see it all!

My number one recommendation is to not buy anything the first day. Anything you see, it’ll be in several other booths, and after a bit of exploring you’ll get a better feel for what’s more authentic. Sometimes the vibe of the neighboring shops gives it away: if it’s surrounded by Nike dupes, probably you can find a better quality version elsewhere.

While I’m not typically a big souvenir person – I’d rather spend my money on one more great meal or cool experience – this is where I was most tempted to shop. A few of my favorite purchases from the souks:

• Scarves, specifically from the Dyers District. These are hand dyed and gorgeous colors. They’re more expensive than the ones you see in the booths, but that’s because of the quality. I got one for myself and a few as gifts and they’re great.
• Metalwork. From stunning lamps to beautiful jewelry, there are lots of options here. Many booths do help with international shipping if you want to buy one of those massive light fixtures.
• Leather shoes. I bought myself a pair and they’ve held up beautifully. I also got several pairs of color kid slippers for nieces and nephews and they were a hit!
• Ceramics. I’m a sucker for ceramics anyway, but Morocco’s are much more unique from the ones I typically find in Europe. There are both decorative and useful options.
• Argan oil. Native to Morocco and nowhere else, this is a fantastic souvenir even if you’re not a skincare girlie. It’s so good for your skin and hair, and cost a fraction of the price you’ll pay anywhere else for the pure oil.
• Spices. I did buy several things, and wish I’d bought more! I recommend going into a shop for these rather than a booth. Somewhere you can browse and ask questions. Especially consider Ras El Hanout (the most famous Moroccan spice blend) and saffron (another product that you can get here for high quality at a lower price that most places).
• Rugs. Many people get rugs here and love it. The souks have amazing rug makers and it’s a popular souvenir you’ll use daily.

One more note: Jemaa el Fna square is the major square and worth a walk through. You’ll see the snake charmers, the performers, the knockoff stores. Much of these are set up for the tourists, so I wouldn’t buy anything here or on the outer edges of the souks generally. Move deeper into the souks for the best artisan work!

The next three spots are pretty close together, and you can see all of them in a long morning. Each of them are about $7 per person per place, so not expensive individually. Most don’t include a ton of signage in English, so if you’re interested in deeper information, you can hire a guide or book an organized day tour of a combination of them! (But if you’re just there to see the beautiful places, there’s enough to happily explore each of them without!) 

Bahia Palace

If you’re short on time in Marrakech, the Bahia Palace is a great stop for many of the most beautiful architecture of the city. It has all the absolutely gorgeous details and art tucked into every corner, with quiet gardens along the way. 

The Bahia Palace was first built in the mid 1800’s, and added onto so many times that the complex feels a bit like a maze as you wander through. It’s hard to pick a favorite spot: each room was full of beautiful details, leading to another with more! Go slow – there’s more to see everywhere you look. 

Saadian Tombs

While small, the Saadian Tombs had my favorite architecture and designs between here, the Badi Palace, and the Bahia Palace. 

Historically this site is a royal necropolis (burial site) dating back to the 16th century. It’s a pretty small space, but the intricate carvings and detailed designs are breathtaking. My descriptions feel pretty inadequate compared to the beauty in the detail work, so I’ll just say it’s worth a visit!

El Badi Palace

The Badi Palace is the older and larger of the two major palaces. Dating from the 16th century, it’s as much a fortress as a residence. Walking through gives a sense of its former grandeur, and you can picture a powerful ruler throwing opulent parties among the orange trees and pools in the main square of the palace. Its name means “the Incomparable.”

There are small exhibits in many of the smaller rooms. While not all are labeled in English, there are several historic photographic exhibitions I loved, and the 3D rendering of what Badi Palace looked like in its heyday is fascinating. 

Dar El Bacha Palace / Museum of Confluences

Dar El Bacha is a gorgeous small palace turned museum in the same vein as Bahia Palace. It was built in the 18th century and has that traditional Moroccon architecure that I love: intricate details, beautiful colors, and indoor/outdoor space flowing easily.

The weird name refers to the design being a confluence (meeting point) of religious and secular art. The building itself is the main draw: the architecture is stunning and contrasts perfectly with the tropical garden in the center. The museum portion has art and historic documents or tools, all beautiful.

There’s a very famous coffee shop inside this museum! The coffee is top shelf, and if you’re here, you might as well get a cup. It’s expensive, but if you’re a coffee connoisseur, you’ll love it. You can come just to the cafe, but you still have to pay a small entry fee just to enter (about $1). 

If you’re doing both the museum and the cafe, be sure to put your name on the wait list for the coffee shop first! When I was there in winter (meaning, slow season), there was still a two hour wait for a table. We opted not to wait, but everyone I’ve talked to who did stay enjoyed it.

I loved Dar El Bacha! But if architecture isn’t your favorite or you’re tight on time, you can probably skip it if you plan to also visit Bahia Palace. 

Jardin Majorelle

Now owned by Yves Saint Laurent, Jardin Majorelle is Marrakech’s most popular garden. It blends desert and green and beautiful striking colors on the buildings scattered throughout.

It’s of the more expensive activities in Marrakech, but so worth it. The whole place feels like an oasis. The temperatures are cooler, full of beautiful desert plants and set off with bright blue, yellow and orange pots, pergolas, and accents. The effect is striking. 

I highly recommend booking tickets in advance – it doesn’t always sell out, but entry is timed and in popular months you’ll have to plan ahead.

Other Sights in Marrakech

The list above is very much a highlight reel – not a lot of hidden spots here. But it’s a big list for a first visit!

If you want to do more than the major sights on your first visit to Marrakech, try some of these:

Visit a hammam is a classic activity in Morocco! The traditional baths are a great unique way to relax and jump into a local experience. There are several great ones in the city, but try Hammam Rosa Bonheur is a good one right in the Medina or Hammam Mouassine, the oldest public hamman in the city!

Le Jardin Secret is another gorgeous garden that’s less crowded than Majorelle. It also features a tower nearly as tall as minarets of the city, giving some of the best views in town!

The Moroccan Culinary Arts Museum offers a look into Moroccan cuisine! They offer guided tours and a delicious tea service, but most importantly, cooking classes! The space itself is an 18th century palace, so the building is just as interesting as the food.

If you only base your trip to Morocco in Marrakech, give yourself time for some day trips! I’ll be sharing a full day trip guide soon to get you started, as well as a restaurant guide!

Want more travel guides? I’ve got them for all over the place!