10-Day Marrakech Itinerary

Check into a medina riad

Land in Marrakech and settle into a traditional riad tucked behind an unmarked medina door, its courtyard cool and tiled.

Mint tea on the rooftop

Sip sweet mint tea on the riad's rooftop terrace, getting oriented with views over the medina's low rooftops.

First wander near Jemaa el-Fnaa

Ease into the medina with a short walk toward Jemaa el-Fnaa, getting a feel for the alleys before the evening crowds arrive.

Jemaa el-Fnaa after dark

Return as the square fills with snake charmers, henna artists and smoking food stalls serving snail soup and grilled kebabs.

Koutoubia Mosque and gardens

Admire the Koutoubia Mosque's 12th-century minaret, the city's skyline marker, from its surrounding rose gardens.

Bahia Palace's carved courtyards

Wander the Bahia Palace's cedar-carved ceilings, zellige tilework and citrus-tree courtyards, built for a grand vizier's harem.

Saadian Tombs and the Mellah

Duck into the rediscovered Saadian Tombs, then walk through the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, toward the spice market.

Tagine on a quiet medina terrace

Order a slow-cooked lamb and prune tagine at a small terrace restaurant tucked off Rue Riad Zitoun.

Jardin Majorelle's cobalt courtyards

Walk the cactus gardens and cobalt-blue villa that Yves Saint Laurent once restored, alive with birdsong and bamboo.

Berber Museum within the gardens

Step into the small Berber Museum on the same grounds for jewellery, textiles and artifacts from Morocco's Amazigh tribes.

Boutiques of Gueliz

Cross into Gueliz, the French-built new town, for concept stores and designer boutiques along Rue de la Liberte.

French-Moroccan dinner in Gueliz

Try a French-Moroccan fusion menu at a Gueliz bistro, a contrast to the medina's traditional kitchens.

Leather souk in the tanneries district

Walk toward the Bab Debbagh tanneries, where hides are still dyed in stone vats using centuries-old methods.

Bargaining through Souk Semmarine

Haggle through Souk Semmarine's covered alleys for hammered lanterns, babouche slippers and Berber rugs.

Traditional hammam and scrub

Book a black-soap scrub and steam at a neighbourhood hammam, the medina's centuries-old communal bathhouse ritual.

Riad dinner with live gnaoua music

Return to the riad for a private courtyard dinner with a gnaoua trio playing traditional trance rhythms.

Drive into the High Atlas foothills

Leave the city behind on the road toward the Ourika Valley, red-earth villages giving way to terraced green fields.

Hike to the Setti Fatma waterfalls

Follow a mule-track trail up to the seven cascades of Setti Fatma, crossing rope bridges over the river.

Riverside lunch with a Berber family

Eat a home-cooked tagine on a riverside terrace run by a local Berber family, feet nearly in the water.

Sunset drive back to Marrakech

Wind back down through the foothills as the Atlas peaks turn pink, arriving in Marrakech for a quiet night.

Shop the spice and produce market

Join a local chef to shop for saffron, preserved lemons and ras el hanout in the medina's produce market.

Hands-on tagine cooking class

Learn to build a chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemon from scratch in a riad courtyard kitchen.

Eat what you cooked

Sit down to the tagine the class prepared together, paired with warm khobz bread and mint tea.

Street food crawl near the square

Graze grilled merguez, harira soup and msemen pancakes from the food stalls ringing Jemaa el-Fnaa at dusk.

Ben Youssef Madrasa's carved halls

Explore the intricately carved stucco and cedar of the Ben Youssef Madrasa, once North Africa's largest Quranic school.

Marrakech Museum's central atrium

Visit the nearby Marrakech Museum, housed in a restored 19th-century palace with a grand chandelier-lit atrium.

Contemporary art at MACAAL

Head to MACAAL, a contemporary African art museum in a former winery, for rotating exhibitions of Moroccan artists.

Rooftop dinner over the medina

Dine on grilled kefta and couscous at a rooftop restaurant with the Koutoubia minaret lit up in the distance.

Drive to the Atlantic coast

Take the road west through argan tree country toward the fortified port town of Essaouira.

Walk Essaouira's sea ramparts

Walk the 18th-century Skala ramparts overlooking the harbour's blue fishing boats and crashing Atlantic surf.

Grilled fish at the port stalls

Pick a fish straight off the boats and have it grilled at one of the harbourside stalls, the day's catch still salty.

Evening drive back to Marrakech

Return inland as the coastal light fades, back to the medina's riad for a restful night.

Slow breakfast on the terrace

Sleep in and take a rooftop breakfast of msemen, amlou and orange juice at an unhurried pace.

Poolside morning at the riad

Relax by the riad's small plunge pool, the medina's noise muffled behind thick clay walls.

Argan oil massage

Book a warm argan-oil massage at a spa near Gueliz, Morocco's prized cosmetic oil pressed from Atlas argan nuts.

Farewell couscous feast

Close out the trip with a traditional Friday-style seven-vegetable couscous at a family-run medina restaurant.

Final souvenirs in the souks

Make one last pass through the souks near Jemaa el-Fnaa for saffron tins, ceramics and leather babouches.

Last mint tea on the terrace

Sit down for one more glass of mint tea on the riad rooftop, watching storks nest on the medina's ancient walls.

Farewell lunch near Koutoubia

A final plate of chicken pastilla, sweet and savoury pastry, at a cafe within view of the Koutoubia minaret.

Transfer to Marrakech Menara Airport

Head to Menara Airport for the evening flight out, the medina's minarets glowing behind you.