Marrakech 7-day itinerary

Start at Bahia Palace (70 MAD) — a 19th-century masterpiece of Islamic architecture with zellige tilework, carved stucco, and painted cedar ceilings. Walk to the Saadian Tombs (70 MAD) — a royal necropolis hidden for centuries, rediscovered in 1917. The Hall of Twelve Columns is extraordinary. Breakfast at Café des Épices on Rahba Kedima (30–50 MAD) — excellent people-watching.

Plunge into the souks. The leather souk (Souk Cherratine) is pungent with tanning vats. The carpet souk showcases Berber patterns. The metalwork souk rings with craftsmen. Each alley reveals a new speciality — slippers, lanterns, spices, jewellery. Haggling is expected. Lunch at a riad restaurant — Dar Cherifa serves pastilla and tagine in a 16th-century riad (120–180 MAD).

Jemaa el-Fnaa erupts at sunset — musicians, acrobats, storytellers, snake charmers, and the famous food stalls. Eat at the stalls: brochettes, harira soup, grilled fish, snail soup, fresh orange juice (5 MAD). The atmosphere is intoxicating — smoke, music, drumming, and thousands of people. Rooftop mint tea at Café Glacier or Nomad with views over the square.

Taxi to Jardin Majorelle (150 MAD) — the cobalt-blue Art Deco garden is Marrakech's most iconic sight. Created by Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and restored by Yves Saint Laurent. Cacti, bamboo groves, and the electric blue buildings are impossibly photogenic. The Musée Yves Saint Laurent next door (100 MAD) showcases decades of haute couture in a stunning modern building.

Walk through Gueliz — the French-built new town with Art Deco buildings, contemporary galleries, and pavement cafes. Lunch at Grand Café de la Poste (120–200 MAD) in a gorgeous colonial building. Visit MACMA (Musée d'Art et de Culture de Marrakech) or the David Bloch Gallery for contemporary Moroccan and international art. The contrast with the medina is striking.

Experience a traditional hammam — Heritage Spa or Les Bains de Marrakech (300–500 MAD). The ritual: steam room, black soap scrub with a kessa glove, rhassoul clay mask, massage. It's deeply cleansing and relaxing. Then dinner at Le Jardin — a beautiful restaurant in the medina with a garden courtyard, serving modern Moroccan cuisine (120–200 MAD mains).

Visit the Tanneries in the Bab Debbagh area — vats of coloured dye where leather is still treated using medieval methods. The smell is intense (you'll be given mint to hold to your nose) but the visual is extraordinary. Then explore the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) — the market here is more local and less touristy. Visit the Lazama Synagogue and the Miara Jewish Cemetery.

Visit Le Jardin Secret (60 MAD) — a restored riad garden with Islamic water channels and a tower with panoramic medina views. Then walk to the Ben Youssef area — the old theological quarter. The Ben Youssef Madrasa, when open, is one of the most beautiful Islamic buildings in North Africa. Lunch at Nomad (100–170 MAD) — modern Moroccan food with stunning terrace views over the medina.

Join an evening Moroccan cooking class (300–500 MAD) — learn to make tagine, pastilla, and Moroccan salads with a local chef in a medina riad kitchen. Most classes include a market visit to buy ingredients. You eat what you cook. Alternatively, dinner at Al Fassia — a legendary women-run restaurant with traditional Moroccan dishes. Slow-cooked lamb tangia is their speciality.

Book a day trip to the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas (shared transport 200–300 MAD, private taxi 500–800 MAD round trip). The valley is 60km south — terraced Berber villages cling to green hillsides along a rushing river. Visit a Berber family for mint tea and a glimpse of mountain life. The landscape is dramatically different from the dusty medina.

Hike to the Setti Fatma waterfalls (1.5 hours, local guide 50 MAD recommended) — scrambling over wet rocks to reach cascading falls in a narrow canyon. Lunch at a riverside restaurant — tables on platforms over the rushing water. Tagine with chicken and preserved lemons (80–120 MAD) in a spectacular mountain setting. Return to Marrakech by late afternoon.

Return to Marrakech refreshed by the mountain air. Dinner at Dar Zellij — a beautiful riad restaurant in the medina with traditional Moroccan cuisine and live music (200–350 MAD). The courtyard setting with lanterns and rose petals is pure Marrakech romance. Walk through the illuminated lanes of the medina afterwards — the city takes on a magical quality at night.

Take the Supratours bus from Marrakech to Essaouira (80 MAD, 3 hours) — a beautiful whitewashed coastal town with a Portuguese-built medina, working fishing harbour, and year-round Atlantic winds that attract surfers and windsurfers. The drive passes through argan tree forests where goats climb the branches. Arrive and explore the compact, car-free medina.

Walk the dramatic ramparts (skala) overlooking the Atlantic — the cannons and views featured in Game of Thrones. Visit the fishing harbour where the day's catch is grilled on the spot — choose your fish and eat at communal tables (60–100 MAD for a plate with salad and bread). The wide sandy beach stretches south for kilometres — walk, ride a camel (100 MAD), or try windsurfing.

Catch the 5pm Supratours bus back to Marrakech (arrive 8pm). Before leaving, wander the Essaouira medina for Thuya wood crafts — a speciality of the town. The wind-sculpted argan wood items are unique souvenirs. Arrive in Marrakech and head to your riad for dinner, or grab food at Jemaa el-Fnaa on the way.

Visit the artisan workshops in the medina — many craftspeople welcome visitors. Watch zellige tile-cutting, leather-working, and metalwork being done by hand using techniques unchanged for centuries. The carpet cooperatives in the Mouassine quarter let you see weaving in progress. The Ensemble Artisanal near the Koutoubia has fixed-price crafts — useful for understanding fair prices before haggling in the souks.

Taxi (60–80 MAD) to the Palmeraie — a vast palm grove on the city's edge with over 100,000 date palms. Take a camel ride through the groves (200–300 MAD for 1–2 hours) — the classic Marrakech experience. Or rent a quad bike (300–500 MAD) for an adrenaline-fuelled ride through the desert terrain. The Palmeraie also has several luxury hotel pool clubs if you want a splash.

Walk past the Koutoubia Mosque — Marrakech's 12th-century landmark with a 77m minaret visible from across the city. Non-Muslims can't enter but the exterior and gardens are beautiful at night when illuminated. Dinner at Café Clock in the Kasbah area (80–150 MAD) — they're famous for their camel burger. Live music and storytelling evenings on Thursdays.

Treat yourself to a morning hammam — Le Bain Bleu or Hammam de la Rose offer premium experiences (400–700 MAD). The ritual of steam, scrub, and massage is the perfect way to wind down a week in Marrakech. Or visit a traditional neighbourhood hammam for a more local experience (50–100 MAD — bring your own towel, black soap, and kessa glove).

Final souvenir shopping in the souks. Best buys: Berber carpets (500–5,000+ MAD), leather babouche slippers (80–200 MAD), argan oil (100–200 MAD for pure cosmetic grade), ras el hanout spice mix (30–50 MAD), handmade lanterns, and zellige pottery. Pack carefully — fragile items travel well wrapped in scarves and clothing.

Final dinner at Dar Yacout — a legendary multi-course Moroccan feast in a palatial riad (700–1,000 MAD per person). Seven courses, candlelit courtyard, rooftop with views of the Koutoubia. Or at La Maison Arabe for an equally impressive but slightly more intimate experience. One last walk through the medina as the calls to prayer echo. Marrakech Menara Airport is 15 minutes away.