Marrakech is Morocco's best-known city and our home base. Its walled medina holds Jemaa el-Fnaa square, the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and a maze of souks, while the newer Gueliz district and the Majorelle Garden lie just outside the walls.
Spend at least two full days in the city before heading out. Our guided walking tour of the Marrakech medina is a good first morning, and the sunrise hot-air balloon ride shows the Atlas backdrop from above. Marrakech is also the starting point for most of our day trips and desert tours.
Best time to visit: March to May and late September to November, with warm days and cooler nights. July and August regularly pass 40°C; December and January are mild by day but cold at night.
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Just 45 minutes from Marrakech: a sunset camel ride across the stony Agafay desert with Atlas views, followed by mint tea and a tagine dinner at a desert camp.
Explore Marrakech's medina with a licensed local guide: Koutoubia, Bahia Palace, the souks, craft quarters and Jemaa el-Fnaa in one easy morning walk.
Shop for spices and vegetables in a medina market, then cook a tagine, Moroccan salads and bread with a local chef in a riad kitchen — and eat what you make.
Float over the countryside outside Marrakech at sunrise, with views to the Atlas Mountains, then enjoy a traditional Berber breakfast. Hotel pickup included.
Eat your way through the medina after dark with a local foodie guide: tanjia, harira, msemen, grilled meats, snail soup and mint tea around Jemaa el-Fnaa.
Ride a quad bike along dirt tracks through the Marrakech Palmeraie, then switch to a camel for a slow ride among the palms, with mint tea in a Berber house.
A private 10-day loop from Marrakech: Ait Benhaddou, the Dades and Todra gorges, a night in the Merzouga dunes, Fes, Chefchaouen, Rabat and Casablanca.
