10 Best Activities in Marrakech

Marrakech, also known as the red city, is an ancient town founded in 1071 in the centre of Morocco. Here, you'll find a wide range of activities to do during your stay. So whether you join one of the guided tours or explore on your own, you'll discover the history, culture and natural scene of this magical place.

If you don't know what to see and do in Marrakech, you can take a camel ride through the Palm Grove, sample the local cuisine and learn how to make some dishes in a cooking class. You can also get lost in the old town, go shopping in the souks and even visit the desert. I'll tell you all about it.

The Marrakesh Palm Grove is the perfect place for camel rides. This small oasis with more than 100,000 palm trees will amaze you with its scenic beauty and calm desert atmosphere. If you book a tour of the Marrakech Palm Grove, please note that you will be travelling by car to the Palm Grove for about 10 minutes. There, you will climb on the back of a camel and, for about an hour, you will enjoy unique perspectives.

You will see a series of dry riverbeds, beautiful desert areas, some local villages and hundreds of palm trees lining the city. It's definitely the perfect backdrop for you to take the best pictures. You'll also learn about Berber culture and drink traditional mint tea under the shade of the trees.

A special feature of these camel rides is that you'll get to wear a Tuareg. This is a traditional Moroccan garment used to protect you from the sun in the desert. In fact, this clothing, together with the sandy trails, will provide the perfect backdrop for the best photographs.

Useful information

• Price: the average price for this activity is approximately €20 per person.
• Duration: this camel ride usually lasts 1 hour.
• Benefits: You will ride a camel through a small oasis covered with palm trees and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Travelling to the so-called red city and not discovering its desert areas would be like never having visited it. That's why you should include in your itinerary a one-day tour of the desert of Marrakesh. You will be able to enjoy all the goodness of this beautiful place. To be precise, this activity takes place in the Agafay desert, approximately 40 minutes from Marrakech by car, as this is the closest to the city. It is a small oasis with an arid and desolate landscape.

If you book this excursion to the Agafay desert from Marrakech, you will travel with a driver-guide, who will tell you the history of the place and some anecdotes. Upon arrival, you will enjoy the breathtaking desert scenery, take pictures and relax with a traditional mint tea in a haima.

Your guide will also take you on a camel ride through the desolate wastelands of the Agafay desert. You will see a different view of the place: stony dunes, the High Atlas Mountains and, if you are lucky, you will see the occasional wild flowers growing.

Useful information

• Price: the price of the visit to the desert of Marrakech starts at 34 € per person.
• Duration: the tour lasts one day.
• Advantages: You will enjoy an amazing desert landscape with stone dunes and the High Atlas Mountains as a backdrop.

Whether you plan to be in Marrakech for a day or more, as you're finding out, Marrakech has plenty to see and do, and your itinerary should incorporate a tour of the Medina, or old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This way, you can immerse yourself in the history and culture of the so-called red city.

Although you can do this experience on your own, the ideal thing to do is to book a tour of the Medina. This way, you won't run the risk of getting lost in the narrow but picturesque streets of the Medina. Whichever option you select, you won't have to worry about what to see and do in the Medina of Marrakech, as it is home to many places of interest. For example:

• The Bahia Palace: this is a 19th century building with mosaics, paintings and gardens.
• The Kutubia Mosque, dedicated to the worship of the Islamic religion in Marrakech.
• The Saadid tombs: erected in honour of the parents of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur in the 16th century.
• The souks or traditional markets.

Useful information

• Price: the cost of the tour of the Medina usually starts at €26 per person.
• Duration: the activity usually lasts approximately 2 hours.
• Advantages: you will discover the history and culture hidden in the old town of Marrakech.

Among the best things to do in Marrakech is a visit to the Majorelle Garden. It is a small oasis that has been controlled by the hand of man, to offer an important botanical collection, several species of birds and a small sample of Moroccan architecture.

You can walk through it on your own and discover little by little the hidden gems it houses, but my recommendation is that you book a tour of the Majorelle Gardens so you don't miss any of its jewels:

• The cactus collection: with around 60 different species.
• The palm collection: with a large family of local palms and others brought from the Canary Islands, the Pacific, Africa, the Mediterranean basin and India.
• The bamboo forest: with a long stretch of bamboos brought from Asia.
• The pond of aquatic plants: where you will see the beautiful water lilies and some lotus flowers.

You will have access to the Berber Museum, whose exhibits will help you to know part of the history of the city, the Memorial dedicated to the couturier Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, the Boutique and the Café Majorelle. You can also visit the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, dedicated to the iconic French couturier.

Useful information

• Price: The price of a tour of the Majorelle Gardens is 77 euros per person. General admission costs an average of €14 per person.
• Opening hours: The tour lasts 4 hours. It is open from October to April from 8am to 6pm, from May to September from 8am to 6.30pm and during Ramadan from 9am to 5pm.
• Advantages: You will enjoy a quiet space surrounded by a beautiful natural scene, while learning about botany, history and fashion.

If you plan to explore Marrakesh in two days or more, you'll want to incorporate an experience from the air into your itinerary. Such is the case of a hot-air balloon ride with a professional pilot to discover the best panoramic views of the city in all its splendour.

Please note that if you book a hot-air balloon ride, this activity usually takes place at sunrise or sunset. Upon arrival at the destination assigned for the experience, you will receive flight instructions from the pilot. You will also see how the staff inflates the balloon. You will reach a height of around 1,371 metres and fly over the skies of Marrakech for approximately four hours. You will be amazed by the majestic desert views, the palm grove and other open landscapes of the city and its surroundings.

This experience is ideal if you have travelled to Marrakech with children, as they will have fun while learning about the history of the Medina, some of the monuments and the Muslim culture in general, thanks to the guide's commentary. In addition, you will be able to take aerial photographs with incredible perspectives.

Useful information

• Price: the price of this activity is around 238 € per person.
• Duration: the activity usually lasts approximately 4 hours.
• Advantages: you will be able to see the city of Marrakech from a bird's eye view and get some breathtaking panoramic views of the sunrise or sunset.

Booking a bath in a traditional hammam spa is a good idea, whether you plan to spend one to seven days in Marrakech, or even more. You will be able to relax and get away for a few hours from the characteristic hustle and bustle of the Medina streets. For this experience, you will be picked up at the door of your hotel and taken to one of the city's hammams. These usually include Les Bains de l'Alhambra, Les Bains de Marrakech, Sublima Spa, among others.

When you arrive at the hammam you will feel like a local. You will be able to experience up close one of the activities of the Muslim culture, which for centuries has been part of the social life of the inhabitants of this part of the world.

You will receive the traditional treatment consisting of a sauna, an exfoliating bath with eucalyptus soap and a massage with Moroccan argan oil. All this, accompanied by the customary mint tea, which you have surely tasted since your first day in the city.

Useful information

• Price: the price of this activity starts at 56 € per person.
• Duration: the hammam experience in Marrakech usually lasts about 2 hours.
• Advantages: you will relax, pamper your skin in a hammam, while discovering the traditional Turkish bath.

The souks of Marrakech are in the Medina, so a stroll through them is a must as you walk through the old town. However, this picturesque maze of shops deserves a little more time to visit. For this reason, it is ideal to book a tour of the souks of Marrakesh, the so-called mecca of haggling, and buy some products.

You won't have to worry about not knowing how to get around Marrakesh and the narrow streets of its souks, as the guide will take you to the stalls that make up the souks. You will discover the places with the best bargains and learn how to haggle like a local.

As you dive into the souks, you will see a wide range of products: slippers, a variety of carpets, Moroccan fashion, leather bags, ceramics, jewellery, lamps, argan oil, kaftans and other handicrafts. You will also find vegetables, fruit, street food, spices and more. In addition to the information about the history of the place provided by the guide, you will have the opportunity to talk to the traders to learn about the culture of this part of the world. You will also observe the artisans working in their shops.

Information of interest

• Price: this guided tour of the souks of Marrakesh usually costs around €27 per person.
• Duration: the activity lasts about 3 hours.
• Advantages: You will explore the souks of Marrakech with a guide, with enough time to buy some local products.

If you like adventures on wheels, then during your stay in Marrakech you can't miss out on a quad bike tour in Marrakech. You will travel through the mountainous terrain, which will allow you to discover amazing natural contrasts.

This type of activity starts at the door of your hotel in Marrakech. There, you will be picked up and taken by car to the nearby palm grove, a transfer of about 10 minutes. The guide will then teach you the basics of quad biking.

You will drive through a series of rocky trails and desert plateaus to a beautiful hill. From there, you'll get a breathtaking view where the colour of the desert sand mingles with the colour of the palm trees. You can also stop for a refreshing drink of mint tea with the locals in a Berber village.

Useful information

• Price: the cost of this adventure starts at €26 per person.
• Duration: this tour usually lasts about 2 hours.
• Benefits: You'll be able to explore some of Marrakech's desert plateaus and rocky trails on a quad bike, in a lively guided adventure.

If you're a fan of Moroccan food, you can't miss the chance to sample the exquisite cuisine of Marrakech. And, better still, learn how to prepare the traditional dishes of this town, in the company of a professional local chef. This type of activity takes place in the kitchen of the chef's house, which is usually located in the Medina area. But first, you will take a stroll through the local market to purchase fresh ingredients, herbs and spices needed.

You will prepare a starter, main course and dessert. All of them are traditional recipes usually offered in the restaurants of Marrakech and tasted daily by the locals. You can also suggest your favourite Moroccan dishes to the expert. For example, among the preparations made in this culinary experience are the following:

• Tajine or chicken, lamb or vegetable stew.
• Pastela, a pastry that combines the sweet taste of puff pastry with a savoury filling and an exquisite aroma of cinnamon.
• Couscous: a dish made with wheat semolina, which is part of Berber cuisine.
• Zaaluk, which is a salad of lettuce, tomato, tuna and onion.

Another option if you want to discover these and other delicacies of Moroccan cuisine is to book a gastronomic tour.

Useful information

• Price: the value of the activity is around €42 per person.
• Duration: the culinary experience generally lasts 4 hours.
• Benefits: you will learn the secrets of Moroccan cuisine, prepare some traditional dishes and stroll through a local market.

Leave the selfies in the past during your stay in Marrakech and make the most of the magical scenery of this ancient city. Let a professional capture your trip by taking a photo tour of the tourist destinations of your interest.

Once you meet your photographer in the city centre, the adventure begins. You will walk through the Medina with its mosques, the narrow streets of the souks and the huge Djemaa El-Fna square, which will serve as the backdrop for each photograph. You can also choose your favourite destinations beforehand. For example, a trip to the palm grove or the desert of Marrakech.

Whatever the destination, you will be brainstormed by the photographer to take advantage of the reflections and shadows offered by the natural light of Marrakech. In addition, he will look for the best perspectives for you and you will get amazing pictures.

Useful information

• Price: the price of this photo tour is around 227 € per person or groups of up to 20 people.
• Duration: the activity is usually planned to take approximately 3 hours.
• Benefits: you will get amazing professional photographs in digital format, which you can share on your social networks and keep as a souvenir of the trip.