palmıana
DE
The crown of a date palm against a deep blue sky
A date palm crown, the tree that made the Palmeraie (illustrative)

Africa & Middle East · Morocco

Marrakech

A hundred thousand date palms, a red city and the Atlas mountains as a backdrop.

Save to your sun list

Marrakech is the pink city at the edge of the desert, with snow on the mountains behind it in winter and palms in front. The medina is a maze of souks and riads around a square that turns into a food market every evening, and the Palmeraie outside the walls is the grove that gave the city its shade for a thousand years. Come in spring or autumn, sleep inside a riad courtyard and let the calls to prayer set your clock.

The palm: Date palm

The Palmeraie north of the medina was planted in the 11th century, legend says from date stones spat out by the soldiers of the Almoravid army. Around 100,000 palms remain, fed by underground khettara channels. Riad courtyards grow their own, and Yves Saint Laurent’s Majorelle garden set palms against the blue that now carries his name.

When to go

°Crain January: 18°C by day, 7 rainy days18°February: 20°C by day, 7 rainy days20°March: 23°C by day, 7 rainy days23°April: 25°C by day, 6 rainy days25°May: 29°C by day, 3 rainy days29°June: 33°C by day, 1 rainy days33°July: 37°C by day, 0 rainy days37°August: 37°C by day, 1 rainy days37°September: 32°C by day, 3 rainy days32°October: 27°C by day, 5 rainy days27°November: 22°C by day, 6 rainy days22°December: 19°C by day, 6 rainy days19°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Typical daytime highs, rainy days per month (one drop is about four days). Green bars are comfortable months, amber bars are hot or wet or cool, and the darker bars mark the best time to go.

Sights

Jemaa el-Fnaa

The square: orange juice stalls by day, storytellers, musicians and a hundred grills by night.

Jardin Majorelle

Cactus, palms and cobalt blue walls, with the Yves Saint Laurent museum next door.

Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs

Tiled courtyards and cedar ceilings in the southern medina.

The Atlas and Imlil

An hour to the trailhead villages below Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak.

Beaches

  • Essaouira

    The windy Atlantic port three hours west, with a long beach, camels and kitesurfers.

  • Oualidia

    A lagoon with calm water and oysters, between Essaouira and Casablanca.

  • Agadir

    Morocco’s resort coast, three and a half hours south, with a sheltered bay and winter sun.

Events

  • Nov

    Marrakech International Film Festival

    Late November screenings in the square and the Palais des Congrès.

  • Mar

    Ramadan

    Dates shift each year; the medina is quiet by day and comes alive after sunset.

  • Jul

    Marrakech Popular Arts Festival

    Berber dancers and musicians in the Badi palace ruins.

For remote workers

Internet4/5

A comfortable month: about €1,300

Marrakech has cheap riads by the month, decent 4G and fibre in Guéliz, and a scattering of coworkings. Most European passports get 90 days on arrival. Spring and autumn are the working seasons; July afternoons pass 37 degrees. Essaouira on the coast, three hours away, is cooler and has its own remote crowd.

Compare as a base

For families

Calm water2/5
Shade3/5
Medical care3/5

No sea here, so pick a riad or hotel with a pool. Children love the square at night, the snake charmers from a distance, camel rides in the Palmeraie and the Ouzoud waterfalls day trip. Private clinics are good; take normal precautions with street food.

Rank for your family

Three things to know

  1. Stay in a riad in the medina for the courtyard and the roof, and let them arrange an airport transfer.
  2. Agree taxi fares before you get in, and learn the word for no thanks, la shukran.
  3. March to May and October to November give 25 degree days and cool nights; a jacket for the evenings.