Marrakech

[Onesipmore]

I'm planning a mini break to Marrakech in Spring 2026. Would love to hear anyone's top tips or suggestions please. I'm going with 3 friends and flights booked but that is all. Thanks in advance.

I love Marrakech - great for people watching in the main square on the edge of the medina.

recommend:

the secret garden in the medina
kosy bar near the old palace where you can sit and watch the storks flying over and nesting on the old walls
buying rugs in the medina - you need to haggle

https://riad-monceau.com/pergola-rooftop-2/

jazz bar above

@bilbodog That's great intel, thank you.
Did you use guides at all or did you do it all yourselves? Think we may do a morning hike in the Atlas Mountains and also the YSL Museum, plus maybe a street food tour. I cant wait. Thanks for responding.

Be careful in souks, one so you don’t get lost and two because of the number of mopeds and scooters tearing along inside.

Ive been 5 times now so know the area quite well so dont use a guide but the first time we went we did have a guide. Once youve done the medina its much easier although still possible to get lost! I have always found the locals quite friendly but some of the youngsters might want a tip.

despite what some people wear these days i always dress modestly which helps so no short shorts or skimpy tops - save those for the hotel/pool.

have you booked a hotel or riad yet?

street food tour would be good - ive done one in fez - but don't drink the water. Ive also been told to avoid fresh orange juice stalls as they sometimes water down the juice. Some of the things we tasted were a but ??? But Restaurants should be ok.

i havent eaten from the stalls in the evening but its fun to walk through and watch. I dont think the hygiene would be up to much for tourists.

the only time we had a food problem was after eating squid so i think maybe best to avoid fish in a place which is 3-4 hrs away from the sea and very hot.

el marrekchi on the square does good local food and you can get beer or wine there too. Sometimes belly dancing.

We went in May and loved it. I dressed fairly modestly and DH looks slightly Arabic and I am fluent in French. We didn’t have any issues at all. Would love to go back.

Lots of museums are cash only. There a few cash machines around the main square.

YSL museum is crap. All the best dresses are in the French one. Some of our party did the Atlas mountains-a trek but they loved it. Wear loose linen or cotton, covers both the modesty issue and keeps you cool. If you're staying at a riad and fancy a drink, grab something duty free, mixers are readily available. Take a mask or a scarf to cover your nose and mouth in the souk, I came back with a horrible cough from the motor scooters bombing around.

I have friends in Casablanca so used to go out every year for several weeks and use it as a base to travel round. Morocco has very good public transport or you can haggle for a petit yaxi by the day.

Marrakech is a wonderful city to explore and some great shopping in the soukh. Just a word of warning that no matter how modestly you dress a woman on her own may get still bothered by unwanted attentions in the soukh. I had several outfits I had bought for Iran (long baggy robs and headscarf) and wore those so I was ignored. Morocco is a bargaining culture and you haggle for everything. Start at about 50% of the asking price. French used to be the main foreign language but everyone speaks English now.

Are the Atlas mountains safe? I remember when two female tourists were murdered in the Atlas mountains

https://cafedesepices.ma/ this place is ace - though it sounds busier than when I was there. We hired a guide to take us round through our riad - we specified we wanted history not shopping and he was a university economics professor and was fascinating.

I only got food poisoning once ( a few visits to Morocco) and that was when we ate in a very touristy place where the food had been left out warm...

Eating in places with a fast turnaround and where it's cooked fresh is a top tip.

I travelled with another woman, we dressed modestly (long sleeves and trousers) and used sunglasses strategically and didn't have any trouble.