Getting your bearings
The medina is enclosed by about 19 km of ochre walls. Jemaa el-Fnaa, the great square with its food stalls, musicians and storytellers, is the point everyone navigates from. The souks spread north of the square towards the Ben Youssef Madrasa, while the palaces and the Kasbah quarter lie to the south. Gueliz, the modern district with the railway station and Majorelle Garden, lies outside the walls to the north-west.
Main sights
- Jemaa el-Fnaa: the heart of the city, at its liveliest after sunset.
- Koutoubia Mosque: its 77 m minaret is visible from much of the city. Non-Muslims cannot enter, but the gardens are open.
- Bahia Palace and Saadian Tombs: the finest examples of Moroccan decorative art in the south of the medina.
- Ben Youssef Madrasa: a former Quranic school with carved cedar, stucco and zellige tiles.
- Majorelle Garden: a garden of cacti and bamboo around a cobalt-blue studio, next to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum.
Getting around
Inside the medina, walking is the only practical option; the lanes are narrow and motorbikes squeeze through. Petit taxis are cheap for trips to Gueliz, the station or the airport, but agree the fare or insist on the meter. Marrakech is the usual starting point for the High Atlas and multi-day tours to the Sahara.
Map of the Marrakech souks
The souks begin at the north side of Jemaa el-Fnaa. Souk Semmarine is the main artery, lined with textiles and lanterns; it splits into specialist souks for leather, carpets, metalwork, dyers (Souk des Teinturiers) and woodwork. Rahba Kedima, the spice square, is a good landmark with rooftop cafés. Further north, the souks lead to the Ben Youssef Madrasa and Le Jardin Secret.
Street names are rarely signposted, so an offline map on your phone helps. Head back towards the noise and the minaret of the Koutoubia if you lose your way, and ignore people who insist a street is "closed".
Marrakech attractions by area
- Around Jemaa el-Fnaa: the square, the Koutoubia and the souks.
- South medina (Kasbah and Mellah): Bahia Palace, El Badi Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the old Jewish quarter.
- North medina: Ben Youssef Madrasa, Le Jardin Secret and the Marrakech Museum.
- Outside the walls: Majorelle Garden and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Gueliz, the Menara Gardens and the Palmeraie.