Get happily exhausted by the sights, sounds and atmosphere of Marrakech.
The boisterous ‘pink’ city, founded in 1062 at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Arabia, is the perfect honeymoon destination for adventurous newlyweds.
Discover architectural jewels that date back to the 11th century, explore former palaces, mausoleums and harems of a distant culture and experience a slice of Moroccan life unchanged for centuries in the exotic spectacle that unfolds every day in Marrakech's main square – the Jemaa el Fna.
Top sightseeing attractions in Marrakech, include:
Experience an exotic spectacle that has changed little over the centuries at Marrakech's famed square – the Place of the Dead.
Come at dusk and be amazed, excited and surprised by this open-air theatre crowded with snake charmers, fortune-tellers, musicians, acrobats, storytellers and dancers – who perform not merely for tourists but to earn a living.
Weave through crowds to see deadly cobras sway to the eerie tones of snake charmers and witness acrobats turning wild tumbles and veiled women offering henna tattoos. Snack on sweet dates and sugar-coated peanuts or roasted sheep’s head and couscous, washed down with fresh grapefruit juice.
Later, sip on a glass of mint tea on the terrace of a rooftop café and watch the spectacle unfold before your eyes.
Explore one of Marrakech's most important Islamic monuments, a well-preserved former 16th century Koranic school, now part of Marrakech’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina.
Stroll around the rectangular pool, centred in a huge square courtyard lined with wide columned arcades on two sides. Admire exquisite gibs (stucco plasterwork), zellij (mosaics) and carved cedar.
Enter the elaborately decorated prayer hall and discover rare palm motifs and Islamic calligraphy: each one extols Saadian craftsmanship.
Stroll meandering paths amid palm groves and flowerbeds to explore lavish mausoleums that house the remains of 16th century Saadian rulers.
Wander into the cool, dark and ornate central mausoleum that contains the tombs of Ahmed el Mansour and his family. See Italian marble columns, carved cedar doors and the huge vaulted roof.
Clamber around the crumbling ruins of this once-magnificent palace, a 16th century playground for Saadian princes. Back then the palace was paved with gold, turquoise and crystal; today it’s home to nesting storks. Discover underground corridors and dungeons.
Plan to visit between 11 - 15 July, when the ruins come to life during the Moroccan Folklore Festival.
Gaze up at Marrakech's towering Moorish mosque, built on the site of the original 11th century Almoravid mosque. Its towering minaret, 68m-high and 13m-wide and topped by three golden orbs, dominates the Marrakech skyline and is the oldest and most complete of the Almohad Dynasty’s great towers.
Stroll through shady courtyards filled with cypress trees and flowers in this former 19th century palace to see a fascinating collection of antique Moroccan crafts including pottery from Safi and Tamegroute, Berber daggers, kaftans, carpets, leatherwork and jewellery made of amber, ivory and silver.
Don’t miss the upstairs salon, elaborately decorated with gibs cornices, zellij walls and a carved-cedar ceiling painted with bright colours in intricate patterns. The salon also houses the museum’s most treasured artefact – a 10th century marble basin from Islamic Spain.
Wander down passageways lined with mosaics and through intricately decorated wooden doors into rooms adorned with exquisite stucco, tadlak (shiny marble) finishes and carved-cedar and zouak painted ceilings.
Discover shady tree-lined courtyards in this 19th century palace, formerly a harem of Sultan Moulay el Hassan I.
Escape the noisy, bustling streets and souks in this peaceful retreat. Relax beneath the elegant green-roofed minzah (pavilion) or stroll around the lake, surrounded by an immense olive grove that dates from 12th century.
Discover Marrakech’s oldest monument, which dates from the 12th century and housed a revolutionary waterworks system that provided running water for toilets, showers and drinking.
Descend into the building to find a richly decorated interior containing some of the oldest Maghrebi scripts in Africa, the original water cistern and remains of the water fountains used by the faithful to perform ablutions before prayer.
Enjoy a leisurely caleche (horse drawn carriage) ride around the medina's well-preserved 15km-long wall. Admire the Bab Agnaou, one of the original 14 babs (arched entry gates) leading in and out of the medina and probably the best preserved of the eight arches still in use today.
The seemingly never-ending labyrinth of shops located between Jemaa el Fna and the Ben Youssef Mosque is home to several souks.
These include: the Souk des Teinturiers, a colourful dyers' souk where wool and fabric are dyed and hung across alleyways to dry; and the carpet souk, known as Souk Zrabia or Le Criee Berbere (the Berber auction) – once the site of Marrakech's slave auctions.
Bargain for jewellery in the Souk des Bijoutiers, for leatherwork at the Souk Cherratin, for perfume at the Souk el Attarin and for Moroccan slippers at the Souk des Babouches.
The best time to visit Marrakech is during spring, from mid-March to late-June, and in autumn, from mid-September to mid-November, to avoid the intense heat of summer.
Marrakech has a subtropical semi-desert climate of mild winters and very hot summers.
Read more about Marrakech weather…
Latest update: Marrakech honeymoon guide: 2 January, 2023
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