2 daysThe essentials
A long weekend
- Nights
- 2
- Day trips
- Agafay evening
- Driving
- about 2 h in total
- Days with no long drive
- 2 of 2
- A city break or a stopover
- The main monuments with a guide
- A desert sunset without a 3-day trip
How many days you need, day-by-day plans with a map, day trips to the Atlas, the coast and the desert edge, and where to stay, from a Marrakech-based team.
Three days is the right amount of time in Marrakech for a first visit: one day for the medina monuments with a licensed guide, one slower day for the Majorelle Garden, the souks and a hammam, and one day in the High Atlas villages around Imlil, 1.5 hours away. Two days covers the essentials; five days turns Marrakech into a base for the waterfalls, the Atlantic coast at Essaouira and a balloon flight at sunrise.
Each plan below has a map, day-by-day timings, the day trips we run and what they cost. We are a tour operator based in Marrakech, and these are the days we plan for our own guests. For trips that go further, see our Morocco itineraries.
2 daysA long weekend
3 daysOur pickOur pick for a first visit
5 daysSlow, with three day trips
Two days covers the main monuments; three lets you slow down and see the mountains; five turns Marrakech into a base for the High Atlas, the coast and the desert edge without changing hotel. Choose by what you want besides the medina.
The medina monuments are a short walk apart; the day trips are shown where they go. Switch plans and tap a place to see it.
Marrakech plans
The medina is done on foot. Only the day trips mean time in a car: about 1.5 hours to the High Atlas or the Ourika Valley, 45 minutes to the Agafay desert and 2.5 hours to Essaouira, each way.
Hours in the car, day by day
2 days · A long weekend
The essentials in two days: the medina monuments with a licensed guide on day 1, then the Majorelle Garden, the souks and a sunset dinner in the Agafay stone desert on day 2.
On foot, about 4 hours guided
Start at the Koutoubia gardens, walk through the Kasbah quarter to the Saadian Tombs, the Mellah and its spice market, the Bahia Palace and the souks to the Ben Youssef Madrasa, and finish at Jemaa el-Fna. With a licensed guide you only go into a shop if you ask.
Riad in the medina
About 45 min each way, evening
The Majorelle Garden and the YSL Museum early, before the crowds, a free afternoon in the souks or a hammam, then pickup at 17:00 for a camel ride at golden hour and dinner under the stars in the Agafay desert, back by about 22:30.
Riad in the medina
Do this as a private tour
Agafay Desert Sunset Dinner from Marrakech
from $95 per person for two travellers sharing: private 4x4 and driver, a 30 to 45-minute camel ride and a 3-course dinner. The guided medina walk is from $50.
3 days · Our pick for a first visit
Three days is the length we recommend for a first visit: two unhurried days in the city and a day in the High Atlas, where Imlil, at 1,740 m, is much cooler than Marrakech in summer.
On foot, about 4 hours guided
About four hours on foot with a licensed guide: the Koutoubia, the Saadian Tombs, the Mellah, the Bahia Palace, the souks and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, ending at Jemaa el-Fna as the food stalls open. In summer, start at 09:00, before the heat.
Riad in the medina
No driving
The Majorelle Garden early, an afternoon in the souks at your own pace, and a hammam to end the day. A slower day is what makes Marrakech enjoyable rather than tiring.
Riad in the medina
About 65 km · 1.5 h each way
Through Tahanaout, the Moulay Brahim gorge and Asni to Imlil, then a 2 to 3 hour walk on mule tracks to the village of Aroumd beneath Toubkal, with mint tea in a village house. Pickup around 09:00, back by late afternoon.
Riad in the medina
Do this as a private tour
Imlil & Atlas Mountains Day Trip from Marrakech
from $80 per person for two travellers sharing: private 4x4, driver, a local mountain guide and mint tea in a village house. The guided medina walk is from $50.
5 days · Slow, with three day trips
Five nights in one riad and a different landscape every day: the medina, the gardens, the waterfalls of the Ourika Valley, a day on the Atlantic in Essaouira, and a last day that starts in a hot-air balloon and ends with dinner in the Agafay desert.
On foot, about 4 hours guided
Get your bearings with a licensed guide: the monuments of the medina in about four hours, then Jemaa el-Fna at dusk.
Riad in the medina
No driving
The Majorelle Garden and the YSL Museum in the morning, the souks after lunch, and a hammam before dinner.
Riad in the medina
About 1.5 h each way
A river valley with cafés, an argan cooperative and a short, steep walk over rocks and small bridges to the Setti Fatma waterfalls, with a local guide. Back by about 17:00.
Riad in the medina
About 190 km · 2.5 h each way
Through the argan forest, where goats climb the trees in season, to Essaouira by 11:00. Four to six hours for the ramparts, the port and a fish lunch, then back in Marrakech by about 19:00.
Riad in the medina
Pickup before dawn; Agafay about 45 min each way
Pickup about 45 minutes before sunrise for 45 to 60 minutes in the air over the Jbilet hills, with breakfast after landing and back by about 10:30. A free afternoon, then a sunset camel ride and dinner in the Agafay desert.
Riad in the medina
Do this as a private tour
Essaouira Day Trip from Marrakech
from $125 per person for two travellers sharing: private 4x4 and driver for the day. Ourika from $70, the balloon from $230, Agafay from $95.
Choose the area before the hotel. The medina puts you next to the sights; Gueliz and Hivernage are easier by car; family hotels with pools are on the edge of the city.
March to May and October to November are the best months for the city. In July and August Marrakech regularly passes 38°C: sightsee in the morning and evening, and take the day trips, since Imlil, the Ourika Valley and Essaouira stay much cooler. Winter days are mild and the riads are cheapest, but the nights are cold. More in the best time to visit Morocco.
When to go, region by region
Tap a month to see its temperatures.
Marrakech in OctoberIdeal
Warm days and mild evenings: the best weather for the medina and souks.
Average high 28 °C, low 15 °C (Marrakech).
Marrakech costs little beyond your riad: a licensed medina guide from $50 per person, day trips from $70 (Ourika) to $125 (Essaouira), and lunches of 100 to 120 MAD. Here is the 3-day plan for two people, before accommodation. More on daily costs in the money and tipping guide.
Example: two travellers on the 3-day plan
| Guided medina walk (2 × $50) | $100 |
|---|---|
| Imlil day trip (2 × $80) | $160 |
| Three lunches each (100–120 MAD a meal) | $60–$75 |
| Tips for the guide and the driver (150–200 MAD a day) | $30–$40 |
| Entrance fees, paid at the door | Your choice |
About $350–$375 for the two of you, plus three nights in your riad.
What is not in a tour price
About 2.5 hours each way to the 110 m falls, with a 2-hour walk and a boat ride close to the spray.
Ouzoud day tripA full day over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to the Telouet Kasbah and the ksar of Ait Benhaddou, 08:00 to about 18:30.
Ait Benhaddou day tripThe Merzouga dunes are too far for a day: the shortest trip from Marrakech is three days.
3 days desert tourTwo days from Imlil with a night at the refuge to reach the 4,167 m summit.
2 days Toubkal trekFive days for Marrakech and two nights in the Sahara, ending in Fes.
5 day Morocco itineraryTwo days in the city and a four-day loop to the dunes and back.
7 day Morocco itineraryLicensed guides carry a numbered badge from the Ministry of Tourism. Unlicensed ones usually earn from shop commission, which is why visitors get steered into shops.
From June to September the afternoons are very hot. Start at 09:00 and keep the middle of the day for the riad or a day trip to the mountains.
Agafay is a stone desert of rocky hills, 45 minutes away. For sand dunes, the Sahara at Merzouga is a 3-day trip.
The medina is dense and loud. Two monuments, the souks and a slow evening at Jemaa el-Fna is a full and good day.
The same format for every length of trip, from a few days in Marrakech to two weeks across the country.
Three days for a first visit: two in the city and one in the High Atlas. Two days covers the main monuments of the medina; with five days you can add Essaouira, the Ourika Valley, a balloon flight and a dinner in the Agafay desert from the same riad.
Yes for the essentials: the medina monuments in about four hours with a licensed guide, the Majorelle Garden and the souks, and a sunset dinner in the Agafay desert, 45 minutes from the city.
Day 1, the medina with a licensed guide: the Koutoubia, the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace, the souks, the Ben Youssef Madrasa and Jemaa el-Fna. Day 2, the Majorelle Garden, the souks at your own pace and a hammam. Day 3, a day trip to Imlil in the High Atlas, about 1.5 hours each way.
The High Atlas villages around Imlil and the Ourika Valley (about 1.5 hours each way), Essaouira on the Atlantic (about 2.5 hours), the Ouzoud waterfalls (about 2.5 hours), Ait Benhaddou and Telouet (a full day over the Tizi n'Tichka pass), and the Agafay desert for a sunset dinner (45 minutes).
No. Agafay, 45 minutes away, is a stone desert without sand dunes. The Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga are too far for a day or even two days: the shortest trip from Marrakech is three days.
In a riad in the medina if you want to walk to the sights; cars cannot reach the deepest lanes, so drivers meet you at the nearest gate. Gueliz and Hivernage hotels are easier by car, and families do well at hotels with pools such as Eden Andalou or Kenzi Menara.
March to May and October to November. In July and August the city regularly passes 38°C, so sightsee early and late and take day trips to the cooler mountains or the coast.
Not to get around, but a licensed guide saves time and avoids the shops. Licensed guides carry a numbered badge from the Ministry of Tourism; unlicensed ones usually earn from shop commission. Our guided medina walk is about four hours, from $50 per person for two travellers sharing.
Want your days in Marrakech planned?
Book a licensed guide for the medina and the day trips above, or build a longer Morocco trip around Marrakech in the trip planner.