Top 10 Things to Do in Marrakech

The covered markets radiating from Jemaa el-Fnaa are organised by craft — spices, leather, lanterns, ceramics, textiles — and navigating their alleys is an adventure in itself.

The electric-blue villa and botanical garden created by painter Jacques Majorelle and later saved by Yves Saint Laurent is a serene oasis of colour and calm.

Traditional courtyard houses hidden behind plain medina walls unfold into cool tiled sanctuaries with fountains, rooftop terraces, and extraordinary handcrafted architecture.

Built in the late nineteenth century for a Grand Vizier's harem, the Bahia Palace is a succession of stunning rooms decorated with intricate zellij tilework and painted cedar ceilings.

The twelfth-century minaret of the Koutoubia is the defining landmark of the Marrakech skyline, its proportions so perfect they became the model for the Giralda in Seville.

The finest example of Moroccan Islamic architecture in Marrakech, this former Quranic school is a breathtaking arrangement of carved stucco, zellij, and cedar wood.

Sealed for centuries and rediscovered only in 1917, the royal mausoleum of the Saadian dynasty contains exquisitely decorated chambers housing over sixty royal graves.

A traditional hammam — the heated steam bath at the heart of Moroccan social life — offers one of the most authentic and restorative experiences the city has to offer.

Just an hour's drive from the medina, the High Atlas villages of Imlil and Asni offer dramatic Berber landscapes, mule trails, and a world away from the city's bustle.