Marrakesh is one of my favourite cities in Morocco. It has some incredible places to see and the most beautiful riads and hotels, making it a truly unforgettable trip. Though, if it’s your first trip to Marrakesh, you might not know how long you should stay in the city.
So, to help you decide the number of days you wish to stay in Marrakesh, I’m sharing some key points you’ll want to consider before you book your flights and lodgings.
How many days should you stay in Marrakesh?
It depends on how much exploring you want to do.
If you want to see the main sights in Marrakesh, I’d recommend three full days to get a good feel for it. Marrakesh is a relatively compact and easy city to navigate by foot or taxi.
We’ve visited Marrakesh quite a few times, and we always stay a minimum of three days. This gives you enough time to see the main sights and also enough time to chill and relax in your riad or hotel. In my opinion, this works great as you can easily plan one or two key sites like Ben Youssef Madrasa or Badi Palace and then take a stroll through the souks afterwards. It is a lovely, slower-paced way to see the city.
And you know what? It’s needed in Marrakesh, especially as the city is a hive of activity. Now, the great thing about Marrakesh is that the city is almost separated into pockets of areas you’ll want to see. These are easily digestible and quite easy to identify around the main sights of the city.
We’ve always found it helpful to then focus on one or two of these pockets/activities each day. It saves loads of time as you won’t be darting from one side of Marrakesh to the other – wasting lots of time.
Oh, and using GPS, although working well, can be a little daunting and bamboozling at times. There’s lots of winding alleys, walkways and other routes that can feel quite unfamiliar if you’re used to a typical street system in, say, the United States.
Spending a day outside Marrakesh?
If you do want to head on a day trip to the Agafy Desert or Atlas Mountains, then make sure to give yourself one extra day. This also works if you want to book a hot-air balloon flight from Marrakesh.
You can take many private tours from Marrakech, which usually last 6-12 hours. It’s so worth it—but, like I said, make sure to include one day extra for exploring.
Also, be aware that Marrakesh Airport can have horrendous queues. They are notorious, and you can spend hours queuing to enter or exit the country. It is worthwhile to remember this when you’re planning a three-day trip to Marrakesh, as you might be organising tours and restaurant bookings as soon as you arrive.
Short on time to visit Marrakesh?
If you’re short on time, you can ‘do‘ Marrakesh in two days. However, this is not ideal, as if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to see and do everything.
This can be tough in Marrakesh as the heat (especially in summer) and the hustle and bustle of the city mean that it isn’t always the most relaxing of experiences. It’s not bad; it’s just worth noting that if you stay a shorter amount of time, you may end up leaving more tired than when you arrived for your holiday in Marrakesh.
Read more: Best things to do in Marrakesh
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