Days that respect geography, energy, opening hours, crowd pressure, and the pleasure of not rushing.
ROUTING LOGIC
Times are suggested planning windows, including the travel buffers described below. Reorder whole days for museum closures, weather, and confirmed reservations. For a shorter visit, use the first day or first two days; extensions and alternatives are labeled.
01
Day 1
Palaces and the southern medina
Bahia → La Famille → El Badi → Kasbah
Bahia Palace
Allow two hours and follow current conservation barriers. If admission is restricted, begin with El Badi and lengthen the lunch break.
La Famille lunch
Walk about 10–20 minutes through the southern medina and use confirmed lunch service. If closed, return to your riad for a prearranged meal and retain the afternoon route.
El Badi Palace
Allow 15–25 minutes on foot and about 90 minutes inside. In extreme heat reduce exposed time and wait until conditions improve.
Saadian Tombs or Kasbah streets
Allow 15–20 minutes to the tombs. Check last admission and queue length; use a short Kasbah walk if access is limited, with no obligation to add a third paid visit.
Riad supper
Arrange supper ahead with your accommodation after the named lunch; avoid an extra long cross-city transfer on the first day.
02
Day 2
Architecture, images and water
Ben Youssef → Maison de la Photographie → Rahba Kedima → Mouassine → Bab Doukkala
Ben Youssef Madrasa
Allow 75–90 minutes. Use the entrance ticket desk while official online ticketing is unavailable.
Maison de la Photographie
Walk 10–15 minutes and spend about an hour with the photographs. If stairs or access prevent the visit, slow the first stop and continue to lunch.
Nomad lunch
Allow 15–25 minutes through the lanes and reserve. If full, use Café Sahrij with garden admission after the next stop.
Le Jardin Secret
Walk 15–20 minutes, allow 90 minutes and an optional tea break. A shower can be waited out under cover; a major closure means a riad rest.
Le Restaurant at La Maison Arabe
Allow 20–35 minutes on foot with your route established before dark, or arrange pickup at an accessible gate. Confirm the specific dining room; Nomad is a dinner fallback if it was not used at lunch.
03
Day 3
Majorelle and modern Marrakech
Majorelle → Gueliz
Reserved Majorelle visit
Your confirmed slot takes precedence. Allow 2–3 hours for garden and the Berber Arts Museum if included; Villa Oasis is not assumed open or included.
Café Majorelle meal
Have a light lunch if its service fits; otherwise take a 15–25-minute taxi to Amal’s Gueliz restaurant for confirmed lunch.
Gueliz at an easy pace
Explore a small stretch of the modern district and rest through the hottest part of the day. If Majorelle was unavailable, extend lunch and use the hotel garden rather than buying an unverified ticket.
Sahbi Sahbi dinner
Reserve an offered evening time and take a short taxi according to your hotel. Monday: reserve Al Fassia Gueliz instead.
04
Day 4
Cooking and a purposeful craft route
Targa → hotel rest → northern medina → Gueliz
Amal Targa cooking class
Book a session including a meal and allow 30–60 minutes each way from the centre, depending on traffic and hotel. The confirmed class time replaces this outline. If no class is offered, reserve Amal Gueliz lunch.
Return and rest
Do not attach a mountain day trip to the class; keep the afternoon flexible for weather and digestion.
Licensed craft walk
Meet at a clearly agreed medina entrance, allow two hours and choose trades rather than a list of shops. If heat or mobility makes lanes unsuitable, omit the walk.
Al Fassia Gueliz dinner
Allow 30–45 minutes from a medina pickup point and reserve. If used on Day 3, choose Sahbi Sahbi on an open evening instead.
DO NOT BREAK THE RHYTHM
Four ways travelers exhaust Marrakech.
Crossing town for every mealA good nearby table beats the famous reservation that breaks the day.
Stacking major institutionsTwo famous doors do not guarantee two meaningful visits.
Ignoring the hotel resetA real break protects the evening that mattered enough to reserve.
Treating travel time as emptyThe route, street, train, river, or view can be part of the city—not an inconvenience.