7 Days in Marrakech: Medinas, Mountains & Sahara Edges

If staying in the medina (recommended), confirm your riad address with GPS before arrival. Medina alley addresses are confusing — many riads send someone to meet you at the nearest landmark.

The orange juice stalls are not to be missed — freshly squeezed, 3 MAD, and they charge tourists the same as locals. Look for No.1 or No.69 Sousse stalls. Don't photograph snake charmers or monkey handlers — they will demand money aggressively.

Stay inside the medina, not in the Ville Nouvelle (modern city). The experience of sleeping 50m from a 12th-century mosque is the point. Riad Yasmine, Riad Kniza, and Riad L'Orangeraie are consistently excellent.

Walk past all the stalls once before sitting — compare the snails (babbouche, a Marrakchi specialty). Stall No.1 is the most famous. Sit where the locals sit. The tour company stalls (with translated menus) charge twice as much.

Everything has an initial price 3–5x what you should pay. The game is to walk away — the price will drop dramatically. Never feel guilty: this is how it works and both sides expect it. Don't buy from the first shop.

Visit in the morning before 10am — it gets extremely crowded by midday as tour groups arrive.

Arrive just after the lunch hour (3pm) when tour groups have left and the courtyards are quiet.

Climb to the rampart walkway for views over the medina — the stork nests are extraordinary in spring (March–May).

Open from 8am — get there at opening to beat the queues that form by 10am. The shade inside the garden makes it the best place in Marrakech on a hot afternoon too.

At Hammam El Bacha (men and women have separate hours) for 10 MAD you get the full scrub from a hammam attendant — bring your own kessa glove (20 MAD from the souq) and savon beldi. The full tourist hammam experience at Les Bains is more comfortable but the neighbourhood version is more authentic.

Photography is restricted inside some sections. The garden of the outer tombs is less crowded and equally atmospheric.

Hire a car with driver for the day (350–500 MAD/$35–50) rather than using public transit — the freedom to stop at villages is worth it. Ask your riad to arrange.

Hire a local guide in Imlil for 200 MAD ($20) — they know the trails, speak Amazigh and Arabic, and the money goes directly to the mountain community. Bring water, sun cream, and a warm layer — the temperature drops quickly.

The Atlas honey is pale and mild — completely different from European honey. Buy a jar directly from a household in Imlil for 50 MAD ($5). The best souvenir from Morocco.

CTM bus departs Marrakech at 8am and 8:30am. Book tickets at ctm.ma. 2.5 hours each way gives a full day in Essaouira if you take the first bus.

Buy argan oil at the women's cooperatives in Essaouira (fixed price, fair trade) rather than from shops in Marrakech that may not be authentic. The cooperative near the main square is genuine.

The CTM return bus departs at 6pm. Miss it and you're staying the night — which is no hardship given the accommodation quality. Book a hotel in advance if you want the option.

Souk Cuisine is consistently the best cooking class in Marrakech. The preserved lemon and argan oil techniques are transferable to cooking at home. Book 1 week ahead.

The spice shops in the Mellah are a different character from the main souqs — quieter, less pressure, and the merchants are often more knowledgeable.

Book 3 days ahead. The bastilla at Dar Yacout is the definitive version in Morocco. The experience includes live Gnawa music and traditional dancer performance.

The Koutoubia Mosque minaret (free exterior view, closed to non-Muslims) is at its most beautiful in the early morning light — 77 metres of 12th-century Almohad architecture.

100ml of genuine cold-pressed culinary argan oil costs 80–100 MAD ($8–10). Anything substantially cheaper is probably not pure. The women's cooperatives (Coopérative Amal) sell guaranteed authentic oil.