Marrakech is three hours by plane from Spain and warm when Europe is not, and it offers four very different stays within an hour of each other: a riad hidden behind a door in the medina, a palace in its own gardens, a camp on the stone desert of Agafay, or a kasbah in the High Atlas. Most trips combine two of them.
See all 6 hotels
The Moroccan dirham, which is obtained on arrival — at the airport or from cash machines. Hotels and larger restaurants take cards; the souks run on cash.
Tagines, couscous, pastilla and mint tea poured from a height. Alcohol is served in hotels and licensed restaurants.
Cars cannot enter most of the medina's lanes, so riads send someone to meet you at the edge. The Atlas and Agafay are 40 minutes to an hour away by road, usually with a driver the hotel arranges.
Customary: around 10% in restaurants, and small tips for porters, guides and drivers.
March–May and October–November. Winter days are sunny and nights cold; July and August are very hot in Marrakech. Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier each year.
Inside the medina for atmosphere and walking everywhere; in the Palmeraie or on the Agafay desert for space, gardens and quiet; in the High Atlas for mountains and cool air. Many people split a stay between the medina and one of the others.
A traditional house of the medina built around an inner courtyard or garden, closed to the street. As hotels, riads are small — often fewer than 20 rooms — and very private.
