Where to eat, drink and go out in Marrakech: 20 picks for study-abroad students, with student-vetted picks marked and prices in dollars.
Restaurant · Medina
Rows of numbered grill stalls set up every evening, serving tagine, grilled meat, snails and harira soup at shared benches.
Best for: a cheap, loud first dinner
Best time: dinner
Heads up: Agree prices first and send back anything you did not order; bread and extras are often added to the bill.
Market · Medina (north of Jemaa el-Fnaa)
A maze of covered lanes of leather, lamps, spices, rugs and metalwork, each trade in its own corner.
Best for: browsing, haggling, souvenirs
Best time: morning
Heads up: Haggle (start around a third of the first price) and expect to get lost.
Cafe · Rahba Kedima (spice square)
A rooftop café above the spice square, for mint tea and a view of the medina.
Best for: a break with a view
Best time: afternoon
Restaurant · Rahba Kedima (spice square)
A modern Moroccan restaurant on a terrace above the medina, popular with travellers.
Best for: a nicer sit-down meal
Booking: Reserve a terrace table for sunset.
Best time: lunch or dinner
Cafe · Kasbah
A cultural café known for its camel burger, storytelling nights and live music.
Best for: a relaxed hangout with events
Best time: afternoon or evening
Area · Medina
The main square: juice stalls and snake charmers by day, smoke-filled food stalls, musicians and storytellers at night.
Best for: the essential Marrakech evening
Best time: sunset into evening
Heads up: Pickpockets in the crowds; photo hustlers expect payment.
Garden · Gueliz
The cobalt-blue villa and cactus garden once owned by Yves Saint Laurent.
Best for: photos, a calm break from the medina
Price: $ — roughly $16–18 for the garden
Booking: Timed entry that sells out: buy on the official website, not from resellers outside.
Best time: early morning
Museum · Gueliz (next to Majorelle)
A museum of the designer's work and his love of Marrakech.
Best for: fashion, pairing with Majorelle
Booking: Combined tickets with the garden are sold on the official website.
Best time: morning
Sight · Medina (Mellah side)
A 19th-century palace of painted cedar ceilings, tiled courtyards and orange-tree gardens.
Best for: Moroccan design, photos
Price: $ — roughly $10
Best time: morning
Heads up: Bring cash in dirhams; cards are not always accepted.
Sight · Medina
A former Koranic school with a breathtaking carved-stucco and zellige-tiled courtyard.
Best for: the most beautiful interior in the city
Best time: morning
Sight · next to Jemaa el-Fnaa
The 12th-century minaret that is the city's landmark, with gardens around it.
Best for: a landmark photo, an evening stroll
Best time: sunset
Heads up: Non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque; the minaret and gardens are viewed from outside.
Sight · Kasbah
Ornate 16th-century royal tombs, rediscovered in 1917 behind a walled-up passage.
Best for: a short history stop
Best time: morning
Sight · Kasbah
The vast ruins of a 16th-century palace, with storks nesting on the walls and a rooftop view.
Best for: atmosphere, photos
Best time: late afternoon
Garden · Medina (Mouassine)
A restored riad garden hidden in the medina, with a tower to climb.
Best for: a quiet escape in the middle of the medina
Best time: midday
Activity · Medina (Mouassine)
A traditional public bathhouse: steam, black soap and a vigorous scrub.
Best for: trying a real hammam
Best time: afternoon
Activity · about 40 minutes south-west
A stony desert of rolling hills with camel rides, quad bikes and sunset dinners in camps.
Best for: a desert taste without the long Sahara drive
Booking: Book through a tour or your riad; agree what is included.
Best time: afternoon into sunset
Activity · High Atlas mountains (about 1.5 hours)
A Berber mountain village at the foot of Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak, with valley hikes and lunch in a family home.
Best for: a hiking day trip
Booking: Go with a local guide or tour.
Best time: full day
Activity · Atlas foothills (about 1 hour)
A green river valley with village markets and a scramble up to waterfalls at Setti Fatma.
Best for: an easier day out of the city
Best time: full day
Garden · west of the medina
Olive groves around a big reflecting pool with a pavilion and the Atlas behind it.
Best for: a free sunset walk
Best time: sunset
Rooftop · Place des Ferblantiers
A rooftop bar facing the El Badi walls, one of the few places in the medina to get a drink.
Best for: a sunset drink, storks on the walls
Best time: sunset