The Koutoubia minaret against the snow-capped High Atlas
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Luxury in Morocco

Marrakech

The red city below the Atlas: palace hotels and private riads, the Jardin Majorelle, the square of Jemaa el-Fna at dusk, and the mountains and desert an hour away.

The Koutoubia and the High Atlas, MarrakechPhotograph: Paul Macallan

Marhaba

The red city

Marrakech was founded around 1070 by the Almoravids, the Berber dynasty that ruled from Spain to the Sahara, and it gave its name to the whole of Morocco. Its red walls enclose the medina, World Heritage, and the minaret of the Koutoubia, raised in the twelfth century, still rises above it.

At the heart of the medina, the square of Jemaa el-Fna fills at dusk with storytellers, musicians and food stalls, a spectacle UNESCO counts among the masterpieces of the world’s living heritage. Around it run the souks, the palaces and the riads, houses built around a courtyard garden behind plain walls.

La Mamounia opened in 1923 in the gardens of an eighteenth-century prince, and Winston Churchill painted from its terraces. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé saved the Jardin Majorelle, and the snow-capped High Atlas and the stony Agafay desert lie within an hour of the city.

A few words of Moroccan Arabic
EnglishMoroccan ArabicSay it
Helloالسلام عليكمas-SA-laam a-LAY-kum (or French bonjour)
PleaseعافاكAA-fak (or s'il vous plaît)
Thank youشكراًSHUK-ran (or merci)
Good eveningمسا الخيرMSA el-KHEYR (or bonsoir)
The bill, pleaseالحساب عافاكel-hi-SAAB, AA-fak (or l'addition, s'il vous plaît)

Where to go

Marrakech at a glance

When to go, the one best hotel and table, and how to arrive privately.

Marrakech

Best time to visitMarch to April and October to November are ideal: warm, mostly dry days of 23–28°C (74–83°F), well clear of summer highs near 38°C (100°F). Marrakech lies inland, one of Morocco's imperial cities, a short flight from the Mediterranean coast.

  • Stay
    Royal Mansour MarrakechForbes Five-Star and two MICHELIN Keys

    A medina-walled estate of private riads built for the King of Morocco in the imperial city.

  • Dine
    La Grande Table Marocaine

    The Royal Mansour's Moroccan restaurant, led by Hélène Darroze with chef Karim Ben Baba, is the only African member of Les Grandes Tables du Monde and won the Art of Hospitality Award at MENA's 50 Best Restaurants 2026.

  • Beach
    None that meets our standard yet.
Arrive privately
By private jet
Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK / GMMX), about 7 km from Jemaa el-Fna, about 15 to 20 minutes by car. Jetex runs a private aviation terminal (FBO) at the airport.
By helicopter
Not a regular option.
By sea
Not applicable: Marrakech, one of Morocco's imperial cities, is inland.
Good to know
Marrakech Menara opened a dedicated business aviation terminal in 2020, Morocco's second after Casablanca.

Stay

Luxury hotels in Marrakech

The finest hotels in and around Marrakech: each rated Forbes Five-Star, holding two or three MICHELIN Keys, or among the 25 Finest Resorts of the Mediterranean.

The finest hotels

Each rated Forbes Five-Star or holding two or three MICHELIN Keys.

Dine

The best restaurants in Marrakech

The finest tables of Marrakech and around, and the private chefs and caterers.

The finest tables

  • La Grande Table MarocaineMarrakech

    The Royal Mansour's Moroccan restaurant, now led by Hélène Darroze with chef Karim Ben Baba, and the only African member of Les Grandes Tables du Monde; it won the Art of Hospitality Award on the Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants 2026. Visit website ↗

  • SesamoMarrakech

    Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo of Le Calandre, cooking Italian at the Royal Mansour under Murano glass chandeliers; on the Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants 2026. Visit website ↗

Private chefs and catering

For a villa, a yacht or a wedding.

  • Groupe RahalMarrakech

    Morocco's best-known traiteur house, led by Kamal Rahal Essoulami, which caters large official and private receptions across the kingdom, including in Marrakech. Visit website ↗

Travel

First-class travel in Marrakech

The chauffeurs at our standard. Private jet arrivals are covered in the questions below.

Chauffeurs and self-drive

  • Palm Luxury CarsMarrakech

    Luxury car hire from Rue Yougoslavie in Guéliz, delivering to Marrakech Menara airport, hotels, riads and villas, and to Casablanca, Agadir, Tangier and Fez. Visit website ↗

  • Luxury World CarsMarrakech

    A Marrakech agency with an office on Avenue Abdelkrim El Khattabi, renting Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Range Rover, Porsche and Mercedes, with delivery to Moroccan airports, hotels, riads and villas. Visit website ↗

Experience

Events and things to do in Marrakech

The Marrakech year: the great events, month by month; each event's own website gives this year's dates.

The great museums

  • Musée Yves Saint LaurentMarrakech

    Opened in 2017 beside the Jardin Majorelle, in a building by Studio KO, showing the couturier's haute couture from the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent. Visit website ↗

Health spas

Live

Luxury real estate in Marrakech

A home in Marrakech: the agencies and advisers at our standard, for the purchase and for life after it.

Prime real estate

  • Kensington Luxury PropertiesMarrakech

    Luxury agency founded in 2009, based in Marrakech and active in Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Fès and Essaouira, with an international clientele of more than 80 nationalities. Visit website ↗

  • BARNES Marrakech

    The BARNES office in Guéliz, covering prestige property in the medina, the Palmeraie, Hivernage and the Atlas foothills. Visit website ↗

All the leading agencies in Morocco ›

Looking for a home in Marrakech? Write to travel@TheMediterranean.com and we will introduce you, in confidence, to the right agency.

Plan your trip

Luxury travel in Marrakech and the Mediterranean: your questions answered

Plan your journey to Marrakech

Where is Marrakech?

In central Morocco, on the plain below the High Atlas Mountains. Marrakech Menara airport takes private jets and is about 15 minutes from the medina and the palace hotels.

What is Marrakech famous for?

Its medina and the square of Jemaa el-Fna, the Koutoubia, its palace hotels La Mamounia and the Royal Mansour, private riads, the Jardin Majorelle, and the Atlas Mountains close by.

When is the best time to visit Marrakech?

March to April and October to November are ideal: warm, mostly dry days of 23–28°C (74–83°F), well clear of summer highs near 38°C (100°F).

Where are the best luxury hotels in Marrakech?

Royal Mansour Marrakech (Forbes Five-Star and two MICHELIN Keys).

How do you arrive in Marrakech by private jet?

Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK / GMMX), about 7 km from Jemaa el-Fna, about 15 to 20 minutes by car. Jetex runs a private aviation terminal (FBO) at the airport.

Which are the best restaurants in Marrakech?

The finest tables on our list: La Grande Table Marocaine; Sesamo.

Do you tip in Marrakech?

Not mandatory, but a common courtesy for most services. Rounding up or leaving spare change is standard in cafés and casual restaurants; in upscale restaurants, around 10% is usual, since a service charge is rarely included. About 10 dirhams is usually enough for a taxi driver; keep small notes for drivers and guides. Luxury hotels: porters the equivalent of €2–5 a bag, housekeeping €5–10 a day, in dirhams.

What should you wear in Marrakech?

Clothing matters in Moroccan etiquette: women are advised to cover shoulders and legs, and men to avoid sleeveless tops and very short shorts, particularly in medinas and rural areas. Swimwear belongs at the beach, pool or boat. Most mosques are closed to non-Muslims; the main exception is the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which offers guided tours (dress modestly, women with a headscarf). Fine dining is smart-casual.

Beyond Marrakech

More in Morocco

Tangier and the Mediterranean beyond.

MoroccoLuxury Morocco Holidays: Marrakech & TangierExplore MoroccoThe MediterraneanTwenty-two countries and Gibraltar, first class onlyExplore the MediterraneanPlan your journeyFrom your home to Marrakech, with the costsOpen the trip planner

Customs and etiquette

Customs and etiquette in Marrakech

How Morocco does things.

Language
Arabic and Amazigh (Tamazight) are the official languages; everyday speech is Moroccan Arabic (Darija). French is widely used in business, hotels and restaurants, and English is increasingly spoken in luxury hotels, riads and tourist centres.
Greetings
A handshake is usual, often followed by touching the right hand to the heart as a sign of sincerity. Friends of the same sex often exchange cheek kisses. A man should let a woman offer her hand first. Greetings are unhurried, with polite enquiries after health and family.
Dress
Clothing matters in Moroccan etiquette: women are advised to cover shoulders and legs, and men to avoid sleeveless tops and very short shorts, particularly in medinas and rural areas. Swimwear belongs at the beach, pool or boat. Most mosques are closed to non-Muslims; the main exception is the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which offers guided tours (dress modestly, women with a headscarf). Fine dining is smart-casual.
Dining
Lunch is typically from about 1–3 pm and dinner from about 8 pm. In traditional settings, eat with your right hand and take food from the part of the shared dish in front of you. Reserve at the best-known restaurants in Marrakech, Fès and Tangier.
Tipping
Not mandatory, but a common courtesy for most services. Rounding up or leaving spare change is standard in cafés and casual restaurants; in upscale restaurants, around 10% is usual, since a service charge is rarely included. About 10 dirhams is usually enough for a taxi driver; keep small notes for drivers and guides. Luxury hotels: porters the equivalent of €2–5 a bag, housekeeping €5–10 a day, in dirhams.
Good to know
During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in the street in daylight and dress more modestly; hotels continue to serve guests. Do not walk through cemeteries or go close to shrines and saints' tombs.

Every list on this page is checked by hand and dated: last checked October 2026. Hotels, restaurants and events link only to their own official websites, where confirmed.

The Mediterranean Season Letter

Where to be, every season

Four letters a year, one for each season: the Mediterranean from spring to autumn, and Beyond the Mediterranean, into the Alps, in winter. The one best hotel to book, and the events worth crossing a sea for.