How Many Days In Marrakech?

How many days should you spend in Marrakech? Two full days is what you need to fully experience this ancient city, and possibly an additional half-day if you want to slow down the pace a little. Most of the sights are found in a rather small area, and most of the time and experience of Marrakech is to just stroll endlessly through the alleyways of the Medina.

I had, in total, three full days and three half-days in Marrakech and it felt way too long. By the last full day, I had nothing left to do and should probably have gone on a day trip somewhere instead. But bad weather and the fact that it was the last day of a nine-day trip turned this day into a rather wasted day where I did almost nothing.

Most sights are found in or near the southern part of the Medina. There are two exceptions, and I skipped both of them. It's the two famous gardens of Marrakech. The Jardin Majorelle and Menara Gardens. The fact that I skipped them was not due to lack of time, but rather a lack of interest in visiting gardens in general and especially during cloudy December days.

This does not include any excursions or day trips, and of those, there are a lot of options from Marrakech. Every day trip you plan on making will add an extra additional day to your itinerary. Many people who visit Marrakech will also go on hikes into the Atlas Mountains, which are visible from the city center. That is something that requires several additional days of your trip. If that's what you're looking for I still think two full days should be allocated to the city of Marrakech.

Up in the Atlas Mountains, there are a few destinations that would fit as a day trip if you're not looking to spend several days away. The ancient fortified village of Aït Benhaddou and the desert city of Ouarzazate are two of the most popular day trips from Marrakech. Ouarzazate is also the gateway into the Sahara Desert, which is another multi-day excursion that is possible to take.

For an easier and more slow-paced day trip, you should look at Essaouira along the coastline. There's a lot of history to be found there. This was the one I was most interested in, and if the weather on my trip would have been a little bit more favorable I would probably have done it.

Lastly, what I had on my itinerary after Marrakech was to take the train to Casablanca and spent a few days in the largest city of the Maghreb region. This is a great option if you're into urban travel and not as interested in the outdoors and spending time in the desert or camping on a mountain. I've seen many travel guides say that Casablanca is not worth visiting, but I found it interesting.