This guide of Marrakech in 3 days It is designed so that you do not miss anything important in the most tourist city of Morocco, making the most of your time and enjoying all the experiences it offers.
During the first two days you will have known the most interesting places in the city such as the Jamaa el Fna Square, the Souk, the Ben Youssef Medersa, the Saadian Tombs, the Mellah neighborhood or the Majorelle Gardens, among many others. On this third day, we suggest you visit some of the wonders of Morocco, which are not far from the city, such as the beautiful city of Essaouira, the Cascades of Ouzoud, the deserts of Merzouga and Zagora or the Kasbahs of Ouarzazate.
This practical guide to enjoy Marrakech in 3 days or 4 days is designed based on the experience of our trip to Marrakech and Essaouira in 5 days and the trip on the Kasbah Route in 4 days. We start!
Useful tips for Marrakech
- Our recommended accommodation for Marrakech in three days It is the Riad Assalam, located near the Jamaa el Fna Square and with a great quality / price ratio.
- To get to your Marrakech hotel from Menara airport, you have several means of transport: bus, taxi or book the transfer directly to the hotel.
If you want more information about the transfer you can check this post on how to go from Marrakech airport to the center. - Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
- Book this Free tour of Marrakech Free! With a guide in Spanish to learn about the interesting history of the city and not miss anything about the Medina.
- It is highly recommended to have a good travel insurance. We travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry insurance adapted to the conditions of each trip.
- If you want to have internet in Morocco, in addition to being able to buy a SIM card at the airport, you can buy a Holafly SIM card being in Spain, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time of the negotiations and making the whole process to have internet in Morocco much more comfortable, fast and easy.
In this case, with the Holafly SIM you will have several Gb to surf the Internet (depending on the option you choose), they will send it to you for free at home, you will keep your WhatsApp number and you will have assistance service in Spanish. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our readerMore information on the Holafly post, the best prepaid SIM card for travel
If you want more recommendations you can consult this post about tips for traveling to Marrakech essential.
First day in Marrakech
The Marrakech itinerary in 3 days It starts crossing the Bab Agnaou Gate early in the morning, the most beautiful access to the great wall that surrounds the Medina. A short walk from this door are the Saadis Tombs, one of the most visited places in Marrakech, which we recommend you not to miss and that we are sure, will surprise you.
After the visit you can walk through the narrow alleys of this area towards the Bahia Palace, stopping before at the beautiful place des Ferblantiers.
It is advisable to know the history of this palace as that of the most important places in the city to have the help of a guide in Spanish for what a good option is to book this free tour of Marrakech Free! or a private tour in which you choose the itinerary, both with a guide in Spanish.
The itinerary of Marrakech in three days Continue with the visit to the Dar Si Said Museum, with some interior courtyards and a magnificent decoration, which has become another place you can not miss in the city.
When you leave the museum and before going to eat, you will arrive at Jamaa el Fna Square, one of the essential places to visit in Marrakech, where you will see a great activity at any time of the day.
Jamma el Fna Square by day
To eat near the square we recommend Dar Cherifa, one of the most beautiful riads in the city and one of the best restaurants to eat in Marrakech.
After eating and to load more energy if possible, nothing better than getting lost in the Souk in search of a bargain, in which you can not miss the souk of the dyers, Henna, Tillis, Es-Seffarine, Nejjarine , that of Kissaria Serrajine and Rahba Kedima Square.
In addition to these recommended stops in the souk, do not forget to visit the spectacular Muslim school, Medersa Ben Youssef, which we are sure, will become one of your favorite places in the city.
Medersa Ben Youssef
After marveling at its inner courtyard and the decoration of the Medersa Ben Youssef you can approach the Museum of Marrakech, another essential visit to this area.
Very close to the museum is the Almoravid Qoubba, considered the last testimony of the city's Almoravid art and the Souk Foudouq Ouarzazi, an old desert caravan, which now functions as a souk.
When the sunset approaches, nothing better than heading towards the Koutoubia Mosque, with its large 66-meter high minaret and then to the Jamaa el Fna Square, to enjoy the sunset from the terrace of the Café Glacier, the best place from the city in which to say goodbye.
To finish in the best way the first day of Marrakech in 3 daysYou can dine homemade food at Dar chef or Corner Cafe, two of the most recommended restaurants in the city.
(Extended information of the first day in Marrakech here)
Map of the first day in Marrakech
Second day in Marrakech
The second day of what to see in Marrakech in 3 days It starts arriving early in the Palm Grove, located 10 kilometers from the city center.
Although in this area of the city there are several torus available, the best and most responsible way to travel it is by booking this quad tour, which will take you between palm trees and deserts.
When you finish the tour you can take a taxi to reach the Majorelle Gardens, a small oasis of freshness and vegetation in the middle of the warm Marrakech.
Majorelle Gardens
If you are well on time, we recommend you to eat in the Guelíz area, the modern part of the city where you will find good restaurants serving western food such as Amaia Restaurant or Le Studio near the Plaza 16 de Noviembre. For dessert we recommend the Arabic sweets of the Patisserie Amandine.
The Marrakech in 3 days continue in the afternoon arriving by taxi to the old Jewish quarter of Mellah. Currently, although there is little presence of the Jewish community, you can find cheaper stores than in the souk and interesting places like the Al Azama Synagogue and the Jewish Cemetery.
To finish the itinerary through this neighborhood you can enter the Badi Palace, especially to see its huge central courtyard, which despite being in ruins, is one of the most impressive places in the city.
Visit the Badi Palace in Marrakech in three days
To rest from these two intense days touring the city, nothing better than taking a bath and a massage in a hamman, one of the best things to do in Marrakech.
Although there are hundreds of options, in this case we recommend you to opt for a more tourist hamman, since they will provide you with all the products for the bathroom and also allow you to enjoy the experience with your partner, in case you travel with her.
Among the most famous and recommended are Rosa Bonheur and Spa Click, which you can book in advance here.
To end the second day of Marrakech in three days you can go to dinner at the Comptoir Darna, where you can see a traditional belly dance show.
(Extended information of the second day in Marrakech here)
Map of the second day in Marrakech
What to see in Marrakech in 3 days or 4 days
On this third day to see in Marrakech in 3 days We propose you to do some of the best excursions in Marrakech among which are the deserts of Merzouga and Zagora, Essaouira, the Ouzoud Waterfalls and Ouarzazate.
The choice will depend on the time available since in the deserts it is advisable to invest at least two days which would make this three-day trip into a Marrakech in 4 days or 5 days.
In our case, if we had to opt for a day trip from Marrakech, the first option would be the beautiful coastal city of Essaouira.
This jewel of the African Atlantic, declared a World Heritage Site, is one of the most essential places to see in Morocco that we are safe, you will fall in love as soon as you arrive.
Surprising for its white buildings and the Medina surrounded by a spectacular wall full of charming streets and shops, unlike the chaotic Marrakech, Essaouira can be visited with peace of mind as well as enjoying its delicious cuisine based on fresh fish and seafood.
Among its most prominent places are the port, the Skala or fortress of the port, with the best views of the city, the Mulay el Hassan square, the Great Mosque, the Siaguin street, the Bab el Sebaa and Chez Chaoni squares, the old Jewish quarter or Mellah and of course, the beaches of Essaouira.
We went from Marrakech to Essaouira by bus with the CTM company, although you can also make the journey with Supratours. Several buses depart daily from Rue Aboubaker Seddi with CTM and from Avenue Hassan II to Supratours and the journey time is less than 3 hours with a midway stop.
A good option to save time and learn more about the history of the city is to book this excursion to Essaouira with a guide in Spanish.
Visit Essaouira in Marrakech in 3 days
The second option for the Marrakech in 3 days We would recommend the excursion to Ouarzazate in one day. Before arriving in this city known as the desert gate, is the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, the real jewel of this area, which you can not miss under any circumstances.
In this beautiful town built in adobe and clay you will go back several centuries in time while you walk through its streets as well as find yourself in a movie as we are sure, you will recognize some of its corners thanks to great movies like Gladiator or the Game of Thrones series, They shot some of their scenes here.
If you are interested in this subject, on the way to the city of Ouarzazate in addition to the beautiful Kasbah of Taourirt, you can stop at the Atlas film studio, known as the Hollywood of the desert.
If you have only one day, the best option to get to Ouarzazate is to rent a car that will take you there in a 4-hour journey crossing the High Atlas by a step located more than 2,000 meters.
If you don't want to drive, a good alternative is to book this excursion to Ouarzazate by minibus with a guide in Spanish.
Ksar Ait Ben Haddou
The Ouzoud Waterfalls, the most spectacular in North Africa, is the third proposal for the last day of the Marrakech in three days.
Located 150 kilometers from Marrakech, they have a waterfall of more than 100 meters high and it is the perfect place where you can bathe at the base of the waterfall and relax walking through an environment full of vegetation.
To get to the waterfalls from Marrakech you can choose to rent a car, take a taxi or book this excursion with a guide in Spanish that will pick you up at the hotel and in less than 3 hours they will leave you in this wonder of nature.
Ouzoud waterfalls
If you have two extra days on your trip to Marrakech, we recommend you spend a night in the Zagora desert, where you can visit the Dades and Todra Gorges and several Berber villages such as Tazarine and on the way the visit to the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou and the Draa Valley, with a spectacular palm grove
On the other hand, if you have 3 or 4 days the best option would be the Merzouga desert, much more spectacular, in which, as in Zagora, you can sleep in the middle of the dunes in a jaima enjoying a good dinner and a starry Night.
If you want to make the visit for free you can rent a car and arrive in about 7 hours to Zagora and in about 9 hours to Merzouga. Once there you can hire a 4 × 4 tour that will take you to the camp at one of the agencies that are at the entrance of the desert.
A more comfortable option and with which you will avoid surprises, is to book the guided tour in Spanish in Marrakech. They will come to pick you up at the hotel in a minibus and when you get to the desert you will already have a 4 × 4 waiting for you to make the route.
These are the excursions in recommended companies that you can book in advance:
For more information on the tour you can consult this specific post about the desert excursion from Marrakech.
Merzouga desert in Marrakech in 4 days or 5 days
