Three days in Marrakech gives you time to explore the medina, visit some of the main sights and fit in an experience outside the city. There’s plenty to choose from, but I’d leave room for wandering through the souks, stopping for lunch and enjoying your accommodation too.
I visited Marrakech with my husband in February, staying for two nights in a riad in the medina. We loved being able to explore on foot, have breakfast on the rooftop and return to somewhere peaceful after being out in the busy streets. Our quad biking trip was another highlight, although it was a little nerve-racking at times!
This suggested Marrakech three-day itinerary brings together sightseeing, gardens, restaurant ideas and the option of an evening in the Agafay Desert. It isn’t an exact account of our own trip, but I’ve included our experiences and tips where they might help with planning.
The full itinerary assumes you have three days available for exploring. If you’re visiting for two nights, as we did, your flight times will affect how much fits, so I’ve included suggestions for shortening the plan rather than trying to squeeze everything in.
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Day 1: Explore the medina
Start with Bahia Palace, then spend the afternoon wandering through the souks. Finish with Jemaa el-Fnaa and a rooftop dinner.
Day 2: Gardens and an evening in Agafay
Visit Jardin Majorelle in the morning, with the Yves Saint Laurent Museum as an optional addition. Leave time for lunch and a break before heading out for a sunset dinner in the Agafay Desert.
Day 3: Hot air ballooning or quad biking
Choose an early-morning hot air balloon flight if that’s something you’ve always wanted to try, or book a quad biking tour for an adventure on the ground. These are alternatives, so pick whichever appeals most rather than trying to fit both into your final day.
Keep the afternoon flexible for lunch, a last wander through the souks or your journey to the airport. If you’re flying home that day, check the excursion’s return time before booking and leave plenty of room for your airport transfer.
For this itinerary, I’d start by looking at a riad in the medina. With much of the sightseeing centred around the old town, being able to head out on foot makes a short break easier and gives you more time to explore.
We stayed at Riad Nelia for two nights and loved having somewhere peaceful to return to after the busy streets. Breakfast on the rooftop was a lovely start to the day, and the staff arranged a driver who met us at the airport and walked us right to the entrance.
If you’d prefer a larger hotel with a swimming pool, you can still follow this itinerary, but allow for journeys between your accommodation and the sights. For tours with transport included, check whether pickup is from your hotel or a meeting point nearby, as vehicles can’t reach every riad entrance.
Our Where to Stay in Marrakech guide compares the main areas, riads, hotels and private properties to help you choose a base.
Start your first full day with Bahia Palace, leaving yourself time to enjoy the courtyards, colourful tiles and detailed ceilings rather than rushing through to get to the next stop. It’s a lovely introduction to the architecture you’ll see around Marrakech, with plenty of little details worth stopping to admire.
I’d keep the rest of the morning fairly relaxed, with a wander through the surrounding streets before stopping for lunch. There’s no need to squeeze several palaces and museums into the same morning, especially when part of the appeal is seeing what you come across along the way. Leave yourself time to stop for a drink or browse a shop that catches your eye.
If this is also your arrival day, adjust the plan around your flight and check-in time. You could leave the palace for another day and begin with lunch and an afternoon exploring the medina instead.
After lunch, head into the souks for an afternoon browsing the stalls and little shops. Give yourself time for this rather than treating it as a quick walk between attractions, as there’s plenty to catch your attention.
The lantern shops were a particular favourite of ours. We travelled with hand luggage only, which was probably good for our bank balance, but I could happily have brought several home! There are also ceramics, baskets, rugs, leather goods and spices, so it helps to have an idea of what you’d actually use before getting carried away.
If you want to buy something, take your time comparing prices and be prepared to haggle where that’s expected. Our Marrakech Travel Tips guide covers bargaining, cash and finding your way around the medina.
Make your way to Jemaa el-Fnaa towards the evening, then leave time for dinner rather than booking another activity. You can wander around the square or find a terrace overlooking it if you’d prefer to watch everything going on from a little further away.
For dinner, DarDar is one of the places we tried during our trip and would consider again for a rooftop evening. If you’re hoping to catch sunset, check the time for your travel dates and book a table accordingly.
You could also swap a restaurant dinner for a guided food tour if trying different Moroccan dishes is high on your list. I’d choose one or the other, as a food tour followed by a full dinner would be rather a lot!
Our where-to-eat guide includes the restaurants we visited and more ideas for planning your meals in Marrakech.
Image below: Nobu Rooftop Restaurant - another rooftop restaurant we dined in during our stay.
Start your second day at Jardin Majorelle, where the blue buildings, greenery and garden paths offer a change from yesterday’s souks and busy streets. Give yourself time to wander and enjoy the setting rather than spending the whole visit trying to get the perfect photograph.
If you’re interested in fashion, you could also add the nearby Yves Saint Laurent Museum. I’d make this an optional part of the morning, depending on your interests, rather than assuming everyone will want to visit both.
Check the official ticket options and entry arrangements before travelling, and book your visit around the afternoon pickup for your desert excursion.
After the gardens, stop for lunch before heading back to your accommodation for a break. This is a good opportunity to enjoy the courtyard or rooftop you’ve booked, rather than spending every hour away from it!
I’d keep this afternoon fairly clear if you’re doing an Agafay sunset dinner. Pickup times vary between tours and seasons, so check your booking before adding another attraction or making lunch reservations.
If you’d rather stay in Marrakech, you could use the afternoon for a hammam or more exploring, followed by dinner in the city. La Trattoria was one of the restaurants we visited with its lovely poolside setting, and our where-to-eat guide has more ideas.
For something different, head out to Agafay for a sunset dinner. This is a rocky desert landscape rather than the huge sand dunes of the Sahara, so it’s worth knowing what to expect before booking.
There are plenty of different packages, from dinner and transfers to evenings with entertainment and extra activities. Compare what’s actually included rather than choosing purely from the photographs, particularly if you’re hoping for a quieter meal.
I’d look for return transport included in the booking and check the pickup location carefully. If you’re staying in a riad, you may need to meet the driver somewhere vehicles can reach rather than directly outside your door.
Leave the rest of the evening free, as the journey, dinner and return transfer can take up a substantial part of the afternoon and night. This is why I’ve placed Agafay on day two, when there’s no airport journey to work around.
If a hot air balloon flight is on your wish list, this is where I’d fit it into the itinerary. Keep the morning free for the experience, including pickup, travel and the return journey, rather than planning another activity straight afterwards.
This is actually my biggest regret from our Marrakech trip. We had a balloon flight booked but cancelled a few days beforehand because my husband was nervous. My brother and sister-in-law did it earlier this year, and their photographs and videos were incredible. Seeing those made me wish we’d gone ahead with ours!
Check the full excursion details before booking, including transfers, breakfast and the expected return time. Balloon flights depend on suitable weather, so if this is the main reason for your trip, consider booking it earlier in your stay to leave some flexibility if it needs rearranging.
If you’d prefer an adventure on the ground, a quad biking tour is another option for your final morning. We did the Palm Oasis and Jbilat Desert tour and loved it, although I’ll admit there were moments when I was a little nervous!
Our guide was great, and we felt well looked after throughout. The trip also included a stop for Moroccan tea with bread and honey, which gave us a chance to take a breather before continuing. For what we paid at the time, we thought it was amazing value.
Compare the tour’s duration, transport arrangements and riding requirements before booking. I’d choose either quad biking or ballooning for this day, leaving enough time afterwards to enjoy lunch without watching the clock.
Once you’re back in Marrakech, keep the afternoon flexible. You might fancy another wander through the souks, lunch somewhere you’ve spotted during the trip or simply a little time at your riad before leaving.
For those staying another night, this could be a good opportunity for a hammam, followed by dinner in the city. There’s no need to fill the afternoon with more sightseeing if you’d rather finish the trip feeling relaxed.
If this is your departure day, collect your bags and allow plenty of time for the airport journey. Check the excursion’s expected return time against your flight before booking, and skip it if the timings leave you rushing. A relaxed breakfast and a final walk around the medina can be a lovely way to finish too.
We visited Marrakech for three days and two nights, but how much fits into that sort of break depends on the flights. An early arrival and late departure give you a very different trip from landing in the evening and flying home first thing.
If your first day is mainly taken up with travelling, I’d start with a wander through the medina and dinner, then move Bahia Palace to your next available sightseeing slot. You don’t need to catch up on everything you missed from day one.
For the full day in the middle, choose the places you most want to visit and one main excursion. Jardin Majorelle followed by an Agafay evening could work, or you could swap the desert dinner for quad biking and spend the evening in Marrakech.
On departure day, keep plans close to your accommodation unless there’s comfortably enough time for an excursion and the airport journey. I’d rather leave having enjoyed a few things properly than spend the whole break worrying about getting to the next booking.
Before booking activities, put your flight times, accommodation check-in and airport transfers into the plan. It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to fill three days with ideas before realising that part of the first and last day will be spent travelling.
I’d book the experiences you’re most excited about first, then leave some space around them. Check meeting points and return times, particularly for Agafay, ballooning and quad biking, so you know how much of the day each booking needs.
For exploring the medina, comfortable shoes and mobile data made life much easier for us. We used our phones for directions, and having a local SIM meant we could check maps without worrying about our UK roaming charges.
Keep some cash available for smaller purchases and ask your accommodation how any extras need to be paid. Our riad arranged our airport driver and added the charge to our room bill, but we needed cash to settle those extras before leaving.
Our Marrakech Travel Tips guide covers airport arrivals, cash, mobile data, taxis, clothing and shopping in more detail.
If you’re struggling to choose, our 18 Things to Do in Marrakech guide covers more sights and experiences to help you decide what makes it into your trip. You can swap activities in this itinerary to suit your interests, whether you’d prefer more sightseeing, a hammam or another adventure outside the city.
Whenever I spot great-value flights and accommodation for DIY breaks to Marrakech and other destinations from UK airports, I share them with members of the Build a Break Travel Club, with links to book each part independently.
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