Adil, government-certified guide, in a doorway in Marrakech
Adil in a stone lane, leaning against the wall of a ksar

Your guide

Adil, born and bred in these streets.

Adil founded Marrakech Eye Tours. He was born in the city, and for part of his childhood the streets were his home. His knowledge of the medina comes from living in it rather than from studying it. The more he learned about Marrakech, the more he loved it.

He went on to a degree in English literature, an international diploma in business English and a master’s in tourism in the United Kingdom, then spent twenty-five years in the travel industry. Hotel sales manager, hotel general manager, tourism consultant, until guiding became the work itself.

He has travelled to more than fifty-five countries and runs half marathons at international level. Over the years he has guided holidaymakers and pilgrims, Muslim, Jewish and Sufi travellers, school groups, adventure seekers, photographers, film crews and travel writers. What he is after, in his own words, is the smile people leave with after seeing the back streets of Marrakech through his eyes.

  • Founder of Marrakech Eye Tours, born and raised in the city
  • Government-certified tour guide
  • MA in Tourism (United Kingdom) · BA in English literature · EBC business English diploma
  • Twenty-five years in travel: hotel management and tourism consulting
  • Fifty-five countries travelled · international half-marathon runner
  • Reviewed on Tripadvisor, Viator, Withlocals and Airbnb

In the medina

Adil walking with guests through a covered souk
Adil talking to a student group under a painted ceiling
Adil with three guests in front of the Koutoubia
Adil and a group over coffee on a Marrakech terrace
Adil with a woman baking bread over a wood fire
Adil with two guests at the brass door of a riad
Adil with a family and their baby at their riad
Adil, wearing his official guide badge, with a guest
Guests sharing slow-roast lamb in the medina
A painted cedar ceiling in a Marrakech palace
Adil walking a group through the Bahia Palace
Adil and guests with the snake charmers on Jemaa el-Fna

See all 33 photos

How a day with Adil goes

A walk, not a lecture.

A guide can make a trip or quietly ruin it. Here is what a day with Adil is built around.

No recital

You are on holiday, not a school excursion. Adil talks when it adds something, and lets the city speak the rest of the time.

Past the guidebook

Workshops, back streets and stories that never make it into a search result. And the right shortcut to the shade when August turns brutal.

Your group only

No badge to follow, no strangers, no fixed pace. You stop when you want to stop and eat when you are hungry.

A reason to come back

Most guests leave the medina already working out when they can return. That is the whole point of the job.

The tours

Four ways into the city.

Every walk is private and shaped around you. Tell Adil what you like and he will mix them, shorten them or turn them into a full day.

A narrow pink alley in the old medina of MarrakechPrivate tour

Jewish & Sufi heritage

5,0Tripadvisor

The Mellah, its 15th-century synagogue and the quiet corners of a quarter most tours skip. Marrakech is also a pilgrimage city for Sufi travellers, and Adil knows that route well.

See the itinerary
  1. Meet at your riad in the medina, or at a point you agree with Adil.
  2. The Mellah, the old Jewish quarter: its balconied houses, its spice market and the way the district still works today.
  3. The 15th-century synagogue, still in use, and the story of the community that built it.
  4. The zaouias of the Sufi saints, seen from the street, and what the pilgrimage still means in Marrakech.
  5. A stop for mint tea, and time for the questions the walk has raised.
2 to 3 hoursMellah & medina
The carved courtyard of the Ben Youssef Medersa in MarrakechPrivate tour

History & museums

5,0Tripadvisor

A slow walk into the heart of the old city: palaces, courtyards and museums, and how a thousand-year-old town still works as a place people actually live.

See the itinerary
  1. A first look at the Koutoubia to understand how the city was laid out.
  2. The Bahia Palace: its courtyards, its painted cedar ceilings and the lives that filled them.
  3. The Ben Youssef Medersa, the old Quranic college, and its carved patio.
  4. The back streets between the monuments, where the workshops are.
  5. Le Jardin Secret or a museum of your choice, then back to Jemaa el-Fna.
3 hKoutoubia, Bahia, Ben Youssef
Harira, chebakia and Moroccan pastries on a tablePrivate tour

Food tasting & night market

5,0Tripadvisor

The stalls worth queuing for and the ones to walk past. It is a tasting, but it is also the fastest way to understand Marrakech after dark.

See the itinerary
  1. The dried fruit, olive and nut stalls, and how to tell the good from the ordinary.
  2. A herbalist and spice shop, for what Moroccans actually cook and treat themselves with.
  3. The lamb café, and the dishes worth crossing the medina for.
  4. Jemaa el-Fna as it fills up: the stalls, the storytellers, the musicians.
  5. A terrace above the square to end, with tea or a Moroccan pastry.
2 to 3 hoursJemaa el-Fna
Adil and a guest at a babouche stall in the souksPrivate tour

Shopping in the souks

5,0Tripadvisor

Where to buy what, at the right price, without the pressure. Adil negotiates with you and arranges door-to-door shipping for anything you cannot carry home.

See the itinerary
  1. Five minutes to say what you are looking for and what you want to spend.
  2. The workshops: babouches, Berber rugs, metalwork, wood and leather.
  3. How to tell quality, and what a fair price looks like for each craft.
  4. Adil negotiates with you, in Arabic, at local rates.
  5. Door-to-door shipping arranged for anything too big to carry home.
3 to 4 hoursThe souks
Pierced brass lanterns hanging in a souk alley

The medina does not tell its own story. Someone has to open it for you.

Adil · your guide in Marrakech

Explore Morocco

From the medina to the dunes.

Adil works across the south of Morocco: on foot in Marrakech, and by private car everywhere the road makes sense in a day or a week.

The Koutoubia minaret at sunrise, above Marrakech
MarrakechThe medina, the palaces, the souks and Jemaa el-Fna, on foot.4 walking tours
A lone camel train crossing the Agafay desert, the snow-capped Atlas behind
Agafay DesertStone hills forty minutes from the city, and dinner under a tent.Half day or evening
A Berber village in the High Atlas above its terraced fields
The Atlas & the valleysBerber villages, Ourika, Imlil and the Toubkal valley.3 day trips
The earthen ksar of Aït Ben Haddou rising above the palm trees
Aït Ben Haddou & OuarzazateOver the Tichka pass to the earthen ksar and the film studios.Long day trip
A camel train crossing the dunes of Erg Chebbi at sunset
Merzouga & the SaharaThe Dadès, the Todra gorges and a night in the dunes of Erg Chebbi.3 to 5 days
The ramparts of Essaouira and its white medina above the Atlantic
Essaouira & OuzoudThe Atlantic ramparts, and the hundred-and-ten-metre falls.2 day trips

Beyond the medina

Day trips and Morocco tours.

Adil also organises the days out from Marrakech and the longer routes to the desert, with a private driver and a vehicle for your group alone.

A lone camel train crossing the Agafay desert, the snow-capped Atlas behind
Excursions from MarrakechAgafay, the Atlas, Ourika, Essaouira, Ouzoud, Aït Ben Haddou and Imlil.Seven day trips
A camel train crossing the dunes of Erg Chebbi at sunset
Morocco toursMarrakech to Merzouga and Fès, or a route built around your dates.3 to 5 days

Guests

What people say afterwards.

Adil has a perfect score on Tripadvisor. These are the things guests bring up again and again.

5,0 138 reviews on Tripadvisor

Ranked 19th of 790 food & drink experiences in Marrakech.

Read the reviews
  • He knows everyone in the medina
  • He helps you negotiate
  • Straight past the queues
  • You feel safe with him
  • He follows your pace
  • Real craftsmen, not tourist shops
  • He answers before and during your stay
  • Guests book him for a second day

Booking

Three messages and you are walking.

Send your dates

WhatsApp or email, whichever you prefer. Tell Adil when you are in town and how many of you there are.

Shape the day

He suggests a route based on what interests you, how much walking you want and whether the heat is a factor.

Meet and go

Adil meets you at your riad or hotel, or at an agreed point in the medina. Payment is agreed in advance, no surprises.

What it costs

Gems of Marrakech · 3 hours · from €30 per person

That is the published price of the tour Adil sells through Tripadvisor, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Every other walk is quoted on the spot: send your dates and how many of you there are, and you get a price before you commit.

See that tour on Tripadvisor
Is Adil officially licensed?

Yes. He is a government-certified guide, which in Morocco means an official qualification and a professional card he can show you.

Are the tours private?

Always. You will never be added to a group of strangers. Couples, families and small groups of friends all work.

How long does a tour last?

Three hours is the usual format, and a half day or a full day works just as well. Ask and Adil will suggest what fits your trip.

Do I have to buy anything in the souks?

No. If you do want to buy, Adil helps you find the quality and negotiate the price. If you do not, nobody will push you.

What if it is very hot?

The route changes. Early starts, shaded streets, indoor stops and regular breaks. Summer walks are planned around the sun, not against it.

Contact

Tell Adil when you are coming.

Adil usually replies the same day. Messages in English or French are both fine.

Adil usually replies the same day. Messages in English or French are both fine.

Open the contact form

Follow the walks

Ready to walk Marrakech with Adil?

Send your dates on WhatsApp. You get an answer the same day, and a price before you commit to anything.

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