What to do in Marrakech in three days

Day one: the medina and its monuments

Start with the Bahia Palace and the Ben Youssef Medersa, early, before the groups arrive. These two buildings give you the key to everything else: the proportions, the materials, the logic of courtyards and patios. After them, a carved door in a side street stops being a decorative detail.

In the afternoon, the Koutoubia and its gardens, then the quarter around Jemaa el-Fna on foot. Book nothing else: the medina is crossed slowly, and the first day is as much about getting your bearings as about visiting.

Day two: the souks, then the square at night

The souks need a full morning if you want to understand how they are organised by trade rather than simply getting lost in them. It is also the best time to buy: the craftsmen are working, the lanes are less dense, and prices are more reasonable than late in the day.

Keep the late afternoon for the Mellah and the Jewish quarter, much quieter, then come back to Jemaa el-Fna at dusk. The square changes atmosphere completely within an hour, and that is the moment to eat at the stalls rather than in a restaurant.

Day three: leave the city

A day outside Marrakech changes how you remember the whole trip. Ourika for green and cool air, Agafay for a stone desert forty minutes away, the Atlas for Berber villages and mountain passes. Ait Ben Haddou is possible but makes for a long day of driving.

With only three days, do not attempt Merzouga or Essaouira as a round trip. The first needs three days on its own; the second means five hours in a car for half a day on the spot.

The most common pacing mistakes

Trying to string five monuments together in one day. Marrakech is visited slowly, and heat or crowds set the tempo for much of the year. Three places seen properly beat six crossed at speed.

Booking a distant excursion on the day you arrive or leave. Evening flights and transfers eat the day, and six hours of road after a short night ruins the memory.