Four days in Morocco: what to do, what to skip, and what to actually eat

Morocco is three hours from the UK. It's a completely different world — Arabic, French, Berber, Amazigh, Islamic, chaotic, beautiful, occasionally infuriating, and unlike anything you'll find in Europe. It's also, as of writing, one of the most popular long weekend destinations for UK travellers and simultaneously one of the most misunderstood. Here's how to do four days in Marrakech and its surroundings without wasting time, getting ripped off, or eating bad tagine in a tourist restaurant.

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Getting there

Ryanair, easyJet, and British Airways all fly direct to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) from multiple UK airports. Flight time from London is around three hours and fifteen minutes. Return fares range from £60 to £180 depending on how far ahead you book and whether you travel mid-week. Midweek flights are almost always cheaper on Moroccan routes.

From the airport to the medina: avoid unmarked taxis waiting outside arrivals — negotiate a price before you get in, or better, agree it upfront. A licensed taxi to the medina centre should cost around £5–8 if you negotiate firmly. Alternatively, some riads offer airport transfers for similar prices — worth asking when you book.

Morocco's currency is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD). 10 MAD is approximately 80p at the time of writing. ATMs are available in Marrakech city centre but less common in the souks and further out — carry cash.

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Day One: land and learn the medina

Land, drop your bags, and go straight into the medina. Don't attempt to plan a route — the Marrakech medina is one of the most deliberately disorienting places on earth and learning to navigate it by getting lost is both inevitable and actually enjoyable once you stop fighting it.

Djemaa el-Fna (the main square) is the obvious start. It's overwhelming in the best way — snake charmers, storytellers, food stalls, juice vendors, henna artists. Go during the day to see the market stalls, come back after dark when the food stalls set up and the whole square transforms. Fresh-squeezed orange juice at the famous juice stalls costs around £0.50 — the vendor will try to charge you £1.50. Be pleasant but firm.

What to skip on day one: the carriage rides around the square (tourist theatre at tourist prices), anyone offering to show you to a particular shop "for free" (it won't be), and restaurant touts along the square edges who will follow you with a menu.

Where to eat lunch: go to one of the local grill stalls in the square, not the terraced restaurants overlooking it. Kefta (spiced minced lamb), merguez (spiced sausage), and grilled chicken with bread and salad will cost you £4–8 and taste significantly better than the overpriced tourist set menus.

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Day Two: souks, tanneries, and getting genuinely lost

The Marrakech souks are divided by trade — one section for leather, one for spices, one for lamps, one for fabric. There's no single entrance; the best approach is to walk north from Djemaa el-Fna and let it pull you in.

The Chouara Tannery is the most photographed sight in Marrakech. The leather tanneries where hides are dyed in great circular vats of colour are genuinely spectacular. To see them properly, you typically need to enter through one of the leather shops surrounding the tannery — they'll give you a free sprig of mint (to counter the smell) and let you up to the terrace viewing area. You're not obliged to buy anything, though if you're going to buy leather anywhere on the trip, this is the place.

What you should buy in the souks:

• Argan oil (check it's pure — roasted for cooking, unroasted for skin)

• Moroccan spice mixes (ras el hanout is the blend to bring home)

• Babouche slippers (traditional leather footwear, around £8–20 depending on quality)

Prices in the souks are always negotiable. The opening price is typically two to three times what a fair price would be. Don't be embarrassed — negotiating is expected and is part of the exchange.

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Day Three: day trip to the Atlas Mountains or Essaouira

Two compelling day trip options from Marrakech:

Imlil and the Atlas Mountains (1.5 hours by road): A mountain village at 1,740 metres, the starting point for treks up Jebel Toubkal (North Africa's highest peak) and a world away from the medina. You can walk into the village, hire a mule for a valley trek, or simply sit and eat a tajine in the mountain air. Shared taxis from Marrakech to Asni (then Imlil) are the cheapest option — budget around £12–18 return including a hired local driver. Organised day tours through Viator typically run £25–£45 per person and include transport and a guide, which makes the mountain context considerably more interesting.

Essaouira (2.5 hours each way by bus or shared taxi): A coastal medina on the Atlantic, completely different in feel from Marrakech — cooler, windier, more laid back, with a UNESCO-listed old town of blue-and-white painted streets and a serious fishing port. Supratours buses run between Marrakech and Essaouira from around £5 each way. A full day trip is tight but manageable.

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Day Four: hammam and the Jardin Majorelle

Traditional hammam (public bathhouse): this is the single most memorable experience Marrakech offers that most tourists miss. A local hammam (not the upscale tourist ones with menus and treatments) costs around £1.50–3 for entry, a bucket of hot water, and a kessa glove to scrub with. Go in the morning when it's quiet. It's one of those experiences that's entirely incompatible with Instagram and entirely worth doing.

Jardin Majorelle: the famous blue garden designed by Jacques Majorelle, later owned by Yves Saint Laurent. It's genuinely beautiful, and genuinely expensive by Moroccan standards — entry is around £12. Worth it, but book in advance as it sells out in peak season.

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The food you should actually be eating

• Bissara (thick fava bean soup with olive oil and cumin): breakfast staple, around 40p a bowl from street stalls

• Msemen (flaky square flatbread cooked on a griddle): around 20p each

• Harira (tomato and lentil soup): the meal in itself, around 60p

• Chicken or lamb tajine at a non-tourist restaurant: £3–6

• Pastilla (sweet-savoury pie of pigeon or chicken with almonds and icing sugar): an extraordinary dish, around £4–7

You do not need to spend more than £12–15 a day on food to eat extremely well in Marrakech — unless you're choosing tourist restaurants, which you should not.

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Practical notes

• Dress code: Morocco is a conservative Muslim country. Covering shoulders and knees in the medina is respectful and avoids hassle. Absolutely required when entering mosques (tourists aren't admitted to most).

• Safety: Marrakech is generally safe. Opportunistic scams are common in tourist areas — the standard friendly stranger who "just happens" to know the way to where you're going and expects payment is universal. Politely decline all unsolicited guide offers.

• Best time to visit: March–May and September–November. July–August is very hot (40°C+) and crowded.

Ready to book? Search flights and compare hotels in Marrakech on our site, or browse guided day trips to the Atlas Mountains and Essaouira through Viator.

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