10 Best Free Things To Do in Marrakech
How to Experience Marrakech on a Small Budget
This dynamic Moroccan city may be filled with luxury riads and bustling markets, but free things to do in Marrakech are aplenty. Stroll in the city’s gardens, watch the sun setting over the terracotta rooftops, and join the nightly carnival of street performers. Arguably, the best thing to do in this city is wander: the medina is an explorer’s playground, a complex web of winding souk streets and sunlit squares with endless things to discover.
Morocco’s most-visited city is full to the brim with energy and atmosphere that visitors can enjoy without spending a dirham. Read on for the best low- and no-cost things to do in Marrakech.
1. Walking tours
A budget conscious travelers’ way to get know a city
Good for: Budget, History
Local guides offer free or affordable English language walking tours 7 days a week. The excursions are an excellent way to get the lay of the land before you embark on your explorations of the city, as they take visitors to the major cultural and historic sights.
Stops along the tour might include the monumental Bab Aganou gate and the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque, with its 76-meter sandstone tower visible from across the medina. Get insight into Morocco’s history, the 5 pillars of Islam, and the significance of the hammam to social life.
Walking tours
2. Nightly entertainment in the Jemaa el-Fna square
Performers of all kinds gather in the city’s oldest square
Good for: Budget, Nightlife
Each evening, the Medina’s Jemaa el-Fna square becomes an open-air stage for a colorful cast of performers, including acrobats, musicians, storytellers, and comedians. The square has been a gathering place since Marrakech’s founding in the 11th century, first used as a market for the trade of food and goods before becoming the stage of the city’s nightly carnival.
Street food stalls fire up their grills from around 5 pm, and entertainers are most active between 8 and 10 pm. Around the square, spectators circle up to observe Halqa street theater or listen to the serenades of brightly clad Gnawa musicians. Come prepared with a handful of coins to tip performers and get yourself a bowl of hearty harira soup.
Nightly entertainment in the Jemaa el-Fna square
3. Koutoubia Mosque
The symbol of the city
Good for: Budget, History
Koutoubia Mosque is Marrakech’s most recognizable landmark, a 12th-century masterpiece that inspired the mosques of Rabat and Seville. You can’t miss its pinkish minaret, standing 76 meters tall and topped with a spire of gleaming brass spheres. The mosque is situated just outside the medina’s western wall, a 10-minute walk from Djemaa el-Fna.
Only Muslims are permitted entry, but it’s well worth a visit to view the minaret from the outside and wander through the adjacent Parc Lalla Hasna. Find a shady nook in the park for a quiet escape from the noisy medina and admire the surrounding mosaic tile fountains and paved walking paths beneath palms and orange trees.
Koutoubia Mosque
4. Exploring souks
A sprawling maze of markets
Good for: Budget, Shoppers
There’s no need to spend a dime to delight in the souks of Marrakech. The foremost thrill of this labyrinth of stone-paved streets is that of exploration. Pass beneath the horseshoe arches into the medina and wander on your whims, chasing aromas and colors and sounds through miles of covered alleyways.
Souk Semmarine serves as a great embarkation point. Branching outwards from the main thoroughfare are souks specializing in spices, blacksmith’s wares, tapestries, and leather goods. Although they’ve undergone restoration in recent decades, the souks date back to the founding of the city nearly a millennium ago and are chock-full of atmosphere. Visit any day but Friday, as most shops will close early for weekly prayer.
Exploring souks
5. Art and Art Deco in Guéliz
Contemporary galleries on the city’s modern side
Good for: Budget, Photo, Shoppers
The Guéliz neighborhood is home to a collection of elegant Art Deco architecture and it’s full of art galleries, most of which are free to enter and enjoy. Head to Galerie 127 for photography, David Bloch Gallery for concept-forward works, and Gallery Tindouf for inspired juxtapositions of varied styles and mediums. Don’t miss Comptoir des Mines, a multi-level gallery featuring contemporary Moroccan artworks in a salmon-pink Art Deco building.
It doesn’t cost a dirham to admire the historic Art Deco hotels in the area and the Church of Holy Saints Martyrs, which fuses Art Deco and Moroccan design. Stroll along the narrow alleys to get into the ambiance of the early 20th century.
Art and Art Deco in Guéliz
6. Free concerts and storytelling at Café Clock
An artsy café in the Kasbah carries on cultural tradition
Good for: Budget, Nightlife
Café Clock is a Marrakech institution committed to carrying on culture and tradition. One of its main projects is training the next generation in hikayat, the 1,000-year-old Moroccan tradition of oral storytelling. Hakawati storytellers practice their art every Thursday evening from 7 pm, giving impassioned performances in both English and Darija (Moroccan Arabic).
Any other night of the week, the café hosts musical performances. Visit on a Monday or Friday for serenades on the oud, an 11-string Arabian lute. Locals gather for jam sessions on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Performances are free, but if you can, purchase something from an affordable menu of casual plates like burgers and falafel.
Location: 224 Derb Chtouka, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
Open: Daily from 9 am to 11 pm
Phone: +212 5243-78367
Free concerts and storytelling at Café Clock
7. Rooftop sundowner
Sunset views from the rooftops or ramparts
Good for: Budget, Couples
Something about the sandy and reddish-pink hues of Marrakech makes it especially charming at sunset. There are tons of rooftops around the low-lying city that offer panoramic views. Many riads and hotels have rooftop lounges, and some even have pools, so you can watch the sun dip below the horizon from the comfort of your home base.
If your accommodation doesn’t offer this perk, take a sunset stroll on the ramparts instead. The 12th-century walls encircling the medina rise 8 to 10 meters high and are wide enough to walk side by side. On clear days, look to the northeast to see the silhouettes of the Atlas Mountains.
Rooftop sundowner
8. Ensemble Artisanal
A chance to observe artisans at work
Good for: Budget, Shoppers
Ensemble Artisanal is a crafts complex sponsored by the municipal government where travelers can appreciate locally made arts and crafts. Unlike the souks, prices here are fixed, and there is no pressure to buy. If you do intend to do some haggling in the souks, a survey of the prices here gives an idea of the going rates for various crafts.
Observe artists at work in open studios, weaving carpets and carving wooden animal figurines. Crafted items of all kinds are on display, from baskets and babouche slippers to handmade instruments. To reach the complex, make your way about a kilometer east of Jemaa el-Fna, directly across from Cyber Park.
Location: Av. Mohammed V, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
Open: Monday—Saturday from 9.30 am to 7 pm, Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm
Ensemble Artisanal
9. City gardens
A former royal garden and an olive grove
Good for: Budget, History
For an escape from the Moroccan midday heat, take a breather in the city’s gardens, parks, and other green spaces. Avoid the steep entry fees at more popular parks and head instead to the free alternatives: Cyber Park and Menara Gardens.
Of the 2, Cyber Park is more easily accessible from the Medina. These meticulously landscaped gardens were first planted as royal gardens and are full of lush native flora, benches, and shaded paths. Menara Gardens lie on the east side of the city near the airport. They are home to an olive grove that surrounds an artificial lake, over which snowcapped mountains rise in the distance. Make sure you don’t leave without taking an epic holiday photo or 2.
City gardens
10. Jewish Quarter
A centuries-old synagogue and cemetery
Good for: Budget, History
The Jewish Quarter (or Mellah) was established in the 16th century as a safe haven for the Jewish community. While the community is very small today, its legacy lives on. This area in the south of the medina sees relatively less tourism, giving it a more relaxed and authentic feel. It’s also home to Tinsmiths Square and Bab Agnaou, the most impressive of the old city gates.
There are several significant landmarks still standing in the Mellah. The Slat Al-Azama Synagogue is a stunning example of a traditional Moroccan synagogue, replete with a blue and white tiled central courtyard. Don’t miss the 500-year-old Jewish Cemetery that is a striking sight with its whitewashed tombs under the midday sun.
Jewish Quarter
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