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I was recently lucky enough to spend 72 hours in Marrakech without kids recently. I shared a few pictures on Instagram and received so many messages about what we did and questions about what we would recommend.

So here is our 72 hours in Marrakech without kids post.

Flight to Marrakech

The average flight time from the UK to Marrakech is around 3 hours and 35 minutes. It’s the perfect getaway that gives you something more than Europe, with hotter weather and a totally different experience.

Where to stay in Marrakech?

In my view if you are having 72 hours in Marrakech without kids you should stay in the Medina. It’s an experience, its busy and bustling, but its the reason to go to Marrakech.

We stayed at Demeures D’Orient which was described as an authentic and charming Riad & SPA in Marrakech ruled, built and designed by 3 generations of women. It was fantastic and comes with rave tripadvisor reviews too.

Check out their Instagram feed.

How to choose a Riad in Marrakech

There are many things to look at when you’re choosing a Riad in Marrakech but for me some of the more important things to look for are:

• A pool. Depending on the time of year you go, you really will want a pool to dip in when you get back from a day wandering about. When we visited in early September, the temperatures hit 39 degrees.

• Do they serve wine? To be honest we didn’t check this, but as wine can be slightly tricky to get hold of in Marrakech, being able to have a glass of wine before we went out for dinner, or when we came home was lovely. Be warned though it’s pricey!

• Being able to get a taxi to your Riad. Being able to get a taxi from the airport to the Riad, and then to and from some of the further out attractions in Marrakech was invaluable. I’ve visited Marrkech before and not been able to do this (cars can’t access a lot of the Medina) is really frustrating. There is also nothing worse than being dropped off a few confusing streets away from your accommodation when you’ve just arrived in Marrakech and being told to find your own way.

Transfer from the airport into Marrakech

We actually booked an Easyjet Holiday which included Flights, Transfer, Accommodation and breakfast, but the transfer was by Driver4you.ma and I’d call them directly to arrange next time. +212 621 73 87 65

Our driver was Marouane Driver +212 678 150679

Day 1 of our 72 hours in Marrakech without Kids

We arrived into the airport at around 10.30am after an exceptionally early flight. It was pretty hideous to get up at 3am but amazing to be at the hotel in Marrakech by lunchtime.

**Our transfer was air conditioned and straight to the door. I’ve heard numerous rumours of taxi drivers dropping off nowhere near the Riads so making sure your taxi can get to the Riad and your driver will take you there are all important things to consider.

We decided to take a wander out for lunch and then wander around the Medina. Since the last time I visited Marrakech the google maps and 4g coverage has hugely increased and we did use our phones to find our way around, but always take a map with you from the Riad/Hotel.

** Just be aware that phone use in Marrakech is outside of European use so it depends on what your contract says as to whether you can use it. I used my usual data allowance for £6 a day, but friends I was with weren’t able to do that, it cost an awful lot more for them to access even a small amount of data so we used mine**

We spent a good few hours wandering around the Medina, looking at the souks and ended up in the Jemaa el-Fnaa. Jemaa el-Fnaa early in the day is quite quiet and empty. This slowly fills a bit with snake charmers, monkey handlers, and drink sellers. By early evening things begin to change and more stalls start to pop up and by late evening it has become a crowded place with smoking bbqs, sounds and smells. Well worth visiting more than once, although for me its not the be all and end all in Marrakech.

By 3pm we were shattered and decided to return to the Riad for a late afternoon snooze, read of our books and some relaxation. The Riad we had chosen was the perfect spot for that.

In answer to some concerns about the souks in Marrakech. Yes they are busy, yes people do suggest you buy things as you walk past, yes you have to haggle, BUT you don’t have to stop – you can just smile and walk on.

Clothes in Marrakech

Marrakech is a conservative city and whilst there is no legal requirement to cover up if you’re female you will, in my opinion, feel more comfortable if you do. A good rule of thumb is to cover up your arms, legs and cleavage. We did this in a number of ways with light scarves and longer floaty dresses.

We also travelled in August so it was very very hot. Do bear in mind that in the winter months it can be very cold too.

Dinner in Marrakech

I’d booked dinner for 7.30pm on our first night in Marrakech as I knew we would be exhausted and also thought it would be nice to have somewhere to head for rather than mooching around on our first night.

I booked Le Foundouk

I booked this for a few reasons.

• It sells alcohol – not many places do!
• It was within a 10 minute walk of our Riad
• It was also on the Forbes list of best restaurants in Marrakech

We really loved Le Foundouk, they had great cocktails and the setting on the rooftop was perfect. Definitely a hit for our first night in Marrakech.

Day 2 of our 72 hours in Marrakech without Kids

We took a misstep on our first morning in Marrakech without kids and got a taxi from our Riad to Jardin Majorelle, tripadvisor’s number 1 attraction in Marrakech and Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech which are both on the same street.

** We found every taxi we took in and around/just outside the Medina cost 50 Moroccan Dirham. Cabs did try to charge us more but we just offered that amount and moved on if they didn’t accept. The riad had told us this was a fair amount. **

I say misstep because when we arrived at Musée Yves Saint Laurent we were told it was closed until mid September. Others had also made this mistake too as when we went next door to Jardin Majorelle there was people everywhere and the queue to get in, in almost 40 degree heat, was going to be at least an hour. Needless to say we didn’t stay.

A quick recheck and we decided to head to Maison de la Photographie.

Maison de la Photographie

The Photography Museum opened its doors in Marrakech in 2009. It’s a private collection of 8000 photographs only about Morocco and covers the period 1870 to 1950. The exposition contains hundreds of old photographs and shows the first film recorded in the High-Atlas in colour, in 1957 by Daniel Chicault « Landscapes and Faces of the High-Atlas ».

If you have a love of photography and people then this is for you.

The museum is set over several floors, around a central courtyard, and with a rooftop terrace cafe. We visited mid morning, and appreciated the cool interiors and beautiful photographs on display. There weren’t many people around so it was peaceful and easy to take your time with each exhibit. Thoroughly enjoyed this place.

The rooftop cafe was also a hit for us, we ordered a couple of dips to share with bread and some fantastic lemonades.

From the Photography museum we made our way to the Le Jardin Secret it was a short 7 minute walk which somehow turned into 40 minutes as we took a wrong turn in the souk but a little mooching and a little wandering and we came back to Le Jardin Secret.

Le Jardin Secret

An oasis of tranquility away from the chaos and bustle right outside its walls. It’s an escape from the heat and we felt relaxed wandering around looking at the plants and listening to the flow of water in a picturesque place.

By 4pm we were shattered (again) and decided to return to the Riad for a late afternoon snooze, read of our books and some relaxation, just like the day before.

Dinner in Marrakech – Kui-Zin Médina

Our second dinner in Marrakech was at a Kui-Zin Médina restaurant that didn’t serve alcohol but I’d highly recommend as they had a fantastic buffet and we really loved the food. They also had lovely rooftop views and a cute band playing Moroccan music. Dancing to said Moroccan music optional although the owner was fairly encouraging. We solved our wine dilemma by having some drinks by the pool at the Riad before we went out!

Day 3 of our 72 hours in Marrakech without Kids

Les Bains de Marrakech

10am Sunday morning was a pre-booked spa trip to Les Bains de Marrakech. I’d been before 10 years before but they had used lockdown to refurbish and it was even nicer than I remembered.

If you haven’t been to a Hammam before then you do need to know that its a fairly intimate experience. Limited clothing worn, I’d recommend bikini bottoms, and be prepared for boob scrubbing, cold and warm water and being showered down when they’ve finished. We were three in a room which actually felt better then experiencing it alone. I’m making it sound awful, but it wasn’t, it was an incredible experience.

The Hammam was followed by an hour long (incredible) massage and then an hour facial. Total bliss for less than £100. At home each one would cost that!

Lunch near Les Bains de Marrakech – Zeitoun Cafe Kasbah

We finished the spa at 1pm and the ladies on reception at Les Bains de Marrakech recommended we eat lunch at Zeitoun Cafe Kasbah it was too hot to eat outside so we ate on the first floor and had a wonderful mixed six salads to share and some bread. Highly recommend and very cheap.

We then got a taxi from the bottom end of the Medina to the top and went to Jardin Majorelle.

Jardin Majorelle

We had booked Jardin Majorelle the day before as the website recommends booking 24 hours in advance to miss the queues as you can skip the line if you have pre-booked tickets. We booked for 3.30pm as we knew we had the spa in the morning. In reality there was no queue that late in the afternoon and it was very quiet.

Jardin Majorelle was a stunning place with gorgeous colours and planting combined. It was an Instagram dream.

Dinner at Limoni restaurant

We chose this restaurant for the great reviews but also because it was close to our Riad.

You enter Limoni through an antique painted door, leaving behind you bustle of the street and discover a paradise of calm and serenity in a patio of orange trees and lemon trees that give the place its name.

If you want something different to the usual Moroccan food then this place is also famed for its Italian food too. Having only been in Morocco for 72 hours we weren’t yet bored of the amazing food, so stuck to tagines and cous cous.

There was also some mojitos.

After our dinner at Limoni we made our way home for a nights sleep before a taxi to the airport at 8am the next morning.

72 hours in Marrakech without kids was a total treat. A real experience and a complete mix of relaxation and crazy fun times. Do reach out if you have any questions.