Thinking of a city break in Marrakech?

Read our brief city guide to Marrakech below to help you decide if a weekend getaway or short break in Marrakech is what you want, then click on Marrakech short break packages to view our short break packages to Marrakech.

Marrakesh Marrakesh is Morocco's fourth largest city. Its people are a mix of Arab and Berber, many of its residents being rural immigrants from surrounding rural regions and further south. The economy of the city includes administrative activities and modern shops and services. There is still a wide range of handicraft production and small scale industry particularly in the medina. There are also a number of factories and industrial units, notably in agro-processing. However, the city economy and employment are heavily dependent on tourism. Marrakesh being one of the most important tourist attractions of Morocco and many of the cities large unemployed or under employed labour force supplement their incomes by casual work with tourists. Getting to Marrakesh Marrakesh is easily accessible by air, road and rail. There are direct flights from French and some other European cities to Marrakesh-Menara airport, and seven trains a day to Casablanca (journey time 4hours) with onward connections to the rest of Morocco. There are also good bus and grand-taxi connections with all major cities though the journey times are long. For drivers, the roads outside Marrakesh are rarely crowded. However, the Marrakesh-Casablanca road is reputed for the high number of accidents. So drive carefully. The Moroccan authorities organize campaigns for road security during the summer holidays where the roads know the highest traffic. So if you are driving to Marrakesh in the summer, expect to stop several times at police checkpoints. If you are a foreigner, expect to be treated with particular attention. Marrakesh is a particularly good arrival point to Morocco because of its centrality. It is located in the intersection of routes to Essaouira (southern historical Atlantic city) to Ouarzazate (key to gorges south the Atlas) and to Northern imperial cities. Marrakesh-Menara airport is a short taxi ride from the city (some 50Dhs during the day and around 70 Dhs during the night). If you come by train then the heart of the city is just a few minutes by taxi (say 10Dhs). Inter-city busses arrive at Bab Doukkala (15 minutes walk to Jamaa El Fna). In Marrakesh you can rent a car (the prices vary widely from one agency to another). Marrakesh is a spread out city built on a plain ; thus the big number of motorcycles. The rental of a two wheeler is also an option. Finally, a lot of tourists prefer the picturesque option of riding through the city in a 'calèche' (a horse-drawn carriage). Remember that taking a calèche to open areas such as the menara or the 'Palmeraie gardens' is a very good idea. It is a less good one however when it comes to high traffic areas. Take a taxi instead and do not forget to have change handy. Some taxi-drivers do not care about meters. Some do that because they know the prices to known city parts by heart and others to get extra money. Anyway, a short ride from Gueliz (modern city) to Jamaa El Fna should not exceed 10 Dhs. The 'Hassle' which deterred some tourists years ago is significantly decreased by the unseen but vigilant presence of the 'Brigade touristique'. Annoying unwanted people hassling tourists (those are often non-recognized guides) run the risk of bearing criminal charges. Therefore, in some cases, if you have a genuine Moroccan friend, you might have to convince the brigade that he is causing no problems to you. A Moroccan having friends abroad is advised to declare to the authorities that he is willing to host foreigners. He is delivered a permit to accompany them and is safe from the questions of the 'Brigade touristique'.