Marrakech Medina: Heat, Noise, and Perfect Chaos
Arriving at Djemaa el-Fna square at dusk, when the smoke from the food stalls rises and the storytellers begin.
Come to Djemaa el-Fna in the late afternoon. It starts quiet — a few orange juice vendors, a storyteller with a small crowd. By sunset it transforms: hundreds of food stalls, smoke rising, acrobats, gnawa musicians, snake charmers. Eat at a stall run by a family. Point at what you want. Sit on a plastic stool and eat with your hands.
The Palaces
In the morning, before the heat arrives, explore the ruined Badi Palace. Storks nest on the walls. The floor is gone but the scale remains — vast, empty rooms open to the sky. It is more beautiful as a ruin than it would be restored.
Budget Breakdown
Marrakech can be done cheaply or expensively — riads range from 30€ to 1,000€ a night. Street food is almost free. Taxis are fixed-price from the airport but negotiate everything else in the souks. Here is a realistic mid-range budget split:
Heat
July and August in Marrakech regularly hit 42°C in the shade. Plan your day around it: out before 10am, inside or by a pool from noon to 4pm, back out in the evening. Spring (March–May) and autumn (October–November) are far more comfortable.