Tanjia marrakchia
Marrakech's bachelor dish: beef with preserved lemon, cumin and saffron, sealed in a clay urn and slow-cooked for hours in the embers of a hammam furnace. It comes out so tender it falls apart with a piece of bread.
Where to try it
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Free walking tours in Marrakesh
Red walls, maze-like souks and saints who still watch over the city.
- 3 themed routes
- 18 stops
- Audio guide
Marrakech began in 1070 as an Almoravid camp and went on to rule empires stretching across the Maghreb and al-Andalus. Its medina keeps 12th-century minarets, royal tombs, viziers' palaces and a square that UNESCO recognises as part of humanity's oral heritage. Three free walking routes to explore it at your own pace, without getting lost in the maze.
Choose your free tour
One city, three walks.
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
History
Almohads, Saadians and Viziers: Eight Centuries of Power
From the minaret that set the pattern for Seville's Giralda to the marble courtyards of a 19th-century vizier, following the dynasties that ruled from here.
Mysteries & legends
Golden Orbs, Storks and Saints: Legendary Marrakech
A walk through the stories told in the medina, from the Koutoubia's false gold to the saint who protects the blind, without ever mixing up legend and record.
Mixed
From the Great Square to the Medina's Hidden Gardens
Marrakech's highlights in one walk: the square, the souks, Morocco's largest madrasa, a 16th-century fountain, a secret garden and the palace of the last great pasha.
The map
The whole city on foot.
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
History
Mysteries & legends
Mixed
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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A day in the city
What to see in Marrakesh in one day
Link the three routes and you will see the best of the city on foot, for free: the mixed route in the morning, history in the afternoon and legends as the sun goes down.
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Morning
From the Great Square to the Medina's Hidden Gardens
- Jemaa el-Fna SquareMorocco's most famous open-air stage, which changes its skin every few hours.
- Souk SemmarineThe great covered avenue of the souks, your way into the commercial maze of Marrakech.
- Ben Youssef MadrasaThe largest Quranic college in the Maghreb, with 130 student cells and a courtyard that is a masterclass in Saadian art.
- Mouassine FountainA 16th-century public fountain with three arches for animals and one for people.
- Le Jardin SecretA 19th-century palace with two restored gardens, built on the layout of a Saadian residence.
- Dar el BachaThe palace of Pasha El Glaoui, the most powerful man in southern Morocco during the French protectorate.
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Afternoon
Almohads, Saadians and Viziers: Eight Centuries of Power
- Koutoubia MosqueThe stone minaret that set the pattern for Seville's Giralda and has marked the centre of Marrakech for more than eight centuries.
- Bab AgnaouThe carved stone gate into the Almohad caliphs' citadel, with a name no one has ever fully explained.
- Saadian TombsThe necropolis of a dynasty that lay hidden behind the walls of a mosque for nearly two centuries.
- El Badi PalaceAhmad al-Mansur's 'Incomparable' palace, paid for with the gold of a battle and stripped stone by stone by a rival sultan.
- The Mellah and the Lazama SynagogueThe Jewish quarter the Saadians created beside their palace, where a synagogue remembers the exiles from Sepharad.
- Bahia PalaceA 19th-century grand vizier's residence with 150 rooms and a marble courtyard, looted within hours of its owner's death.
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Early evening
Golden Orbs, Storks and Saints: Legendary Marrakech
- Koutoubia: the Golden OrbsThree metal spheres atop the minaret and a repentant sultana: the most-told legend in Marrakech.
- Jemaa el-Fna: Assembly of the DeadAfrica's liveliest square has a name many translate as 'assembly of the dead'. Why?
- Rahba Kedima, the Herbalists' SquareReptile skins, roots and coloured powders: the corner of the medina where remedies, amulets and spells are sold.
- The Almoravid KoubbaThe only Almoravid monument still standing in Marrakech spent centuries buried under metres of rubble.
- Dar Bellarj, the House of StorksA former refuge for injured storks and the Moroccan belief that these birds were once human beings.
- Shrine of Sidi Bel AbbèsThe patron saint of Marrakech, protector of the blind, and the pilgrimage of the seven saints that turned the city into a sacred map.
Where to eat. Try Tanjia marrakchia at Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha.
What to eat
Flavours of Marrakesh
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Mechoui
Whole lamb slow-roasted in ovens dug into the ground, sold by weight with cumin and salt. In the alley beside Jemaa el-Fna they carve it in front of you mid-morning, as it comes out of the oven.
Where to try it
Harira
A thick soup of tomato, lentils, chickpeas and herbs, scented with cinnamon and ginger. It's the dish that breaks the fast during Ramadan, but the square's stalls serve it all year round, with dates and honey pastries.
Where to try it
Snails in spiced broth
Bowls of snails simmered in a broth with more than a dozen spices and herbs, such as liquorice, thyme and pepper. You pick them out with a toothpick and then drink the broth, which the vendors swear is good for digestion.
Where to try it