Routes through the museums of Marrakech

Pick a route to suit your time — each stop is just minutes from the next.

Duration: Half a day

The Majorelle & Yves Saint Laurent route

The most popular route in Marrakech: the Jardin Majorelle, the Berber Arts Museum inside it, then the Musée Yves Saint Laurent a few steps away. Three places, one story of art, colour and love for the Red City.

  1. Stop 1 · about 75 min

    Jardin Majorelle

    Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech: Morocco’s most famous garden, with its iconic blue villa and cacti from five continents — the story of a painter and a couturier who loved the Red City.

    Best time: Right at opening time, before the tour groups arrive

  2. Stop 2 · about 40 min

    Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts

    Inside the blue villa of the Jardin Majorelle, a museum of over 600 objects revealing the richness of Amazigh (Berber) culture, from the Rif to the Sahara.

    Best time: Halfway through the garden visit, as a break from the sun

  3. Stop 3 · about 90 min

    Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech

    The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech: a brick building woven like fabric, telling the story of one of the 20th century’s greatest couturiers and his extraordinary bond with Morocco.

    Best time: After the Jardin Majorelle in the morning, or in the afternoon when it is quieter

Duration: A full morning

The northern medina route

Around Place Ben Youssef, three stops sit minutes apart on foot: the Marrakech Museum and its giant chandelier, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, then the Maison de la Photographie and its rooftop.

  1. Stop 1 · about 60 min

    Marrakech Museum

    The Marrakech Museum in the Dar Menebhi palace: a vast covered courtyard with a giant brass chandelier, and exhibitions of historic and contemporary Moroccan art.

    Best time: Morning, as part of a northern medina walk

  2. Stop 2 · about 45 min

    Ben Youssef Madrasa

    Morocco’s largest historic madrasa: a marble courtyard with a reflecting pool and stucco, cedar and zellige decoration at the peak of Saadian craftsmanship.

    Best time: At opening time, for photos without crowds

  3. Stop 3 · about 50 min

    Maison de la Photographie

    A museum of Morocco’s visual memory: rare photographs from 1870 to 1960 in an old house, and a rooftop overlooking the medina and the Atlas.

    Best time: Late afternoon, to enjoy the sunset light from the rooftop

Duration: An afternoon

The palaces route: Bahia & El Badi

Two palaces, two centuries: 19th-century splendour at the Bahia Palace, then Saadian grandeur in the ruins of El Badi (the Badi Museum), a ten-minute walk away.

  1. Stop 1 · about 60 min

    Bahia Palace

    Bahia Palace in Marrakech: a maze of riads, salons and painted ceilings, designed by two 19th-century viziers to be the most beautiful palace of their time.

    Best time: Late afternoon, once the groups have left

  2. Stop 2 · about 60 min

    El Badi Palace (Badi Museum)

    El Badi Palace, also called the “Badi Museum”: the ruins of a legendary Saadian palace, with vast pools, stork-topped walls and the rare Koutoubia minbar.

    Best time: Early morning, before the heat