What to Do in Marrakech Beyond the Stadium: A CAN 2025 City Guide

What to Do in Marrakech Beyond the Stadium: A CAN 2025 City Guide

Marrakech hosted matches at Stade de Marrakech, a roughly 45,000-seat stadium a short taxi ride from the city center, during CAN 2025. But whatever brings you to the city — a match, a wider Morocco trip, or just Marrakech itself — the same question applies: how do you fill the hours around it? The city rewards a mix of short, low-effort stops and one proper full-day trip out, rather than trying to cram every sight into a couple of packed days.

If you only have an hour or two

Menara Gardens, about 15 minutes from the stadium, is free, genuinely peaceful, and built around a large reflecting pool with olive groves and a pavilion that's one of the more photographed spots in the city — a good option for a short walk without committing half a day. Koutoubia Gardens, near the city's most famous minaret, work well for the same reason: shaded benches, a central location, and no entrance fee. El Badi Palace, 16th-century ruins now mostly known for the storks nesting on its walls, is a slightly longer stop (around 70 MAD entry) but rewards an early visit before the tour groups arrive.

A half-day in the medina

The medina and its souks are the obvious centerpiece — Jemaa el-Fnaa square, the spice markets, and Ben Youssef Madrasa are worth a slow morning or late-afternoon wander, comfortable shoes and small change for purchases being the only real preparation needed. A hammam is the natural way to spend a few hours recovering from a match or a long walk: options range from luxury hotel spas to more modest neighborhood hammams, generally landing somewhere between 200 and 1,500 MAD depending on how elaborate the treatment is, and it's worth booking ahead if the city is busy. A guided food tour through the medina — tanjia, fresh orange juice, a proper mint tea ceremony — is a good alternative if you'd rather eat your way through a few hours than shop through them.

If you have a full day to spend

This is where it's worth leaving the city rather than staying in it. An Atlas Mountains day trip takes you through Berber villages and mountain scenery inaccessible without your own transport or a guide, usually with a stop for a traditional lunch along the way. The Agafay desert, about an hour out, is the shorter alternative if the full Sahara isn't on your itinerary — a rocky, moon-like landscape used for quad biking, camel rides, and sunset dinners, and a genuinely good way to spend a rest day between other plans. Ouzoud Waterfalls, roughly three hours each way, is a longer commitment but delivers real payoff: Morocco's most dramatic waterfalls, boat rides at the base, and a resident population of Barbary macaques along the trails.

Evenings

Rooftop dinners are something Marrakech does well — restaurants across the medina and Gueliz set up terraces with views over the rooftops or the Koutoubia, and reservations are worth making rather than assuming you'll walk in. For something more atmospheric, a dinner-and-show format (belly dancing, live Gnawa or Andalusian music) is a well-established Marrakech evening, and if you'd rather keep it simple, the night market stalls around Place des Ferblantiers and the Medina's side streets serve grilled meats and fresh juice well into the night. For a drink afterward, Gueliz and Hivernage are where the city's bars and rooftop lounges cluster — Theatro and Jad Mahal for nightlife, or Kosybar's rooftop inside the medina if you want Atlas views with your evening instead.

If you're traveling with kids

Oasiria water park, about 15 minutes from the center, covers pools, slides, and shaded green space for a genuinely restful family day. Horse-drawn carriage rides through the Palmeraie or along the city walls are a slower, easy option that works for most ages, and Cyber Park's open, shaded walkways with free WiFi are a decent low-key stop if you just need somewhere for kids to run around between other plans.

Getting around

Petit taxis handle short trips around the city; always agree the fare before getting in if the meter isn't running. The medina itself is very walkable and largely pedestrian, though the density of the souks means it's worth allowing more time than a map suggests, and offline maps are genuinely useful given how easy it is to lose your bearings in the older streets.

Pairing a Marrakech stay with the desert

If a Sahara crossing is part of your trip, Marrakech is the natural starting point — our Agafay desert sunset dinner and camel ride is the easiest way to add a desert evening onto a city stay without committing extra days, while a full Merzouga crossing is worth planning as its own multi-day trip.

Plan Your Time in Marrakech

• WhatsApp: +212 675 203 319 / +212 668 534 981
• Email: hello@merzougaway.com

Our local team can help fill in the gaps around whatever brings you to Marrakech, match or no match.

This guide is regularly updated. Last updated: July 2026.