Marrakech is a wonderful city to experience with kids – the hustle and bustle, noise, drama, it has it all. There are a few things to do specifically for kids there but many are adapted from general activities. We visited on our trip travelling across Morocco with kids and these are our top ten things to do in Marrakech with kids. A mix of culture and fun.
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Table of Contents
1. Enjoy the calm of the parks
Marrakech is a busy, colourful city with a certain chaos about it but there are places of calm and tranquility too.
Just outside of the medina is Cyber Park Arsat Moulay Abdeslam. This is a set of beautiful gardens with fountains and plants.
It’s the perfect place for children to run around which can be hard to do in the busy Marrakech streets.
It’s a great place to spot grapefruit growing and to take a break on the many benches.
2. Take a food tour
Marrakech is a wonderful city of foodie experiences and one of the best ways to experience it is to take a food tour.
There are plenty of tours that accept children. Some that are specifically geared towards them so pick one that suits your family.
Taking a food tour around Marrakech is a great way to get under the skin of this vibrant city.
Get tickets for a brilliant 3.5 hour food tour and dinner here.
3. Enjoy Jmaa El-Fnaa
Jmaa El-Fnaa can feel overwhelming to start with. So my advice is to go up to one of the bars and cafes overlooking the square and spend some time watching all of the antics going on below.
It’s a really fun place when you get used to it with acrobats and musicians, henna artists and street cafes.
Avoid the snake charmers and monkeys on chains, these are horribly cruel. But soak up the atmosphere with a fresh orange juice and some dried fruits.
It’s the perfect live theatre experience.
We have written about snake charmers in Marrakech and we would strongly urge people not to stop at these in Jmaa El Fnaa. Read our article, Snake charmers in Marrakech – should you visit them? to find out why this is so cruel.
4. Enjoy the food
Morocco is a city full of fragrant, delicious food.
Walk through the medina and pick out big rounds of freshly baked bread and pick out some olives to share from one of the numerous olive stalls.
Stop for a hot tagine with couscous. The perfect way to enjoy a family meal with everyone digging in to the one dish and sharing it.
Moroccan pancakes, thick with honey and the fried doughnuts are also treats kids will love.
5. Go to a mall (things to do in Marrakech with kids)
Marrakech is a city which effortlessly blends tradition and modern life. If you’re looking for opportunities for retail therapy away from the busy and dusty medina there are some really great malls dotted around the city.
Menara Mall is one of my favourites with a great kids area called ‘Kidzo’ with ice skating, dodgems as well as a huge arcade machines area, 90 different shops as well as a supermarket along with an indoor ‘souk’ with lots of independent traders selling local crafts.
There’s also a very good food hall on the top floor selling everything from pizzas to falafel burgers so there’s something for all tastes.
It’s a great place to get out of the sunshine and heat for a while.
6. Go and get henna tattoos
If you head into the Medina you won’t find it hard to come across henna tattoo artists.
However, avoid the traders offering henna tattoos on the streets of the Souk and Jmaa El-Fnaa as the quality of their henna can vary wildly.
My advice is to seek out the Henna Art Cafe on the edge of the Medina. Sample some of their delicious veggie treats while you leaf through books of tattoo designs.
Their talented tattooists are expert in reproducing the designs and they work incredibly quickly.
Visiting the Henna Art Cafe is an experience not to be missed and you’ll be delighted with your Henna tattoo for days to come.
7. Visit a water park – things to do in Marrakech with kids
There are a number of waterparks in Marrakech, some linked to hotels where yu can pay to enter for the day and others stand alone parks.
These are great places to cool off and have some real child-centred fun.
Oasiria Water Park is one of the best with clean water and plenty for children of all ages to enjoy with a great lazy river and wave pool.
8. Take a horse and cart ride
Sure it’s a bit touristy but kids will love the experience of clip-clopping through the streets on one of Marrakech’s horse and carts.
We used the horse and cart instead of a taxi back to the hotel one evening and the children thought it was the best thing ever.
It’s a lovely way to see the city and felt much safer than many of the taxi rides we’ve had in the city. Barter hard.
9. Take a cookery class
There are a number of cookery schools across Marrakech that are perfect to get kids in the kitchen and cooking up a storm.
Learning a simple Royal couscous dish, or how to make some traditional Moroccan bread will be something they won’t ever forget. It will be a wonderful skill they can bring home and impress their friends and family with too.
Do your research for a class that works for you, whether in a group setting or a private family session.
One for older kids, get your ticket to enjoy a 6 hour cookery class in a small group here.
10. Explore the souks (things to do in Marrakech with kids)
You can’t visit Marrakech without spending plenty of time in the souks. It’s the perfect place to let the kids have a few dirham and to practice their bartering.
Whether they fancy a wooden snake that jumps out of a box, a piece of metal jewellery or some Moroccan slippers there’s something here that all of the family will love and enjoy exploring.
11. Take a tour on the Hop on Hop off bus – things to do in Marrakech with kids
We love Hop on Hop Off buses all around the world. They are the perfect way for little legs to rest while you still get a chance to sightsee.
See the sights and find out some information about this great city.
You can also use them as great transportation around Marrakech which doesn’t have a straightforward public transport system.
Get your Hop on Hop off bus tickets here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our suggestions, do let us know if they come in useful for you or if you have anywhere else to suggest we should be visiting.
Read our trip report of our visit to Morocco with kids.
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what an incredible experience for your kids! things like henna tattoos are so fun 🙂
I hadn’t realised there was so much stuff available for kids to do in Marrakech. It is always a place that has fascinated me.
It looks like such an amazing place to visit. Love the idea of a horse and cart ride
It looks like you had such a wonderful holiday, I would love to visit the markets
I’ve never thought of Marrakech as a family friendly place to visit, but it definitely looks like it is! I love the idea of getting Henna tattoos together!
I did not know there was so much to do with the kids, water parks always goes down well with out lot.
I’ve been planning to bring my family to Marrakech and this is a great tip!
What an adventure! I’ve always wanted to head to Marrakech, it looks so beautiful! x