Discover the best time of year, based on historical climate, temperature, and precipitation.
The best weather in Marrakesh is from April, November, December. — consistent weather climate
☀️Pleasant
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| Score | 82 | 90 | 90 | 94 | 83 | 68 | 34 | 36 | 67 | 88 | 95 | 92 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant | Pleasant | Pleasant | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Pleasant | Mild | Mild |
| Temperature | 5–20°C | 7–21°C | 9–23°C | 12–26°C | 15–31°C | 18–33°C | 21–39°C | 22–38°C | 19–33°C | 15–30°C | 10–24°C | 7–21°C |
| Feels like | 3–17°C | 5–19°C | 7–22°C | 11–25°C | 15–30°C | 18–34°C | 21–39°C | 22–39°C | 19–34°C | 15–29°C | 8–22°C | 5–19°C |
| Precipitation | 19mm 4 days | 33mm 5 days | 39mm 6 days | 23mm 5 days | 15mm 3 days | 3mm 1 days | 2mm 0 days | 4mm 1 days | 7mm 1 days | 17mm 3 days | 20mm 4 days | 20mm 3 days |
| Sunshine | 9.2h ☀︎ 89% | 9.7h ☀︎ 88% | 10.3h ☀︎ 86% | 11.4h ☀︎ 88% | 12.0h ☀︎ 87% | 12.3h ☀︎ 87% | 12.6h ☀︎ 90% | 12.2h ☀︎ 92% | 10.7h ☀︎ 87% | 10.0h ☀︎ 88% | 9.3h ☀︎ 88% | 8.9h ☀︎ 88% |
| Wind | NE · 13 km/h | N · 14 km/h | N · 16 km/h | N · 17 km/h | N · 19 km/h | N · 19 km/h | N · 18 km/h | N · 17 km/h | N · 16 km/h | NW · 15 km/h | NE · 13 km/h | E · 11 km/h |
| Humidity (%) | 59% | 58% | 59% | 55% | 49% | 48% | 40% | 41% | 50% | 51% | 55% | 61% |
| Day length | 10.3h | 11.1h | 12.0h | 13.0h | 13.8h | 14.2h | 14.0h | 13.3h | 12.4h | 11.4h | 10.6h | 10.1h |
International stars and filmmakers descend on the city for red-carpet screenings in late November or early December, whe…
Thousands of runners race through the city's avenues and past the historic ramparts in late January, taking advantage of…
Troupes from across Morocco gather in July to perform traditional music, dance, and folklore in open-air venues, despite…
Standard advice points to November or the spring rush for Marrakesh, but October is the true masterstroke: you trade a sliver of November's textbook coolness for empty courtyard riads, quiet alleyways, and room to actually breathe in the Medina.
Marrakesh was built out of clay and sandstone at the foot of the snow-tipped Atlas Mountains, an imperial outpost created nearly a millennium ago to command the desert trade routes. Most visitors arrive expecting an exotic postcard, but what you actually encounter is pure sensory theatre: the scent of cedar shavings and orange blossom cutting through diesel fumes, the resonant thrum of the call to prayer echoing from the Koutoubia Mosque, and narrow pink alleyways built to baffle cavalry. Yet the city's magic is intensely fragile. Jam the ramparts with tour groups or scorch them under a midsummer sun, and the enchantment curgeons into exhaustion. Navigating this city isn't just about reading a thermometer; it is about knowing when the alleyways loosen their grip.
If you look purely at meteorology charts, November appears to be the undisputed champion. That calculation misses the human reality on the ground. November brings tour coaches, film crews, and a surge of autumn travelers that turns every corridor into a bottleneck. October sits in that rare, blissful vacuum where summer's searing heat has broken, but the winter rush has not yet materialized.
Midday in October still carries a golden, dry warmth around 30 degrees, perfect for lingering over spiced mint tea in the sunken courtyards of the Mellah or wandering the shaded tilework of Bahia Palace without jostling for elbow room. By late afternoon, the sun dips behind the red ramparts and leaves behind soft, balmy air that invites aimless strolls past spice stalls and leather tanners. It is the single month where Marrakesh feels generous rather than overwhelming.
By late November, the daytime temperatures drop to an effortless sweet spot, crisp in the morning and mild all afternoon. The Atlas peaks in the distance gather their first heavy coats of snow, creating an arresting backdrop of white powder towering over red clay walls. Late autumn also marks the arrival of the Marrakech International Film Festival, which draws cinema royalty and floods the city's grand venues with red-carpet glamour and evening buzz.
Yet this idyllic weather comes at an unmistakable price. December marks the absolute peak of the city's visitor calendar. The labyrinthine souks pack tight from mid-morning to dusk, boutique riads command premium rates months in advance, and crossing Jemaa el-Fnaa at sunset requires cutting through dense walls of tour groups. If you come now, you trade peaceful contemplation for pure, electric spectacle.
Winter in the Red City surprises people who assume North Africa is perpetually balmy. While January afternoons are mild and bright—drawing thousands to the city's avenues for the Marrakech Marathon—the desert chill bites hard once the sun disappears. Stone floors inside historic riads turn icy, and you will find yourself grateful for crackling cedar-log fireplaces and wool djellabas.
February shifts swiftly back into high gear. European travelers seeking an early reprieve from northern grey sky descend in droves, driving foot traffic back near capacity. The reward is sharp, crystalline mountain air and brilliant blue skies over the reflecting pools of the Menara Gardens, but you will share every garden bench and rooftop terrace with a crowd.
Spring is the traditional darling of the travel industry, bringing flowering jacarandas, perfumed orange trees, and temperatures that climb steadily from gentle spring warmth toward the edges of summer. In April, the climate is technically sublime, but the city operates under maximum strain.
The winding paths around the Saadian Tombs and the modern art galleries of Guéliz see a relentless churn of visitors from breakfast until dusk. By May, the heat begins to assert itself, frequently nudging above 30 degrees while crowds taper only slightly. Spring delivers Marrakesh in full, vibrant bloom, but it requires patience to negotiate the constant press of humanity in the lanes.
Summer in the inland basin is unforgiving. By July and August, afternoon temperatures routinely approach 40 degrees, baking the terracotta brickwork until the Medina radiates heat like a clay oven. Pavement softens, donkey carts slow down, and walking the alleyways between noon and five in the evening is simply miserable.
The genuine shock of the data is July: despite punishing conditions, the city remains extraordinarily busy. Domestic travelers, diaspora returns, and cultural devotees arrive for events like the National Festival of Popular Arts, braving the heat to watch dancers and musicians take over historic open-air grounds after twilight. September brings a slow, grudging decline in the heat, but the city remains exhausted from the summer burn. Unless you plan to spend your days submerged in a shaded courtyard plunge pool and emerge only after dark, save this city for the cooler turn of the year.
Top sights and attractions to build your days around once you know when to go.
The Kutubiyya Mosque or Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco. It is located in the southwest medina quarter of Marrakesh, near the Jemaa el-Fnaa market place, and is flanked by large gardens.
The Majorelle Garden is a one-hectare (two-acre) botanical garden and artist's landscape garden in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was created by the French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle over almost forty years, starting in 1923, and features a Cubist villa designed by French architect Paul Sinoir in the 1930s. The property was the residence of the artist and his wife from 1923 until their divorce in the 1950s.
The Marrakesh Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Marrakesh, Morocco. Opened in January 2011, it replaces Stade Al Harti as the main association football stadium of the city, with a capacity for 45,240 spectators.
The Menara Gardens are a historic public garden and orchard in Marrakesh, Morocco. They were established in the 12th century by the Almohad Caliphate ruler Abd al-Mu'min. Along with the Agdal Gardens and the historic walled city of Marrakesh, the gardens have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The gardens are laid out around a central water basin and reservoir, next to which is a pleasure pavilion dating in its current form from the 19th century. The reservoir and its pavilion, often framed in pictures against the background of the High Atlas Mountains to the south, are considered one of the iconic views and symbols of Marrakesh.
El Badi Palace or Badi' Palace is a ruined palace in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty a few months after his accession in 1578, with construction and embellishment continuing throughout most of his reign. The palace, decorated with materials imported from numerous countries ranging from Italy to Mali, was used for receptions and designed to showcase the Sultan's wealth and power. It was one part of a larger Saadian palace complex occupying the Kasbah district of Marrakesh.
The Almoravid Qubba, also known as the Qubbat al-Ba'diyyin or Qubbat al-Barudiyyin, is a small monument in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was erected by the Almoravid dynasty in the early 12th century. It is notable for its extraordinary decoration and for being one of the only remnants of Almoravid architecture in Marrakesh.
The Bahia Palace is a mid to late 19th-century palace in Marrakesh, Morocco. The palace was first begun by Si Musa, grand vizier under the Alawi sultan Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman, in the 1860s. It was expanded by his son Si Ba Ahmed ibn Musa, grand vizier of Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz, between 1894 and 1900. Today it is a well-known historic monument and tourist attraction in the city.
The Saadian Tombs are a historic royal necropolis in Marrakesh, Morocco, located on the south side of the Kasbah Mosque, inside the royal kasbah (citadel) district of the city. They date to the time of the Saadian dynasty and in particular to the reign of Ahmad al-Mansur (1578–1603), though members of Morocco's monarchy continued to be buried here for a time afterwards. The complex is regarded by many art historians as the high point of Moroccan architecture in the Saadian period due to its luxurious decoration and careful interior design. Today the site is a major tourist attraction in Marrakesh.
The Ben Youssef Mosque or Ibn Yusuf Mosque, is a mosque in the Medina quarter of Marrakesh, Morocco, named after the Almoravid ruler Ali ibn Yusuf. The mosque was originally founded in either the late 11th or early 12th century as the city's principal congregational mosque. Of the original Almoravid mosque almost nothing remains, except for the nearby Almoravid Qubba. The mosque was rebuilt and renovated at later periods and the current building dates from a reconstruction that was completed in 1819–20.
The Museum of Marrakech is a historic palace and museum located in the old center of Marrakesh, Morocco. In addition to its notable architecture, the museum's collection showcases various historic art objects and contemporary art from Morocco.
The Agdal Gardens are a large area of historic gardens and orchards in Marrakesh, Morocco. The gardens are located to the south of the city's historic Kasbah and its royal palace. Together with the medina of Marrakech and the Menara Gardens, the Agdal Gardens were listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1985. The gardens contain several historic water reservoirs as well as several historic palaces and pavilions, including the Dar el-Hana and the Dar al-Bayda.
The Kasbah Mosque, also known as the Moulay al-Yazid Mosque, is a historic mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was originally built by the Almohad ruler Yaqub al-Mansur in 1185–1190 CE. It is located in the Kasbah district, the city's former citadel, near the site of its historic royal palaces. Along with the Kutubiyya Mosque, it is one of the most important historic mosques in Marrakesh.
Places from Wikidata and Wikipedia.
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