10 amazing Things To do in Marrakech with little kids

With endless days of sunshine and lots of family friendly activities, Marrakech is The ideal spot To spend a short summer holiday break or To stay for a longer period. This city is without any doubt Toddler friendly, not because of The great playgrounds (I have seen better), but due To The never ending hospitality of its people. After every corner There was a high five or a friendly face waiting for me. This society is so child oriented That There is no other option for you Than To feel at home. So great weather, friendly people, but what else is There to do for the little ones? Let’s share my Ten most memorable activities, but remember There’s much more entertainment To choose from.

Take a Tour with The horsies

In Marrakech you can Take a Taxi, a bus, ride on a scooter, but The most memorable way To get arround are The famous horse carriages. I am a big fan of horsies so The ride itself was already a Thing To remember. Even when it was almost unbearable hot outside, with Temperatures rising above 40 degrees Celsius, The ride was comfortable and for little kids This is what counts The most. The famous historical landmarks we passed by along the route were easy To spot from The carriage but moreover visiting The city by horse carriage allowed me To get a better look and feel of The city Than when we would have gone for a Taxi ride.

Shop until you drop in the souks

You can’t leave Marrakech without visiting The iconic souks, known as The most beautiful souks in The entire world. It’s a great place To shop for some souvenirs. Herbs, food, clothes, leather goods or 1001 night lamps, They all have it. I loved watching how The vendors Tried To sell me pratically anything and how much effort They put in making Their store so attractive as possible. Usually shopping and little kids does not match very well, but don’t worry in The souks of Marrakech There is more To find Than just food and clothing. It’s The perfect place To buy some amazing hand crafted wooden puzzles or a nice wooden or leather camel. You will not get closer To Aladin’s cave Than by walking Through The souks of Marrakech.

👉 My Tip: navigating Through The narrow and Twisted streets of The souks can be a little Tricky. The little alleyways are at some moments a motorway for motorbikes, bikes and donkey carts, so don’t run and always looks carefully when strolling Through The little streets.

Visit The spice market

Maybe not something you would Think little kids could get exited about, but nothing is less True. In Marrakech we visited The Kasbah, which is famous for its herbs and its apothecaries. Marocans are happy To explain which herbs are good for which little pain and They have The talent To make This conversation interesting for The youngest ones. Wrap The herbs between your fingers and discover Their yummy smell. Discover which ones make your food taste like heaven and which ones are a delight for The skin.

Have dinner in the dessert

There is no better way To spend your evening Than in The Moroccan dessert. In my opinion dessert sunsets are The best and The stargazing afterwards is even better. To have dinner in The dessert only Takes you a 40 minute ride from Marrakech To reach The Agafay dessert. After a warm welcome for The parents and a high five for myself, we were guided To our dinner place for The evening, a beautiful Traditional Tent. I always love it when dinner is Turned into a real life adventure.

Our host for The evening Took me To visit The eco garden and farm, we even spottted some horsies and camels.

Go for a camel ride

My parents hated it but I just loved it. Riding on a camel is a must do for little kids when visiting Marrakech. True, it felt strange at first and maybe I was a little bit scared, but in The end it was such a cool experience. I especially loved The baby camel who could join us for The ride.

👉 My Tip: wear light but long Trousers, otherwise it can get quite annoying if The camel walking behind you starts licking at your little legs.

Visit The gardens

In Europe I adore going To parks for only one particular reason: most of Them host amazing playgrounds. In Marrakech I mainly appreciated The fresh cool air which circulated Through The gardens on a extremely hot day. Even when The thermometer hit 40 degrees celcius it was still a comfortable place To stroll around, have a drink and enjoy The beauty of The Marocan culture. Marrakech has many gardens To choose from, with each Their own identity. This means it never gets boring, no matter how young or old you are.

The Secret Garden, my absolute favourite was very well positioned in The middle of The old town. In case you want To get a good overview of The old Town it is worth To pay The extra money To go up The Tower. Climbing Towers is always a go with children, no matter were you are. Best part of The Tower at The secret garden is That There is not much climbing To do To get To The amazing views. With Temperatures rising high during summer I dit not complain at all The climb was short.

To make The experience complete, There was also a nice rooftop Terrace where I could cool down and drink some tasty fresh fruit juices. Avocados, apple, lemon ginger lemonade, There is so much To choose from all equally delicious.

Another hit for me were The Majorelle gardens, located a bit behind The walls of The old city. This enchanted botanical garden was once owned by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé and is a True oasis in The Terracotta dessert. Located in The garden There is a museum, The Yves Saint Laurent monument, a book store and a store with jewellery and luxury bags. Try To avoid That last one with your parents or you will be stuck in There for ages.

In case you get hungry or Thirsty The garden restaurant has as many options as you can think of, again all very yummy and above all extremely healthy. Try Their Moroccan salad, you will find nowhere better.

Another Tourist attraction are The Menara Gardens. True They are stunning, famous but not so interesting To visit for a Toddler like me. There wasn’t much shade To hide from The sun and The boardwalk around The basin wasn’t very safe To walk. It was not fenced and There was no protection against kids falling or running into The water. As The water wasn’t very clear, little kids who would slip into The water, would not be easily retrieved. In case your parents absolutely want To get a go at This place, recommended Them To go as early as possible. At least you avoid The heat.

👉 My Tip: when visiting garden in Marrakech, warn your little ones up front That it is not ok for Them To step on The grass or The plants.

Cool off in one of The great outside pools

This one is a must do during summer season. Temperatures can get easily above 40 degrees in July and above 45 in August so finding a place To cool off is even more important for Toddlers like me as for my parents. On a hot summer day There is no better place Than being at a great swimming pool To get rid of your energy and stay fresh at The same Time. These days Marrakech has great waterparks in The surrounding areas and many of The hotels and also Riads have great swimming pools. Some of The bigger hotel chains make it even possible To buy a day card To get access To Their pool, without actually being a hotel guest.

👉 My Tip: Take That UV swim suit with you. Best is To cover up Those little leggs and arms as much as possible in addition To using sun cream with high protection.

Sleep in a Riad

Maybe I am a Toddler, but I love my comfort. As a result I like To stay in hotels with huge swimming pools and when possible a kids club. Also my parents are a big fan of These attributes as They keep Their Toddler happy and above all entertained. Well in Morocco forget The 5 start resorts, instead Riads are The place To be To get a good night sleep. The stay itself is an attraction on its own, most of The Riads are blessed with stunning architecture and are excellently positioned, close To the old Town of Marrakech. In addition it is very unlikely To get better service elsewhere or To get more personalised attention as a Toddler. Riads and kids are a perfect match.

👉 My Tip: when choosing a Riad, Try to avoid The centre of The old Town. Cars can not reach This place, which would mean lots of walking for The little legs. There are plenty of options at The boarder of The old Town.

Visit The famous landmarks

Jemma el Fnaa

I am always fond of little monkeys performing Tricks and snakes being charmed, so I liked This place a lot.

👉 My Tip: chill out on a roof Top Terrace for a great view on The square below. You will have excellent photo opportunities.

👉 My Tip: as great you might Think The atmosphere is, keep your kids close at all Times. It is not only easy To loose Them in The crowds but before you know it, vendors will have stuffed Their little hands with useless Toys for which They ask of course big money.

Koutoubia Mosque

This very impressive mosque is very close To Jemma el Fna and worth a visit. Listen if you hear The medolic call To prayer and enjoy The surrounding gardens.

👉 My Tip: do not Take any picture during prayer Time, it is a matter of respect.

Bahia Palace

There is no place where The mosaics are so impressive Than at Badi Palace, but I especially fell in love with the coloured glass windows and the opportunity To freely chase around The coloured lights.

Saadian hidden Tombs

This place is one everyone must see. They date back from 1603 but were only recovered by accident 3 centuries later. The walk around The courtyard and Tombs will not easily be forgotten. The cats visiting The Tombs were a nice extra.

El Badi Palace

This huge palace is a magnificent place To discover The ancient history of Marrakech. It looks already impressive Today but know That it was much much bigger when it was build back in The 16th Century. An excellent place To discover with little kids, especially knowing There are many hidden chambers and dungeons underneath The palace.

👉 My Tip: Don’t forget To look up at The stork residents living on The walls of The Palace.

Go ballooning

If you want To see The wonders of Morocco from above, I can certainly recommend you To go ballooning. Maybe not The cheapest activity in Town, but definitely worth The money and very safe, even for Toddlers. Note That The minimum age is 3 years and you have To get up very early in The morning. The shuttle usually picks you up from The hotel at 5 am so staying lazy in bed is not an option for This one. So how do little kids like it To go ballooning? Well at The start I was a little bit scared when The burners injected flames into The envelope. I didn’t like The noise at all, but when The balloon went up This minor point was easily forgotten. This experience was one of a kind, watching The sun rise from behind The mountains. With views on berber villages we climbed higher and higher and when we reached an altitude of 1k we were able To see The glinstering of Marrakech city. The pilot was amazingly nice To me, she explained all The instruments and The best part was That I could help her a hand when Things got Though. At The end of The flight I received a hand crafted camel and a diploma.