Parking in Marrakech + Recommended Location for Sleeping

Hello,

We’re torn between a riad in the medina and one on the outskirts (south of Marrakech) with the advantage of peace and quiet, a big pool for the kids, but it’s far (10 km).

We’ll have a rental car. Is it easy to park near Jemaa el-Fna square, for example? Are the rates public (so we know what to expect)?

This would save us from taking taxis multiple times a day since we’ve been told it’d cost around 12 € each way. The bill could add up quickly.

Generally speaking, would you recommend staying in Marrakech itself, in the old city, or in the surrounding area? We’ll only be there for two nights with a 10-year-old girl and a 14-year-old teen who both want to explore the city but also enjoy the pool.

Thanks

hi, parking near Jemaa El Fnaa is total chaos—I even saw horse-drawn carriages going through. So it’s up to you. As for using a pool, unless it’s heated, you can really only use it starting in May. Otherwise, staying 10 km from the city is your call, but personally, I’d rather stay near the Medina even if there’s some noise

A good compromise is to stay in the new town, in Gueliz. With kids, it's better than the riads in the medina.

We’ll have a rental car. Is it easy to park in Marrakech near Jemaa el-Fna square, for example? Are the rates public (so we know what to expect)?

Hi, I’d opt for accommodation in Marrakech city but without a rental car during your stay in Marrakech. Rent the car from a local rental company in Marrakech city when you leave the city and return it to the same place when you come back to Marrakech. The car is useless and cumbersome on-site because parking is difficult! (Especially if you’re staying, as almost always, in the medina!) There are buses and taxis available (make sure to negotiate firmly!)

Watch out for so-called "riads" (both in the medina and outside) that are often just rooms or apartments that aren’t very functional, arranged in a semicircle around a patio. They’ve become overpriced (poor value for money). It’s often noisy (several rooms opening onto a single patio) and spread over two floors. You rarely deal with the owner when you arrive but with one of their friends or a neighbor, and half the time, you won’t get the "riad" you booked on the rental site (e.g., Booking) but will be taken somewhere else because the one you chose is already rented! In short, personally, I’ve always preferred hotels (in Guéliz)! That said, if you stay in a "riad," read all the reviews carefully (start with the most negative ones). The "riad" will be in the medina, which is great, but you won’t be able to park a car there. At best, your car will be 200m away from your accommodation on a small square! (Often paid parking.) Another reason not to rent a car during your visit to Marrakech, both when arriving and leaving! The medina and the souks are exclusively explored on foot, and there’s plenty to do! For everything else, one or two taxi rides will be enough. PS: If you want a pool, prioritize the hostl. Check if it’s heated (the pool!)—in my opinion, it’s rarely the case unless you opt for a luxury hotel.

Thanks. No local rental possible since we’re arriving at Marrakech Airport and flying out of Ouarzazate ;)

Thanks for the great tips! !

It's not easy to help if you don't give us the right info... You posted saying you were leaving Marrakech, and now it's Ouarzazate...🤪

Few tourists dare to take the buses, but they're actually pretty reliable, especially for the city center. https://www.alsa.ma/marrakech/lignes Personally, I use the bus in Marrakech without any issues... And if you can't figure out the bus numbers, just ask a driver at a stop which number goes where you want to go... Near Jemaa el-Fna, almost all of them arrive and depart from there.

The main sites are super easy to reach by bus. The price is negligible...

Another option: in front of Jemaa el-Fna, there's a KFC, and just behind it, there's a paid parking lot—it costs between 50 and 70 MAD for the day... There's another one near Riad Zitoune, next to Place des Ferblantiers... You can also park near the bus station and take a bus...

But driving in Marrakech can be intimidating if you're not used to it—it can be intense. The passenger will want to brake as much as the driver...

Another possibility: you can park at the Marjane parking lot on the Casa or Safi road... There's a bus that goes to Jemaa el-Fna...

That said, I wouldn't hesitate to book a riad in the medina for a first visit—it's so much nicer... Though you'll still have the hassle of taxis or buses to get to places like Majorelle (which, by the way, is near the bus station—don't forget to book online for Majorelle) and parking your rental...

Thanks for all this info.

Sorry for the incomplete details—we’re doing our best between planning our trip and our intense work life... I mentioned in the other post that our initial plans were scrapped and I’d start a new thread. We’ve pushed our stay to April, for a longer duration, arriving at RAK and departing from OZZ.

I was definitely planning to rent a car when leaving Marrakech to start our road trip, but for some inexplicable reason, renting the car for 10 days costs 180 € more than renting it for 12 (yes, the exact same car). This was the case with several rental companies I checked.

That’s why I’m asking about the difficulty of driving into Marrakech. And since we’ll *have* to have a car, we were wondering whether a central location or the outskirts would be better.

Who are you renting from?

In Marrakech, I’ve got a great contact...

Oyama Car

https://maps.app.goo.gl/LB3FEhfrFaRetC1MA

Super reliable, no deposit needed... Way less hassle than Medloc, which I think is overrated on this forum...

You can even handle everything via WhatsApp messages—he’s really responsive. +212 673-724646

Give it a try, you never know... He can also drop off the car anywhere and pick it up anywhere...

After all this time I’ve known him, we don’t even do return inspections anymore... I just leave the car in an airport parking lot, keys under the floor mat with the parking ticket... and a text to let him know the spot number if there is one. Hard to get any easier than that...😄

There’s also Yakout Tours. I rented from them twice at a low price with no issues, and the car was waiting for me right outside my riad. 😏

Never tried Yakout, but I haven’t heard anything bad about it—quite the opposite, in fact!

In any case, they’ve had a storefront in Gueliz for over 35 years. Given their great rates, I was worried about a scam or getting a clunker, but no—car was in good shape and the contract was clear...