Maybe the best way to ensure you get the most out of visiting a new place is to take a tour.
On a good one you can be entertained and educated and remember the day in years to come as a trip highlight.
But on a bad one you can be wishing for a way to sneak off or feign illness to escape from it.
Anyways, here are some inexpensive tours available in Marrakesh - I have ripped them straight from Expedia just for informational purposes, as I'm sure we can organise similar and maybe even private tours through our riad direct.
Souks & Medina Half-Day Walking Tour
Explore the labyrinthine streets of the Medina and discover life as it has been for hundreds of years. Visit historic sites, see colourful souks, be enchanted by snake dances and story tellers, and feel the life of the Old Town on this guided walking tour.
Begin your morning with a visit to the dramatic Almohad Koutoubia Minaret, a masterpiece of Hispano-Moresque art, and admire the 14th-century Ben Youssef Medersa, the finest of the Saadien works of art.
Meander through the alleyways of the Medina that make up the aromatic souks of Marrakech. Discover which authentic goods the locals have to offer, from authentic handicrafts, Berber carpets and leather goods to babouches (slippers), delicate jewellery and exotic spices.
See the copper and bronze artists at work, and visit the forged hardware, marquetry and pottery souks. Then head to the Berber apothecary for a display of magic potions and a refreshing mint tea.
Your tour is complete with a visit to the UNESCO-listed Jemaa el-Fnaa, the traditional meeting place for peasants and merchants from the Sous, High Atlas and southern regions – making it the heart of Marrakech.
By morning the square is crowded with fruit and spice sellers and guerrabs (water sellers) with their leather water bottles. By afternoon, see Gnawa dancers, snake charmers and performing monkeys, and hear the sounds of musicians and story tellers.
Price $23 AUD per person
Duration 3.5 hours
Departs 9am
Palaces and Monuments half-day tour
Go back in time and discover some of Marrakech's historical landmarks. Your knowledgeable guide enlightens you on the intrigue surrounding the city’s illustrious buildings. Partake in one of North Africa’s most famous traditions as you drink a glass of invigorating mint tea.
Visit the austere Koutoubia Mosque and its minaret – a beautifully proportioned example of Hispano-Moresque art rising 80 metres (250 feet) into the sky. Discover the El Bahia Palace, a 19th-century building with a 2-acre garden and a haphazard arrangement of inner courtyards and apartments. See the Saadian Tombs, which are intricately decorated with engravings, colourful tiles and Arabic script.
Witness the collection of art historian Bert Flint on display in the
Tiskiwin House, a marvellous exhibition of native crafts from the caravan routes in the Atlas and Saharan regions. Drink a glass of mint tea on the way, see some craftsmanship or visit a Berber apothecary to buy some spices or magic potions.
Price $28 AUD per person
Duration 3.5 hours
Departs 9am
Moroccan Dinner and Show in a Riad
An evening filled with Moroccan cuisine and tradition awaits you. Enter the palace of Menzeh Dada, sit back, relax and savour an authentic four-course dinner – with four different tagines – while enjoying oud music (folklore guitar) and a live performance with belly dancing.
Located close to the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa, Menzeh Dada palace is the former home of a pasha, now a stylish riad (house). Admire its beautiful interior as you are escorted to your table and get ready to just relax and enjoy a Moroccan world of food, music and dance.
Enjoy a variety of Moroccan specialities including salads, briouates (savoury filo pastries) and four tagines (meatball, chicken, beef and vegetable). Finish with jawhara pastille, a sweet, flaky pastry, paired with mint tea.
Moroccan wines are also available for you to order directly from the restaurant’s menu. During the evening, listen to a Moroccan duo play oud and tam-tam and watch an exotic belly-dancing performance.
Price $29 AUD per person
Duration 2.5 hours
Departs 8pm
Camel Ride in the Palm Grove
Climb aboard a "ship of the desert" on this fascinating tour through the incredible Palm Grove of Marrakech. Trek with a dromedary camel through authentic villages and oasis-like landscape. Then enjoy a delicious glass of mint tea in a Berber home.
Leave the hustle and bustle of Marrakech behind and go on a half-day adventure. According to legend, this area was the site of a military camp, where, in the evenings, soldiers ate dates that had been carried from the pre-Saharan oases. The discarded pits fell into holes left by lances that had been thrust in the ground. And so the palm groves of Marrakech were planted.
Donning your cheich (protective turban veil), you and your sturdy new camel friend trek safely through the palm groves past villas, deluxe properties and Berber homes. Sit back with a refreshing glass of mint tea at the home of one of the local Berber families before heading back to the city.
Price $38 AUD per person
Duration 3.5 hours
Departs 2.30pm