Agdal, Menara and Al Maaden: a guide to southern Marrakech

Southern Marrakech at a glance

The south of the city falls into four areas, linked by taxi:

• The historic Agdal: the royal gardens, south of the Kasbah and the royal palace, half an hour's walk from Jemaa el-Fna.
• The Menara: gardens and pool about 3.5 km west of the square, on the airport road.
• The Agdal tourist zone: hotels, holiday residences and shopping centres along the southern stretch of Avenue Mohammed VI.
• Al Maaden and the golf courses: to the southeast, around the old Ouarzazate road, with MACAAL.

Further west, the Amizmiz road leads to the Oasiria water park; to the south, the Ourika road heads off towards the Atlas.

The Agdal Gardens

Created in the 12th century by the Almohads, the Agdal Gardens cover some 340 hectares of olive, orange and pomegranate orchards, irrigated by large pools. The biggest, Sahraij el-Hana, is about 208 metres long. Together with the medina and the Menara, the Agdal has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

The estate still belongs to the royal palace and opens to the public only on certain days, most often Friday and Sunday, with no official schedule. It stays closed when the royal family is staying in Marrakech. Admission is free. Check with your accommodation the day before and combine the visit with the Kasbah and the Saadian Tombs: from Bab Agnaou, you reach the estate's northern entrance by walking past the large squares of the Méchouar.

The Menara: the pool and the pavilion

The Menara Gardens are southern Marrakech's postcard view: a large Almohad pool measuring about 195 by 160 metres, a pavilion with a green-tiled roof and, on clear days, the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas in the background. Around it, an olive grove planted in neat rows offers shady walks.

The gardens open daily from 8am to 6pm and admission is free. Only the pavilion charges an entry fee: 60 dh for a foreign adult, 30 dh for a child aged 7 to 13, from 9am to 5pm, with tickets from the ticket office or the Ministry of Culture's online ticketing platform. At weekends the garden draws more strollers: come on a weekday for more peace and quiet, and in the late afternoon for the light. For the best photo, walk round the pool to the bank opposite the pavilion.

The Agdal tourist zone and Avenue Mohammed VI

South of Hivernage, Avenue Mohammed VI continues as a broad thoroughfare lined with large hotels and resort complexes: this is the Agdal tourist zone. Newer and more spacious than the centre, it revolves mainly around hotel pools. The Al Mazar shopping centre, on Avenue Mohammed VI, brings together shops, restaurants and a hypermarket, handy for supplies.

The area suits you if you want a quiet hotel with a pool and garden, or if you are planning several excursions to the Ourika Valley and the Atlas, as the road there starts close by. It suits you less if you want to do everything on foot: the medina is 10 to 15 minutes away by taxi. The other neighbourhoods to stay in are compared in our guide where to stay in Marrakech.

Al Maaden: MACAAL and the golf courses

To the southeast, the Al Maaden estate is home to MACAAL, the Museum of African Contemporary Art, about 5 km as the crow flies from Jemaa el-Fna. Its exhibitions feature artists from Morocco and across the continent. The museum opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm; admission costs 120 MAD, 60 MAD for residents and African nationals, and is free for under-12s and students. Plan your return trip: reception can order a taxi, which takes 10 to 20 minutes to arrive.

The neighbouring Al Maaden golf course, an 18-hole course designed by the architect Kyle Phillips, also hosts a park of a dozen monumental sculptures. Not far away, on the old Ouarzazate road, the Royal Golf de Marrakech is the city's oldest course: its layout dates from the 1920s, set among thousands of century-old trees. Southern Marrakech has several other golf courses as well.

Oasiria, the water park on the Amizmiz road

At kilometre 4 on the Amizmiz road, Oasiria is the city's big water park: a wave pool, slides, a lazy river and pools for little ones, all set in gardens. It opens from April to the very beginning of November, from 10am to 6pm; admission costs 300 DH for an adult and 200 DH for a child under 1.50 m. A free shuttle runs from Jemaa el-Fna square and Gueliz. For a family day out in the summer heat, it is the easiest outing in the south of the city.

What about the Water Museum?

The Water Museum, which tells the story of the khettaras and the irrigation systems on which the Agdal and the Menara depend, is at the opposite end of town, in the north, at the Palmeraie roundabout. It complements a visit to the great pools well, but it is better combined with an outing to the Palmeraie than squeezed into the same half-day.

Getting around the south of the city

A metered petit taxi is the simplest option: from the medina, allow about ten minutes to the Menara, and 10 to 15 minutes to the Agdal zone or Al Maaden. Horse-drawn carriages go as far as the Menara, as a leisurely ride, at a price agreed before setting off. For Al Maaden and MACAAL, keep a driver's number or ask reception to call a taxi for the return trip: taxis cruising for fares are rare out there. The meter rules and the night surcharge are explained in our guide to getting around Marrakech.

In summer, the south of the city has little shade outside the gardens: visit the Agdal and the Menara early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and save the museums and Oasiria for the hottest hours.

Southern Marrakech: summary

Prices and opening hours checked in October 2026.

Further reading

For the rest of the new town, read our guide to Gueliz and Hivernage. The city's gardens are compared in our selection of Marrakech gardens, and places to swim are listed in our guide to pools and day passes in Marrakech.