What to do in Marrakech when it rains or it is too hot

When to plan for shelter

Rain falls mostly between November and April, often as short showers; it seldom rains all day. From June to September, afternoon temperatures often exceed 35 °C. The rule is the same in both cases: keep open-air visits (gardens, city walls, El Badi Palace) for the morning or a dry spell, and save covered places for the middle of the day. Our guide to the best time to visit Marrakech gives the weather month by month.

One practical point: most museums of the National Museums Foundation close on Mondays, and the Yves Saint Laurent museum closes on Wednesdays. Plan your day accordingly.

Southern medina: Bahia Palace

In the southern medina, Bahia Palace, built in the second half of the 19th century by the vizier Si Moussa and enlarged by his son Ba Ahmed, alternates open-air courtyards with covered reception rooms with zellige walls and painted cedar ceilings. In the rain the marble courtyards become slippery, but the rooms remain the best part of the visit. The palace is open daily from 9am to 5pm, for 100 MAD. It is very busy in the late morning: aim for opening time or mid-afternoon.

Five minutes' walk away, the Dar Si Said museum, the national museum of weaving and carpets, is however closed for restoration since the September 2023 earthquake, and its reopening had not been confirmed when we checked in October 2026. To explore the rest of the quarter on foot, follow our walk through the Kasbah and the Mellah.

Northern medina: museums, madrasa and restored houses

The north of the medina groups several museums a few minutes apart, so you can move from one shelter to the next without a long walk.

• The Marrakech Museum occupies the Dar Menebhi palace, built at the end of the 19th century. Its former patio, covered by a glass roof and a huge pierced-metal chandelier, hosts exhibitions of Moroccan art and objects. Visitors describe it as open daily, but no official source confirms this: check that it is open before you go.
• The Ben Youssef Madrasa, right next door, is a 16th-century Quranic school. Its large courtyard is open to the sky, but the galleries and the small upstairs student rooms can be visited under cover. It is open daily; admission is 50 MAD.
• The Maison de la Photographie displays, over several floors of a restored house, photographs of Morocco taken between the late 19th and the mid-20th century. It is open daily from 9:30am to 7pm, and its covered terrace serves as a café.
• The Mouassine Museum presents a douiria, the guest apartment of a large house, with its painted ceilings and woodwork, and a space devoted to Moroccan music.

On Jemaa el-Fna square itself, the former Bank al-Maghrib building, built in 1922, has housed the Jemaa el-Fna Museum of Intangible Heritage since February 2023. Run by the National Museums Foundation, it tells the story of the square and its halqas, the circles of storytellers and musicians. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm; admission is 40 MAD.

Dar el-Bacha, the palace of Pasha Glaoui

West of the medina, Dar el-Bacha – Musée des Confluences occupies the palace built in the early 20th century for Thami el-Glaoui, pasha of Marrakech. The decorated reception rooms and galleries around the patio host temporary exhibitions on the cultures that have met in Morocco. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm and closed on Mondays; admission is 60 MAD.

The palace also houses a well-known café, set in former reception rooms. It is in high demand: arrive early or expect to queue. It makes a good break on a rainy afternoon, after the visit.

Gueliz and beyond: art and fashion

Outside the medina, two recent museums are well suited to a day under cover.

• The Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech, opened in 2017 next to the Jardin Majorelle, shows haute couture pieces by the designer, rotated regularly, and temporary exhibitions. It is open every day except Wednesday, from 10am to 6pm (last entry 5:30pm). Tickets are sold only online, on the garden's official ticketing site, with a time slot.
• MACAAL, the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, displays a collection of artists from across the continent. It lies in the south-east of the city, in the Al Maaden district: plan on a taxi ride. It is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm; admission is 120 MAD, free for students and children under 12.

Hammam: warm up or cool down

The hammam is the obvious activity when it rains, and one of the most restful in hot weather, when you come out in the late afternoon. There are two options:

• The neighbourhood public hammam, with separate hours or rooms for men and women. You bring or buy black soap and the exfoliating glove (kessa) there. Entry is inexpensive, but the experience means accepting a simple place used by local residents.
• A spa or riad hammam, by reservation: scrub, body wrap and massage, in more comfortable surroundings. Prices vary widely between establishments; ask for the details and length of the treatment before booking.

On rainy days, late-afternoon slots go quickly: book in the morning.

Cooking classes and workshops

A cooking class fills half a day indoors and ends with a meal. Most begin with a trip to the market to buy spices and vegetables, then you prepare a tagine, cooked salads and sometimes bread or pastries. Many riads offer them to their guests; several schools and associations in the city run them too, including the Amal association, which trains women for careers in the restaurant trade. Book the day before: groups are small.

Craft workshops (pottery, weaving, zellige) work the same way: two or three hours in a covered workshop, with an object to take home.

Shopping under cover: covered souks and the Ensemble Artisanal

Part of the souks of Marrakech is roofed with wooden or reed lattices, such as the Semmarine souk, the main artery north of Jemaa el-Fna. These lanes shelter you from the sun and light showers, but the uncovered alleys turn muddy in the rain: wear closed shoes.

To compare prices in peace, the Ensemble Artisanal, on Avenue Mohammed V, gathers fixed-price craft shops around patios. Entry is free. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30am to 7pm and on Sunday from 9am to 2pm, with hours varying from shop to shop.

Summary table of sheltered places

Prices observed in October 2026. Hours change during Ramadan; most museums close on Mondays.

Further reading

If the weather clears, make the most of it: our selection of free things to do in Marrakech gives pride of place to gardens and squares. To combine the monuments of the southern medina in a single walk, follow the walk through the Kasbah and the Mellah, and to choose the dates of your stay, see the best time to visit Marrakech.