How Marrakech's terraces work
In the medina, almost every house has a flat roof, and cafés, restaurants, museums and riads have turned theirs into terraces. As a visitor, there are three ways to get up there:
- Cafés and restaurants: access is free, but each person must order at least one drink. This is the rule at the cafés on Jemaa el-Fna, where the waiter comes to take your order as soon as you sit down.
- Museums and monuments: the terrace is part of the visit and access is included in the ticket, or sold as an extra, like the tower at Le Jardin Secret.
- Rooftop bars: more expensive and often licensed to serve alcohol, they are more of an evening outing. Our Marrakech by night guide covers them; this article focuses on the view.
A few rules apply everywhere: check the menu and its prices before you sit down, keep the bill to check what you are charged, and in high season don't settle in the front row for hours without ordering. Most terraces in the medina do not serve alcohol.
The multi-storey cafés on Jemaa el-Fna square
Marrakech's most famous show is best watched from above: towards the end of the afternoon, Jemaa el-Fna square fills with grill stalls, smoke rises, the crowd thickens and the sun disappears behind the Koutoubia minaret. Several cafés around the square have built terraces on two or three levels to take advantage of the view.
Le Grand Balcon du Café Glacier
On the south side of the square, the Grand Balcon du Café Glacier is the busiest terrace at sunset, as it faces both the square and the Koutoubia. You reach it by a fairly steep staircase to the left of the café. The rule is simple: one drink per person, paid when you order. Expect around 20 to 30 DH for a mint tea, a bottle of water or a soft drink. The terrace fills up very quickly: arrive at least an hour before sunset to get a spot along the railing.
Café de France and the other cafés on the square
Café de France, on the north-east corner of the square, has several levels of terraces; head to the top floor for the clearest view over the square, the Koutoubia and, on clear days, the Atlas. Tea and cold drinks cost around 25 to 40 DH. Service is often slow at peak times, and the front-row seats are held for a long time by the same customers: come early or accept a table further back. The meals served on these terraces are expensive for what they are: stick to a tea and have dinner afterwards at the food stalls or elsewhere.
Other multi-storey cafés line the square and work the same way. Before going up, check the prices displayed at the entrance: they vary a lot from one place to the next.
Museum and monument terraces
To see the medina from above in peace, in the middle of the day, the easiest option is to climb onto the roof of a museum or monument. Access is included in the ticket (or sold for a small extra charge), with no compulsory drink.
The rooftop of the Maison de la Photographie
In the north of the medina, near the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Maison de la Photographie ends its visit on a rooftop terrace laid out as a café. The view takes in the neighbourhood's rooftops and, on clear days, the peaks of the Atlas. Admission to the museum costs 80 DH (free for under-15s) and it is open daily from 9:30 am to 7 pm; the terrace serves drinks and light meals, paid separately. It makes a good lunch stop after seeing the collections.
The tower at Le Jardin Secret
On Rue Mouassine, Le Jardin Secret has a tower built like a minaret, from which you look down over the medina's rooftops and the site's two gardens. It can be visited with an extra ticket of 40 DH (30 DH reduced), on top of the 100 DH admission, and children under 6 are not allowed up. The site opens at 9:30 am and closes at 6 pm from October to February and at 6:30 pm from March to September, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. The late-afternoon light is the most beautiful time to climb the tower.
The walls of El Badi Palace
In the south of the medina, El Badi Palace lies in ruins, but staircases lead up to the top of its rammed-earth walls. From there, you take in the huge courtyard and its pools, the rooftops of the medina and the Mellah, the Koutoubia minaret in the distance and, on clear days, the Atlas. Storks nest on these walls: it is one of the best places in the city to watch them up close. The site is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm and a ticket costs 100 DH for a foreign adult. There is almost no shade: in summer, come as soon as it opens.
Place des Ferblantiers: storks at terrace level
As you leave El Badi Palace, you come out on Place des Ferblantiers, where craftsmen hammer out lanterns and metalwork. Several cafés and restaurants have ground-level terraces in the shade of the trees, handy for a break after the visit.
For the view, go up to the roof of Kosybar, at no. 47 on the square: its two levels of terraces, cooled by misters in summer, look out over the storks' nests on the walls of El Badi Palace and, above the rooftops, the Koutoubia minaret. It is open daily from 11 am to 1 am and serves alcohol, which also makes it an evening address; prices are those of a restaurant, well above a neighbourhood café.
Rahba Kedima: the terraces of the Spice Square
In the heart of the souks, a few minutes north of Jemaa el-Fna, the Spice Square, or Rahba Kedima, is surrounded by houses several storeys high. Two well-known places have a rooftop terrace there, neither of which serves alcohol.
- Café des Épices (75 Rahba Lakdima): open daily from 9 am to 11 pm. From the roof, you can watch the bustle of the square, the stalls of baskets and hats, and the rooftops of the souks all the way to the Atlas. Mint tea and coffee cost around 20 to 25 DH, juices and smoothies 30 to 45 DH. A good stop in the middle of the day, halfway through a walk in the souks.
- Nomad (1 Derb Aarjane): a modern Moroccan restaurant on several floors with two levels of terraces, open from 12 noon to 11 pm. Teas and fresh herb infusions cost around 40 DH. You can often get a seat without booking during the day; in the evening and in high season, book ahead, especially for a terrace table at sunset.
The rooftops facing the Koutoubia
The 77-metre minaret of the Koutoubia is the landmark of the whole city. Non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque, but several rooftops look at it from close by, in the area between the mosque and Jemaa el-Fna. These are rooftop bars and restaurants, with upmarket prices:
- Kabana (1 Rue Fatima Zahra, R'mila district): a planted terrace facing the Koutoubia, open from 11 am to 2 am; cocktails around 120 to 180 DH. The atmosphere turns festive after dinner, with a DJ.
- El Fenn rooftop (Bab Ksour district): the riad hotel opens its terrace to non-residents from 12 noon to 11 pm, with no booking for small groups and a close-up view of the Koutoubia; last orders at 10:30 pm. Space is limited: arrive early for sunset.
- Terrasse des Épices (Souk Cherifia, Sidi Abdelaziz district): a restaurant open since 2007 on the rooftops of the souks, with the Koutoubia on one side and the Atlas on the other; shade and misters in summer, heating in winter. It serves alcohol.
To make an evening of it on a rooftop, with music or a cocktail, see our Marrakech by night guide.
What time to go up to a terrace
The most sought-after moment is sunset, when the sky flares up behind the Koutoubia and Jemaa el-Fna lights up. The time varies a lot with the season: around 7:15 pm in early October and 6:50 pm in late October, around 6:40 pm in early January, around 7:50 pm in early April and as late as 8:40 pm in early July. During Ramadan, Morocco turns its clocks back by one hour, so the sun sets an hour earlier by the clock. Plan to arrive 45 minutes to an hour beforehand, and even earlier on the Jemaa el-Fna terraces.
Other moments are worth it too:
- In the morning, the air is clearer: in winter, after a cold night or a shower, you get the best view of the snow-capped Atlas peaks, often hidden by heat haze in the afternoon.
- Midday suits the sheltered terraces of Rahba Kedima or the Maison de la Photographie, for a break while exploring the souks; avoid terraces without shade from May to September.
- After dark, the lit-up, smoky Jemaa el-Fna square is a completely different show, and the Koutoubia minaret is floodlit.
To photograph the city in the best light, our guide to the best photo spots in Marrakech gives the ideal time for each place.
Summary table
| Terrace | Area | Main view | Access | Indicative price | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Balcon du Café Glacier | Jemaa el-Fna | Square and Koutoubia | One drink per person | 20 to 30 DH | Sunset |
| Café de France | Jemaa el-Fna | Square, Koutoubia, Atlas | One drink per person | 25 to 40 DH | Sunset, night |
| Maison de la Photographie | North medina | Rooftops and Atlas | Museum ticket | 80 DH admission | Late morning |
| Le Jardin Secret tower | Mouassine | Rooftops and gardens | Extra on the ticket | 40 DH on top of 100 DH | Late afternoon |
| El Badi Palace walls | Kasbah | Courtyard, storks, Koutoubia | Palace ticket | 100 DH | Opening time, or before 5 pm in winter |
| Kosybar | Place des Ferblantiers | Storks, Koutoubia | Drink or meal | Restaurant prices | Late afternoon |
| Café des Épices | Rahba Kedima | Square and souks | Drink or meal | 20 to 25 DH a tea | Midday |
| Nomad | Rahba Kedima | Souks and Atlas | Meal or drink | Around 40 DH a tea | Lunch, sunset |
| Kabana, El Fenn | Around the Koutoubia | Koutoubia | Drink or meal | 120 to 180 DH a cocktail | Sunset |
Prices observed in October 2026, for guidance only.
Further reading
A terrace fits easily into a day of sightseeing: El Badi Palace in the morning, Rahba Kedima or the Maison de la Photographie at lunchtime, Jemaa el-Fna at sunset. For other breaks, from mint tea to pastries, see our guide to cafés and pastry shops in Marrakech. To find your way through the alleys between these viewpoints, read our Marrakech medina guide, and for the rest of the evening, Marrakech by night.
