Hivernage: hotels, Palais des Congrès and nightlife in Marrakech

Updated on October 1, 2026

Hivernage is the district of Marrakech's large hotels, between the railway station, Gueliz and the medina walls, about 2 km west of Jemaa el-Fna square. Its name, like its Arabic name meaning "the winter district", recalls the European visitors who came to spend the cold season here. Its wide, palm-lined avenues are bordered by hotels, residences and private gardens. Avenue Mohammed VI is the main thoroughfare: along it stand the Palais des Congrès, the Théâtre Royal and the Menara Mall shopping centre. In the evening, the district comes alive around the hotels' restaurants and nightlife venues.

Highlights

The Théâtre Royal

Designed by the architect Charles Boccara, the building combines a large dome, a colonnaded rotunda and ochre brick walls. Its exterior and its 1,200-seat open-air amphitheatre were inaugurated in 2001, but the opera hall has never been brought into service. Completion works were relaunched in 2025: it is mostly admired from the outside, opposite the station.

The Palais des Congrès

Inaugurated on 30 October 1989 on Avenue Mohammed VI, it hosted the signing of the Marrakesh Agreement in April 1994, which created the World Trade Organization. It is also the main venue of the Marrakech International Film Festival. You can go inside during the congresses, fairs and screenings it hosts.

Menara Mall

Opened in June 2015 on Avenue Mohammed VI, this shopping centre brings together shops, restaurants, a hypermarket and a children's play area. It is connected to a neighbouring luxury hotel. It is a handy stop for shopping or cooling off during the hottest hours.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Hivernage is a good base if you prefer a hotel with a pool to a riad in the medina: Jemaa el-Fna square is still 25 minutes away on foot or a few minutes by taxi. In the beige petits taxis, ask for the meter to be switched on when you set off. Evenings in the hotels' bars and clubs are expensive compared with the rest of the city: check prices before ordering.

How to get there

The district spreads around Avenue Mohammed VI, between Marrakech railway station, Avenue Mohammed V and the medina walls. On foot: allow about 25 minutes from Jemaa el-Fna square, or 10 minutes from the station. Taxi: a petit taxi from the medina or Gueliz takes under 10 minutes outside rush hour. Train: Marrakech railway station, opened in 2008, stands at the junction of Avenue Mohammed VI and Avenue Hassan II, on the edge of the district.