💡 The Short Version: The nearest hotels to Jemaa el-Fnaa are Hotel Atlas and Hotel Central Palace, about 120 and 160 m away in a straight line. Les Jardins de la Koutoubia is about 250 m from it, and the riads Joya and Azzar are about 380 and 400 m. All the hotels below are within 1 km. No car reaches the door: a taxi stops at a gate and someone walks you in. The square and the rooftop restaurants round it are loud into the night; Mouassine and the Kasbah are quieter. Prices change with the dates, so check yours on Hotels.com. Or book the evening: the Street Food Tour by Nightad is 4.7 stars from 3,233 reviews (GetYourGuide).
Why stay here
- The souks and sights are on foot. The souks start at the square and the Koutoubia minaret stands to its west. See the Marrakech souks and Jemaa el-Fnaa.
- The food stalls are on the doorstep. They are set up on the square in the evening and are being replaced: see where to eat in Marrakech.
- The Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs are south. The hotels in the Kasbah and Riad Zitoun are nearest: see Bahia Palace tickets.
- The last stretch is on foot. Whatever the distance, you walk the final lanes. A taxi stops at the nearest gate and a porter or the hotel’s staff carry the bags; ask the hotel which gate to name. See Marrakech airport to the medina.
The Koutoubia minaret over the medina’s rooftops. Photo: Schorle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Which hotel is where
The square is the centre of every distance below, measured in straight lines, so the walk through the lanes is longer. The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com, except for the hotels that link to their own sites. Where to stay in Marrakech compares the other areas, and Marrakech riads with a pool lists the ones with a pool.
Budget hotels beside the square
Four hotels on the lanes next to the square, all within 300 m. The table gives where they are and how far; ask each for a room away from the street.
| Hotel | Street | Straight line to the square | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Atlas | Derb Sidi Bouloukate | About 120 m | Hotels.comad |
| Hotel Central Palace | Derb Sidi Bouloukat | About 160 m | Hotels.comad |
| Riad Hotel Sherazade | 3 Derb Jamaa | About 260 m | Hotels.comad |
| Hotel Foucauld | Rue El Mouahidine | About 300 m | Hotels.comad |
On the square’s edge, up to 300 m
Les Jardins de la Koutoubia
About 250 m · 26 rue de la Koutoubia · 108 rooms · Hotels.comad
A large hotel by the Koutoubia, whose site puts it right next to Jemaa el-Fnaa. Rooms run from mini suites to two royal suites, with air conditioning, and there are three restaurants and a sky bar. The outdoor pool is heated, and a Shiseido spa has a heated indoor pool for adults using the spa.
The pool at Les Jardins de la Koutoubia. Photo: Elgaard, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Hotel Gallia
About 270 m · 30 rue El Moustachfa · family-run since 1929 · hotel’s site
An old family hotel: the site says it has stood in the medina since 1929, passed from generation to generation. Lonely Planet’s pick for a family-run stay, with single rooms for solo travellers and a rooftop terrace over the medina and the mountains.
Riad Abracadabra
Five minutes’ walk · 125 Derb Jamaa, Derb Dabachi · 8 rooms · Hotels.comad
The riad gives its own walking time of five minutes to the square, and directions from Café de France. Eight rooms, among them 35 m² duplex suites with the bedroom upstairs, and a roof terrace with a pool and a cocktail bar.
A short walk, 380 to 660 m
Riad Joya
About 380 m · Hay Mouassine, Derb El Hammam 26/27 · 7 suites · Hotels.comad
Seven suites in a riad designed by Umberto Maria Branchini, with a restaurant, a roof terrace and a spa. Mouassine puts the spice square and the rooftop restaurants a few lanes away.
Riad Azzar
About 400 m · 94 Derb Moulay Abdelkader · 3 rooms and 3 suites · Hotels.comad
Six rooms round a courtyard with a plunge pool, open since January 2004. The salon has a fireplace for the cooler months and the roof terrace has sun beds.
The roof terrace at Riad Azzar. Photo: Heribert Bechen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
El Fenn
About 430 m · Derb Moulay Abdellah Ben Hezzian, Bab El Ksour · 41 rooms · hotel’s site
A hotel of 41 rooms and suites with three pools, a 1,300 m² roof terrace, two cocktail bars and two restaurants. The site invites non-guests up to the rooftop bar for a cocktail, so ask about noise when you book.
Riad Kaiss
About 580 m · 65 Derb Jdid, Riad Zitoun Kedim · 18 rooms and suites · hotel’s site
South of the square in Riad Zitoun, a riad of 18 rooms and suites, some with a terrace, with a restaurant open for lunch and dinner and a spa.
La Villa des Orangers
About 660 m · Rue Sidi Mimoun · 33 rooms and suites · one Michelin Key · Hotels.comad
A riad built in the 1930s at the foot of the Koutoubia, between the Royal Palace and the square. The hotel lists three pools heated in season, one with a 16 m basin, and a 60 m² hammam.
Up to 1 km
Riad Due
About 810 m · 2 Derb Chantouf, Riad Larousse · four suites · one Michelin Key · Hotels.comad
Four suites in the souks, with rooftop dining and a personal chef. The whole riad can be booked for a group.
La Maison Arabe
About 870 m · 1 Derb Assehbé, Bab Doukkala · 45 rooms · Hotels.comad
Forty-five rooms and suites round a patio, with a spa of two hammams. The hotel’s cooking school runs workshops: see Marrakech cooking classes.
Riad Cocoon
About 890 m · five rooms · Hotels.comad
A house of five rooms named after bands, albums and songs, with tadelakt bathrooms and reversible air conditioning.
Royal Mansour
About 890 m · Rue Abou El Abbas Sebti · 53 private riads · two Michelin Keys · Hotels.comad
The palace hotel by the walls: 53 private riads of one to four bedrooms, each with its own pool, on a 5-hectare estate.
La Mamounia
About 940 m · Avenue Bab Jdid · 135 rooms, 71 suites, 3 riads · three Michelin Keys · Hotels.comad
The palace hotel in its walled gardens, with three riads that each have a private entrance, pool and terrace. Its tea rooms and gardens are part of the stay.
Before you book
- Noise. The square is loudest in the evening and the rooftop restaurants round it carry on late. Kabana’s own site gives 02:00 as its closing time. Ask for a room away from the street.
- Which gate. Jemaa el-Fnaa, Bab Doukkala and Sidi Mimoun by the Koutoubia are the usual drop-off points. Ask the hotel which to name to the driver, and tip whoever carries the bags 10 to 20 MAD.
- Winter. January’s average low at the airport is about 6°C and most riads are not heated. Les Jardins de la Koutoubia lists heating, and Riad Azzar has a fireplace; ask any riad about heating. See best time to visit Marrakech.
- Guides. Unlicensed guides approach visitors in the medina. Meet the hotel’s own staff at the gate it names: see Marrakech safety and scams.
For what to book before you fly, see Marrakech: what to book. To fit the sights to your days, see 3 days in Marrakech. Marrakech food tours compares the evening walks that start at the square, and Marrakech hammams lists the baths nearby. For the weather by month, see best time to visit Marrakech.
Common questions
Which hotel is closest to Jemaa el-Fnaa?
Hotel Atlas, on Derb Sidi Bouloukate, about 120 m from the square in a straight line, and Hotel Central Palace on the same lane at about 160 m. Les Jardins de la Koutoubia is about 250 m away, and the riads Joya and Azzar about 380 and 400 m.
Can a taxi reach a hotel near Jemaa el-Fnaa?
Not to the door. Cars cannot enter the lanes round the square, so a taxi drops you at the nearest gate and the hotel sends someone to walk you in with the bags. Ask the hotel which gate to name to the driver.
Are hotels near Jemaa el-Fnaa noisy?
Yes, into the night. Lonely Planet describes hordes of people on the square all day and into the night, and the rooftop restaurants round it run late: Kabana, by the Koutoubia, gives 02:00 as its closing time. Riads in Mouassine and the Kasbah are quieter than the lanes beside the square.
How far is it to walk from these hotels to the square?
The distances here are straight lines, so the walk is longer. Riad Abracadabra says it is five minutes' walk from the square; the hotels beyond 800 m, such as La Maison Arabe, La Mamounia and Royal Mansour, are a longer walk or a short taxi.
Is it better to stay near the square or in Mouassine?
Mouassine, 0.4 to 0.9 km north, is quieter and has the riads and rooftop restaurants; the lanes beside the square put the souks on the doorstep. Lonely Planet calls Mouassine one of the best neighbourhoods for riads.
