In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Use a guide only with an official badge and permission from the local authority, or use none: the UK Foreign Office says people posing as official guides commonly harass tourists, and police arrested two men for it in July and August 2026. A private licensed guide advertises 300 to 600 MAD (about £23 to £46) for a half or full day. GetYourGuide’s shared medina tours run from £11 to £13 for 3 to 4 hours, and the entry tickets (the Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs are 100 MAD each) may be extra, so read “what’s included” first. Or book a tour: the Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, souk and medina tourad (from £13, 4 hours) is the most-reviewed, and the Ben Youssef, Secret Garden and souks walking tourad (from £13, 3 hours) covers the north of the medina.
Guides and the badge rule
- The rule: the UK Foreign Office advises using a guide in the medina only with an official badge and permission from the local authority (safety and security). Ask to see the badge before you agree anything.
- The enforcement: police arrested a man on 20 July 2026 after a tourist posted a video of an extortion and assault when he refused to pay for an unauthorised tour (Yabiladi), and another on 5 August 2026 for posing as a guide and demanding money (Le Brief).
- The price: two tour companies, Moroccan Travel Trips and Serenity Morocco Tours, advertise 300 to 600 MAD for a half or full day with a private licensed guide.
- Groups: a tourist group at the Ben Youssef Madrasa must be led by a qualified, accredited guide.
- Tipping: tour operators and travel guides suggest 20 to 50 MAD a person for a day with a group guide.
- At the monument gates, a guide who offers his services is optional. The monuments sell their own tickets, and you can walk round without one.
A narrow lane in the Marrakech medina. Photo: Misa.stefanovic.07, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The tours, compared
Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person, with the usual price in brackets where it is shown. The entry tickets are separate unless the product page says otherwise.
| Tour | From | Reviews | Length | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Souk and Medina Tourad | £13 (usually £26) | 7,604 | 4 hours | The Kasbah monuments and the souks |
| Ben Youssef, Secret Garden & Souks Walking Tourad | £13 (usually £17) | 4,675 | 3 hours | The north of the medina |
| Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs & Koutoubia Mosquead | £17 | 3,577 | 3 hours | The Kasbah and the Koutoubia |
| Colourful Medina Souks Guided Walking Tourad | £19 | 3,037 | 3 hours | The souks |
| Madrassa Ben Youssef, Secret Garden & Medina Tourad | £13 (usually £26) | 2,132 | 3.5 to 4 hours | The north of the medina |
| Saadian Tombs & Bahia Palace, Medina Guided Tourad | £12 (usually £25) | 2,031 | 4 hours | The Kasbah monuments |
| Bahia Palace, Madrasa Ben Youssef and Medina Tourad | £13 (usually £26) | 1,546 | 4 hours | The Bahia and the madrasa |
| Historical Monuments, Souks & Medina Guided Tourad | £13 (usually £25) | 974 | 4 hours | Monuments and souks |
| Cultural Bicycle Tour with Pastry and Teaad | £24 | 768 | 3 hours | The medina by bicycle |
| Marrakech by Night: Private Medina Tourad | £18 (usually £24) | 676 | 2 hours | A private walk in the evening |
| Tuk Tuk Marrakech Private Tourad | £11 | 343 | 1 to 3 hours | A private tuk-tuk ride |
| Tailor-Made City Tour With Your Own Private Guidead | £47 | 315 | 3.5 to 6.5 hours | A private guide, on a route you choose |
Does the price include entry?
Several of these tours cost about the same as, or less than, the entry tickets of the monuments they visit, so read “what’s included” on each product page before you book. The prices are:
| Sight | Entry, foreign adult |
|---|---|
| Bahia Palace | 100 MAD (about £7.50) |
| Saadian Tombs | 100 MAD (about £7.50) |
| El Badi Palace | 100 MAD (about £7.50) |
| Ben Youssef Madrasa | 50 MAD (about £4) |
| Le Jardin Secret | 100 MAD (about £7.50) |
- Where entry is extra, pay at the gate, on the Ministry of Culture’s site or at the madrasa’s door.
- The Jardin Majorelle is not on a medina tour. Its tickets are timed slots at tickets.jardinmajorelle.com. See Jardin Majorelle tickets.
Tours worth paying for
The Kasbah monuments and the souks
From £13 (usually £26) · 4.7 stars from 7,604 reviews · 4 hours
Marrakech: Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Souk and Medina Tourad is the most-reviewed medina tour. The monuments it visits are 100 MAD each at the ministry, so the entry may be extra.
The north of the medina
From £13 (usually £17) · 4.6 stars from 4,675 reviews · 3 hours
Marrakech: Ben Youssef, Secret Garden & Souks Walking Tourad joins the Ben Youssef Madrasa and Le Jardin Secret to the souks between them.
A private guide on your route
From £47 · 5.0 stars from 315 reviews · 3.5 to 6.5 hours
Marrakech: Tailor-Made City Tour With Your Own Private Guidead is a private guide who builds the route with you.
A bicycle tour
From £24 · 4.8 stars from 768 reviews · 3 hours
Marrakech: Cultural Bicycle Tour with Pastry and Teaad covers the medina by bicycle, with pastry and tea.
Which tour
- To see the Kasbah monuments on your own: the medina walk gives the route and what is open.
- To see the Kasbah monuments with a guide: the 4-hour Bahia, Saadian Tombs, souk and medina tour, or the 3-hour version with the Koutoubia. The Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs and El Badi Palace have the entry prices.
- To see the north of the medina: the Ben Youssef, Secret Garden and souks tour. The Ben Youssef Madrasa and Le Jardin Secret have the entry prices.
- To learn the souks: the colourful medina souks walking tour. The souks says how haggling works.
- To go with no group: the tailor-made private tour, or a private licensed guide hired for the day.
- After dark: the private night tour, or a food tour from Jemaa el-Fnaa.
A lane in the medina near the Ben Youssef Mosque. Photo: Ymblanter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to skip: a guide who approaches you in the street without a badge.
Practical information
- Badge: ask to see it before you agree a price or a route.
- Price: agree the price, and what it includes, before you start.
- Meeting points: some riads sit in lanes cars cannot enter, so the pick-up point may be a gate a few minutes’ walk away.
- Dress: cover shoulders and knees in the medina.
Jemaa el-Fnaa, the souks and the tours form one area, and Is Marrakech safe? covers scams and dress in full. Marrakech museums lists the museums, and Marrakech after the earthquake says what has reopened. For the rest of the city’s bookings, see what to book before you go to Marrakech. 3 days in Marrakech places a medina tour in the plan. To sleep nearby, where to stay in Marrakech compares the areas, and where to eat in Marrakech lists places to eat.
Common questions
Do I need a guide in the Marrakech medina?
No. If you use one, use a guide with an official badge and permission from the local authority, as the UK Foreign Office advises. It says people posing as official guides commonly harass tourists.
How much does a licensed guide cost in Marrakech?
Two tour companies advertise 300 to 600 MAD (about £23 to £46) for a half or full day with a private licensed guide. GetYourGuide's shared medina tours start at £11 to £13 a person.
Are entry tickets included in a GetYourGuide medina tour?
Read the product page's 'what's included' before you assume so. The Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs are 100 MAD each at the ministry, 200 MAD (about £15) together, which is more than the £12 to £13 many of these tours cost.
How do I check a guide's badge?
Ask to see it before you agree anything, and decline a guide who has none.
How long are the medina tours?
Most run 3 to 4 hours. The night tour is 2 hours, the tuk-tuk tour 1 to 3 hours and the private tailor-made tour 3.5 to 6.5 hours.
Should I tip a guide?
It is not mandatory, but it is a normal part of a guide's pay. Tour operators and travel guides suggest 20 to 50 MAD a person for a day with a group guide.
