10 things to do in Marrakech in October

The arrival of the autumn season marks the best time, along with spring, to visit the city of Marrakech and the main sites that surround it. The days are warm, but without being stifling and the nights are very pleasant, there are many hours of sunshine so you can make the most of the days, the tourist influx drops considerably and therefore also prices. All these reasons are added, of course, to the important offer of plans that the city has to offer. Do you want to know them?

But first, do not hesitate to read the post when to travel to Marrakech and you will have no doubt that October is one of the best months to visit both this city and Morocco in general. And if you are looking for more information that is not specific to this month, do not hesitate to visit the article what to see and do in Marrakech.

Everyone agrees that the most spectacular experience you can enjoy on your trip to Marrakech in October is a tour to the Sahara desert. In this month the temperature in the city is around 25ºC and in the desert, although a little higher, it is totally bearable and not as suffocating as in previous months. Thus, with the arrival of the autumn season you can enjoy this experience in style.

For this, you have the possibility to go to the Merzouga Desert, located approximately 550 kilometers from Marrakech, to the Zagora Desert, approximately 350 kilometers away, and to the Agafay Desert, which is about 40 kilometers away.

Read the post excursions to the desert of Marrakech and know all the options for your trip. Also, keep in mind that in the desert you can enjoy different activities and you can even spend the night in a desert camp.

Located in the heart of Marrakech, the Jemaa el Fna Square is a must stop regardless of when you travel the city, but in October it is very nice to visit and stroll through the pleasant temperatures. A place to be entertained while you watch the locals or enjoy an impromptu show in the middle of the square.

And when night falls, this is the meeting place for storytellers, acrobats, singers, musicians and dancers or snake charmers, among other unique characters. All of them will make you spend a unique moment as if you were immersed in a fairy tale.

In addition, during your visit to this neuralgic point of the city, you can take the opportunity to eat in one of its restaurants. Below I leave you the post the best restaurants in Marrakech and, on the other hand, so that you go with your homework done, you can read the article Moroccan food in which you will know all the details of the traditional cuisine.

October is an ideal time to visit the souk of Marrakech, located in the Medina of Marrakech, as in the autumn season the heat has given a break and there are fewer tourists than at other times of the year so you can visit the souk more comfortably, and more easily find the best souvenirs of your trip as well as the most peculiar gifts for friends and family. Leather accessories such as backpacks or bags, garments such as the classic djellabas or cosmetic products such as the typical argan oil.

From the north of the Jamaa el Fna Square, you will enter a maze of labyrinthine lanes populated by a myriad of stalls that will be available from 10 am to 5 pm.

Another great option for the month of October is a tour of the Palmeral. This wonderful place located northwest of the city has around 100,000 palm trees and is considered one of the main luxury areas of the city. To tour this enclave you have several options: you can opt for a camel ride, on horseback or enjoy a route on a quad.

And if you want to know other proposals, do not hesitate to read the post camel rides in Marrakech.

One of the best plans you can make in October is to visit the main gardens of the city such as the Majorelle Garden, the Jardin Secret or Anima Garden.

The Majorelle Garden is an oasis in the heart of the city of Marrakech that hides more than 300 plant species from around the world among palms**, cacti, roses, bougainvillea, bamboo, lotus flowers and water lilies**. The precursor of this garden was the French painter Jacque Majorelle and later, since the eighties, the businessman and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent took over. Currently, it is one of the most visited sites in Marrakech. The price is from 12 €.

Le Jardin Secret is a pleasant and exotic place in the heart of the city of Marrakech that houses nearly a hundred species. Its origin dates back to more than 400 years ago when the Saadian dynasty ruled. The entrance has a cost from 7 €.

Anima Garden or Andre Heller Garden is a garden of almost two hectares located 30 kilometers from Marrakech and has been promoted by the international multimedia artist André Heller. A magical and spectacular place that hides incredible art installations and has shady paths that stand out for their lush and beautiful vegetation. The entrance fee is approximately 3 € and has a free shuttle service from Thursday to Sunday.

October is a perfect month to see the Saadian Tombs, one of the most beautiful monuments of Marrakech. You may wonder why? This is a place that has a significant number of visitors and its capacity is very small, so the visit in this month is ideal to see it without queuing and enjoy the visit comfortably.

This monument was discovered in the twentieth century, but dates from the Saadian dynasty that reigned between 1524 and 1659 in Marrakech, has several areas to visit as the Mausoleum of Lalla Massouda, the Hall of the 12 columns, the Hall of Prayers, the Hall of the Three Niches or the outer burials. The entrance fee is from 6.50 €.

Another ideal visit if you visit Marrakech in the month of October is the Bahia Palace, also known as "The Palace of the Beautiful". Built in the late nineteenth century and promoted by Ahmed Ben Moussa, the grand vizier of Sultan Abdelaziz, is one of the most characteristic works of architecture of Marrakech and has nothing more and nothing less than 8,000 square meters of extension, more than 150 rooms and numerous courtyards and gardens, very pleasant to walk around once the temperatures are not so high.

Located south of the Medina, the opening hours of this palace are from 9 am to 5 pm and the price is approximately 6.50 €.

Coinciding with the harvest of dates, on October 17 takes place the Feast of Dates in the town of Erfoud, which is located just over 500 kilometers from Marrakech. This is a very popular festival in which there is no shortage of sweets made from this exquisite fruit, very typical in the country, and farmers and Berbers from nearby towns come to show their products. In addition, dance and traditional music are also part of the backdrop of this initiative that is worth visiting.

If you want to immerse yourself 100% in Moroccan culture, I recommend that on your trip to Marrakech you take the opportunity to go to a hammam. There are more indigenous and traditional and other more tourist and luxury, but in all of them you will live a relaxing experience. In October there are not many tourists, so you will not find them saturated.

They usually have several rooms: an initial room, a hot room and a cold room. In addition, in some of them you have the possibility to enjoy a massage. I recommend that if you want to enjoy this experience with more tranquility, take the opportunity to go in the morning.

And how can you not go to Marrakech and get close to its main mosque and one of the most important in Morocco, the Koutoubia Mosque, dating from the second half of the eleventh century. Its minaret, with 69 meters high, stands as the highest point of the city of Marrakech and has been a model for other architectural works of great importance as the Hassan Tower of Rabat.

The only drawback is that you can not enter the mosque, as the visit is forbidden to anyone who does not process Islam, but therefore I recommend the visit from the month of October as you can admire it and look at each and every one of its details without getting hot.

Temperatures in Marrakech in October are ideal for visiting the city. The sun is not as scorching as in summer, an average of 25ºC is recorded and the maximums do not exceed 30ºC. Regarding the minimum, it is around 20ºC. In addition, the wind speed is lower than in September with an average of 15 km / h. so it is ideal for traveling to the desert.

On the other hand, there is hardly any rainfall, as it rains an average of one day per month. And the days are still long: sunrise is around 7:30 a.m. and sunset is around 7:00 p.m., so there is an average of 12 hours of daylight per day.

Despite being an ideal time to visit Marrakech, the influx of tourists decreases considerably in the month of October compared to previous months, so you will have more options to stay on your trip and, therefore, the price of hotels is cheaper than at other times of the year. Even so, it is always advisable to be proactive and make your reservation in advance, as you will have more and better options.

Do not hesitate to read the posts safety in Marrakech and how to get around Marrakech. They are very practical.

If you go to Marrakech in the month of October, keep in mind that your trip will not coincide with any national holiday or specific festivity in the city. However, in this month Ramadan takes place, a period of 30 days in which Moroccans fast from sunrise to sunset. Even so, do not worry, because, although there are some local businesses closed at this time, they are a minority and museums and major sites maintain their opening hours as the rest of the year.

Prices in Marrakech in October are considerably cheaper than in other months of the year, another decisive factor for you to make your trip in this month of the year. Although the temperatures are perfect for your visit, there are few who can opt for this date so that, by registering a smaller tourist influx, prices decrease proportionally.

If your trip to Marrakech coincides with the month of October, you are in luck! It is one of the best months to visit the city in terms of temperature. Even so, it is a month whose average temperature is around 25 ° C, so when packing your suitcase I recommend that you opt for light clothing, linen or cotton and the occasional jacket, cardigan or sweater. On the other hand, it is advisable for women to cover their shoulders and avoid short or low-cut clothes. Don't forget that Morocco is an Islamic country and although its dress code is not as strict as in other places, you should still keep a certain amount of modesty.