Best Time to Visit Marrakech: A Month-by-Month Guide
The short answer
The best time to visit Marrakech is March to May or September to November, when days sit between 23°C and 33°C and the evenings are warm enough to eat outside. December and January are mild and bright for winter sun, and July and August are very hot, which suits groups who plan the day around a pool.
This is a decision about what you want from the trip rather than a forecast. Below is every month with its real numbers, what it actually suits, and what it does to availability.
The numbers behind the seasons
Marrakech has a hot semi-arid climate: long, hot, dry summers and short, mild winters. The averages below come from the 1991 to 2020 record for the city, published on Wikipedia's Marrakesh page.
The city gets about 3,250 hours of sunshine a year and only 221 mm of rain, most of it between November and April. Even the wettest month averages barely 35 mm, which is roughly a wet fortnight in Manchester spread across a whole month.
Marrakech has no bad months, only months that suit different trips. The question is whether you want a garden or a pool.
Spring: March, April and May
March averages 24°C by day and 10°C at night, with 35 mm of rain, the wettest month of the year. Gardens are green, the Atlas still holds snow, and a jumper is worth packing for the evening.
April brings 26°C days and 12°C nights with 26 mm of rain and nine hours of sun a day. It is the most comfortable month of the year for walking the medina, and it books out early because of Easter.
May is the sweet spot for most people: 29°C days, 15°C nights, almost no rain and ten hours of sunshine. Warm enough to swim, cool enough to spend the afternoon out of the villa.
April is the most comfortable month of the year and the first to sell out. May is nearly the same weather with more choice of house.
Summer: June, July and August
June averages 34°C by day and is essentially dry. The pool becomes the centre of the day and the medina is best before ten in the morning or after six in the evening.
July is the hottest month at 38°C average highs and 21°C nights, with twelve hours of blazing sun. August is barely cooler at 37°C. Both are genuinely hot, and both are the cheapest months for a big villa, which is why families and groups take them.
If you are coming in high summer, prioritise a heated-or-not pool, air conditioning in every bedroom and shade over the terrace. Our guide to Marrakech in August covers how to structure the day around the heat.
Autumn: September, October and November
September drops back to 33°C days and 19°C nights, with the pool still warm and the crowds thinner. It is the month experienced visitors book.
October gives 29°C days, 16°C nights and eight hours of sun a day — arguably the best all-round month of the year, with warm days, comfortable evenings and the desert at its most pleasant.
November cools to 23°C days and 11°C nights with 30 mm of rain. Days are bright and shirt-sleeve warm, evenings need a jacket, and the light on the Atlas is at its best.
October is the month to book if you want one trip that does everything: pool, medina, mountains and desert, all comfortable.
Winter: December, January and February
December averages 20°C by day and 7°C at night, with 227 hours of sunshine. Bright winter afternoons, cold evenings, and the festive fortnight is the single busiest period of the year — see our guide to Christmas and New Year villa rentals for why it needs booking months ahead. Our December weather guide has the detail.
January is the coolest month at 19°C days and 6°C nights, and the quietest and cheapest of the year outside the festive dates. Villas with heated pools and fireplaces come into their own.
February warms slightly to 21°C days and 8°C nights with 217 hours of sun. It is the month for almond blossom, long lunches outdoors and empty terraces; our February guide covers what to pack.
January is the quietest and cheapest month of the year, and still averages more than seven hours of sunshine a day.
One date that moves: Ramadan
Ramadan shifts through the calendar by about eleven days each year, so it can land in any season. Marrakech stays open to visitors throughout, but the rhythm changes: some cafés and restaurants close during daylight hours, and the city comes alive after sunset.
If you travel during it, GOV.UK's advice on local laws and customs notes that eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum in public during daylight may cause offence, and that dress codes matter more than usual.
In a private villa, none of this touches your own day: you eat when you like, by your own pool. The evenings, when the city breaks its fast together, are among the most atmospheric of the year.
Ramadan is not a month to avoid. It is a month to eat late, like everyone else.
When to book, not just when to go
Availability moves opposite to the weather. The best months — April, May, October — are the first to sell, and the largest houses go earliest because there are fewest of them.
Christmas and New Year are the exception to everything: book six to nine months out, and expect festive rates. High summer is the easiest to book late, and the best value for a big group.
For British travellers the paperwork is light: the GOV.UK entry requirements say British citizens can visit for up to 90 days without a visa for tourism, with a passport valid for at least three months after arrival.
What is the hottest month in Marrakech?
July, averaging 38°C by day and 21°C at night, with August close behind at 37°C. Both are dry, so the heat is less oppressive than humid destinations, but midday is for shade or water.
What is the rainiest month?
March, at about 35 mm across the month. Rain in Marrakech tends to arrive as short heavy bursts rather than all-day drizzle, and even in the wettest months you should expect seven or more hours of sun a day.
The whole city receives 221 mm of rain a year. London manages roughly three times that.
Is Marrakech warm enough to swim in winter?
The air reaches about 19°C to 20°C on a December or January afternoon, which is pleasant in the sun but cool for swimming. Book a villa with a heated pool and winter becomes a swimming season.
When is the cheapest time to visit Marrakech?
January, outside the festive period, followed by the high-summer months of July and August. These are the months when the largest estates are within reach of a smaller budget.
When is the best month for a family holiday?
October and April sit in school holidays for many families and give the most comfortable weather of the year. February half-term is the quiet, cheap alternative, with bright days that suit the medina and the Atlas.
Tell us your dates
Send your dates and headcount on WhatsApp at +44 7860 089 786 or through our contact page, and we will tell you honestly what the weather does that week, what is still available, and which houses suit the season you are travelling in.