Marrakech with the family
Three days set on the children and on the heat: the water of a splash park, animals from a real refuge over the chained monkeys of the square, the cool of Ourika, and midday hours in the shade.
Marrakech with the family is not a monuments checklist: it is a rhythm, set on two things, the heat and the kids’ focus. You head out early and late, take shelter or hit the pool at the furnace hours, and pick the places that really occupy - water, animals, a waterfall within their reach.
These three days climb in coolness: a water day to start, real-refuge animals and an afternoon in the medina (souks and Ben Youssef Medersa, snack at Jardin Secret), then the Atlas and the first Ourika waterfall. We have skipped the traps (the square’s monkeys, the pushchair in the souks) and kept the smart moves (free shuttles, first waterfall only, prices fixed in advance). The details on addresses and prices sit in our Marrakech with family guide.
Water, to start gently
full dayYou start with the most reliable outing with kids: a water day, where every sibling finds their slide. The rest of the stay climbs in coolness.
Free shuttle to Oasiria
Free shuttles skip the taxi and the haggling from Jemaa el-Fna and Guéliz. You travel without the transport bit, the hardest with kids.
Oasiria water park
Slides from very-gentle to vertigo, paddling pool and wave pool: enough to mix ages. Come on a weekday, Marrakchis fill it up at weekends. Around 290 dirhams (£23) per adult, 190 (£15) per child under 1.50m, free under 0.80m (2025). Open late March to early November.
Back and riad pool
You come back wiped but happy. A dive in the riad or hotel pool, and you keep energy for an early dinner.
Dinner without haggling
The basics kids eat with no drama are everywhere: chicken tagine, skewers, chips, msemen, fresh orange. You set prices from the menu, not by feel.
Animals in the morning, medina in the afternoon
full dayThe morning for real animal contact - a refuge, not the chained monkeys of the square. Midday in the shade, and the afternoon in the medina: a bit of heritage for the parents, a treasure hunt for the kids.
La Perle aux Oiseaux refuge
The only zoo refuge in the region, fifteen minutes on the Ouarzazate road: a hundred or so species cared for (ostriches, fennecs, llamas, tortoises), teaching panels and interactive farm. 120 dirhams (£10) per adult, 80 (£6) per child, on booking. You explain to the kids why you skip the monkeys and snakes of Jemaa el-Fna: endangered species, mistreated animals, paid photo that funds the trafficking.
Lunch and cool break
The hot hours pass in the shade or in the pool, and match the little ones' nap. For toddlers wiped out, Kawkab Jeux (covered playground in Guéliz, from 25 dirhams / £2) works for an hour or two.
Ben Youssef Medersa and the souks
A bit of heritage for the parents, a game for the kids. You head up through the souks - who finds this object and haggles it half-price, the mission holds a child's attention - to the Ben Youssef Medersa, a former Qur'anic university: zellige courtyard, carved wood, 30 to 40 minutes visit. 50 dirhams (£4), 10 (£1) for under-12s, ticket on site.
Snack at Jardin Secret
The end-of-afternoon cool break, in place of a park: the Jardin Secret café, in the shade of its patios, for a tea and a snack. Kids climb the 17-metre tower, view over the medina rooftops and the Atlas. Reduced rate for the young.
Jemaa el-Fna from a terrace
The square at night can stress a young child: noise, smoke, density. You watch it build in the late afternoon from a raised café terrace - you overlook the show without being caught in it - then dinner on site.
The cool of Ourika
full dayCape to the Atlas and running water: a few degrees less, a waterfall within kids' reach, and a lunch with feet nearly in the wadi.
Road to the valley
Departure from the medina: an hour and a quarter south, by grand taxi or car, via Tnine-Ourika. You climb, the temperature drops, the river shows. Closed shoes in the bag, no pushchair.
First Setti Fatma waterfall
With young children, aim for the first waterfall only, around 30 minutes of walk within kids' reach. Beyond, it is two and a half hours of rock scrambling, too hard for young children. Fix the guide price before setting out: the 'free' escort who then asks for a heavy tip is a village classic.
Lunch with feet in the wadi
Tables sit nearly in the water, on platforms by the wadi: tagine and tea, kids paddling next door. The best moment of the day.
Quiet return
You head back before late afternoon to skip fatigue and traffic. A last dip on arrival, a light dinner.
Worth knowing
- Free Oasiria shuttles from Jemaa el-Fna and Guéliz: skips the taxi bit.
- The right rhythm: outdoors 7am-10.30am and from 6pm, 11am-4pm in the shade or the pool.
- Bottled water only, never the tap or ice cubes. Baby carrier over pushchair in the souks.
- Ourika: first waterfall only with young kids, and guide price fixed before setting out.
- You do not approach or photograph the monkeys and snakes on the square: endangered species, mistreated animals.
- Skip June to August with young kids (over 40°C between noon and 5pm). Spring and autumn ideal.
- Prices indicative (2025), to confirm with providers.
Address book
Keep it handy, and on the PDF: where it is and who to call.
- Oasiria water park Km 4, Amizmiz road, Chrifia, Marrakech +212 5 24 38 04 38
- La Perle aux Oiseaux refuge · on booking Douar El Beggara, Ouarzazate road, Marrakech +212 7 77 90 43 17
- Ben Youssef Medersa · ticket on site Assouel street, medina, Marrakech +212 5 24 38 41 12
- Le Jardin Secret 121 Mouassine street, medina, Marrakech +212 5 24 39 00 40
- Kawkab Jeux Centre Harti, Guéliz, Marrakech +212 5 24 43 89 29
- Terres d'Amanar · on booking Douar Akli, Tahannaout, Tahannaout road +212 6 62 30 05 49
Before you go
Preparing the trip
What to plan for the budget, and how to bend the itinerary to your format.
Budget, per person per day
Per person per day, excluding accommodation and flight. Reckon around half for a child.
| Item | Budget | Mid | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parks, entries & activities | £8-£14 | £15-£24 | £26-£38 |
| Meals & snacks | £10-£17 | £21-£34 | £43-£68 |
| Transfers & taxis | £4-£8 | £10-£17 | £19-£34 |
| Total / day | ~£23-£39 | ~£47-£75 | ~£87-£140 |
How to adapt it
Keep outdoors for morning and end of day, and pass midday air-conditioned: Gravity Park (trampolines, laser game) for the big, Kawkab Jeux for the little, the Menara Mall ice rink, or Palooza Park which opens in the evening to midnight in summer.
Swap the Ourika day for Terres d'Amanar, at 1,650 metres on the Tahannaout road: high ropes, ziplines and a junior park from age 4, several degrees less than in town. More than anything, the anti-heat outing.
One outing a day, the rest in the cool: a farm-park (Bled Ouladi, its pool and its cart) over Oasiria, the Cyber Parc, and the Menara on Friday afternoon, when Marrakchi families come to picnic.
Add a day in town without cooking: a pottery class or a family cooking class at the hot hours, Jardin Majorelle at opening (free for under-10s), and a late afternoon at the Cyber Parc.
Frequently asked questions
Everything we get asked before locking the dates.
What age for this family itinerary?
Can I run this itinerary in high summer?
Do I need a pushchair?
How to handle the animals with the kids?
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