Marrakech
Unique Things to Do in Marrakech Besides the Souks
September 4, 2026 · 9 min read
You have done the medina, the gardens and the rooftop mint tea. Here is what is genuinely worth the second and third day in Marrakech, from a local operator.
The souks are a morning, not a holiday
Marrakech's medina rewards one good morning and one good evening. After that, most travellers hit the same wall: the same lanterns, the same lamps, the same third invitation to see a cousin's carpet.
Everything below is something different — and none of it is more than a short drive from wherever you are staying.
A traditional hammam, done properly
Not a spa treatment with a Moroccan name on the menu: the actual ritual of steam, black soap, kessa glove and rhassoul clay. It is the single most restorative thing you can do after a day of walking on stone, and it is a cultural institution rather than a tourist add-on.
For a different view of the Atlas Mountains: fly
This is the one most visitors do not know is available. Tandem paragliding launches from the Kik Plateau, the open high ground south-west of Marrakech on the way towards the mountains — not the Agafay desert, and not a city flight.
You are strapped into a harness in front of a pilot, so it asks no skill and no preparation from you: you walk a few steps down the slope and the wing does the rest. Around 20 minutes in the air, with the High Atlas along one side and the pale country running towards Agafay on the other. Round-trip transport from your hotel or riad is included.
Flying is weather-led. The pilot reads the wind and the thermals on site and makes the call on the day; if a safe launch is not possible we move the window or cancel, and you do not pay for a flight that did not happen.
Dinner where there is no city
Forty minutes from the medina the Agafay hills go completely quiet. An evening out there — camel ride at golden hour, dinner under actual stars, back in the city before midnight — is the easiest way to feel like you left Marrakech without losing a day to the road.
A mountain village on foot
Imlil is 60 to 90 minutes away and a different country: walnut trees, terraces, mules on the paths, and the beginning of the route to Mount Toubkal. Even a half-day walk from the village changes the shape of the trip.
Sunrise from a basket
A hot-air balloon at dawn is the other flight available near Marrakech, and it is nothing like the paraglide: a slow, calm drift over the plain rather than an active launch on the mountain side of the city. If you are weighing them up, we wrote the comparison rather than pretending one is simply better.
How to sequence it
The pattern that works: medina on the first morning, something out of the city on each following day, and a hammam on the evening of the day you walked the most. Keep one flexible slot for the flight, because wind decides that one, not the calendar.
Frequently asked questions
- What is there to do in Marrakech besides the souks?
- A traditional hammam, an Agafay desert evening, an Atlas valley or Imlil walking day, a tandem paragliding flight from the Kik Plateau, and a dawn hot-air balloon over the plain.
- What is the most unusual thing to do in Marrakech?
- Flying. Most visitors do not realise tandem paragliding runs from the Kik Plateau outside the city, with transport from Marrakech included and no experience needed.
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