Warm days, cold nights, a film festival, a handful of good exhibitions and Ramadan in February: what Marrakech is really like between late November and the end of February, and how to get there.
In December the sun goes down over Marrakech at about half past five, and the city changes its mind about the temperature. At lunch you were sitting outside in shirtsleeves. By seven you want a jumper, and by nine, if you are in a patio open to the sky, a second one.
That, more or less, is the Marrakech winter, and we think it is one of the best times to come. Here is what to expect, what is on and what to pack, for anyone deciding whether to go between late November and February.
Warm days, cold nights
The figures first. At the Marrakech-Menara airport weather station, the averages for 1991 to 2020 give a daytime high of about 23°C in November, 20°C in December, 19°C in January and 21°C in February. The nights are another matter: average lows of about 11°C in November, 7°C in December, 6°C in January and 8°C in February. That is a gap of twelve or thirteen degrees between lunch and the small hours.
It does not rain much. On average there are three or four days a month with a millimetre of rain or more, and the monthly totals stay around 25 to 30 mm. (Sources that count any rain at all give a few more wet days, around six in December.) The rest of the time it is sunny: about seven and a half hours of sunshine a day, right through the winter.
The days are short. Around the winter solstice the sun rises at about 07:30 and sets at about 17:30, which gives you roughly ten hours of daylight. By mid-February it rises at about 07:15 and sets at about 18:20.
A note on the clock, in case you have been before. On 20 September 2026 Morocco went back to GMT, by a decree the government describes as final. Marrakech is now on the same time as London all winter, and one hour behind Paris. The old arrangement, which kept the country on GMT+1 and put the clocks back for Ramadan, has been repealed. All the times in this article are local time.
Now, the practical point. The old houses of the medina were built for heat: thick walls, tiled floors, rooms turned towards a courtyard open to the sky. In July this is very clever. In January, it means that an evening in the patio calls for a jumper, whatever the afternoon was like. Pack a proper one, something warm for the roof after dark, and socks you would not be ashamed of. At Dar Estran the two old salons now meet at a new fireplace, built with those evenings in mind: Marrakech, as I said to the camera in September, is "a hot-sun but cold-night country".
Snow on the Atlas
On a clear winter morning, in a good year, you can see snow from the city: a white line along the High Atlas, a range that averages more than 3,000 metres. Good years have been rare lately. Last winter the snow came back to the Atlas after seven years of drought, and on 23 January 2026 the national weather service forecast snow down to 1,100 metres. If you plan to go up into the mountains, check the forecast and the state of the roads before you set off.
What is on
The Marrakech International Film Festival opens the season. Its 23rd edition runs from 20 to 28 November 2026, with Marion Cotillard as president of the jury; the programme is on the festival's own site.
Then the exhibitions, several of which end during the winter, so mind the dates:
- Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech: "Yves Saint Laurent en scène" runs until 5 January 2027. The museum is open every day except Wednesday, 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30), and tickets are sold online only, through the Jardin Majorelle's ticket site.
- MACAAL, the Musée d'Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden, outside the medina: Daoud Aoulad-Syad's "Le temps d'un battement de cil" until 29 November, and "Statues Also Breathe" and Yassine Balbzioui's "Crazy Lines" until 8 January 2027. Check opening hours on its site.
- Maison de la Photographie, 46 Rue Ahl Fès, in the medina: "Morocco, views from yesterday and today" runs until the end of April 2027, according to its site. Open every day, 9:30 to 19:00; 80 dirhams for adults.
- Musée du Patrimoine Immatériel de Jemaa el-Fna, the museum of the square's intangible heritage: an exhibition of Mohamed Nabili until 15 February 2027.
And then there is the palace that gave our quarter its name. The Dar el Bacha was built in 1910 as the residence of Thami El Glaoui, pasha of Marrakech, and since 2017 it has been a museum, the Musée des Confluences. Its courtyard is a textbook riad garden, in four parts, with fountains and orange trees (we explain why that matters in Dar or riad?). Dar Estran sits at the end of a quiet derb close by, against the gardens of the royal palace, which is why we hear birds and not scooters. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, and closed on Mondays; entry is 60 dirhams for visitors from abroad. Our favourite cafés, shops and gardens around it are in our Dar el Bacha address book.
Two dates in January. Yennayer, the Amazigh new year, falls on 14 January; since 2024 it has been a paid public holiday across Morocco. And the Marrakech Marathon is run at the end of the month: the 2026 edition, on 25 January, had more than 16,000 runners, and the 2027 race is listed for Sunday 31 January, though it is worth checking with the organisers before you plan around it.
Ramadan in February
This winter, Ramadan falls in February. It is expected to begin around 8 February 2027 and to end, with Eid al-Fitr, around 9 or 10 March. Morocco sets the dates by sighting the new crescent moon, and the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs announces them at the last moment, so treat these as approximate.
What changes for a visitor:
- The day: avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight hours. The British government's travel advice notes that it may cause offence. Restaurants in the tourist areas usually stay open, and some seat guests who are not fasting out of sight.
- Opening hours: some restaurants close during the day, shops tend to close around sunset, when the fast is broken, and many places switch to Ramadan hours. Le Jardin Secret, for example, closes at 16:30 instead of 18:00.
- Sunset: about a quarter past six in mid-February, closer to half past six by early March.
- Alcohol: served only in licensed places all year, and never in the street. During Ramadan it can be harder to find, so check before you plan a dinner around a bottle.
Looking ahead to March
If you can wait for spring, 1-54, the contemporary African art fair, comes back to Marrakech from 18 to 21 March 2027, at La Mamounia, about a week after the expected end of Ramadan. That is later than in recent years, when it was held in late January or early February. The first two days are previews for VIPs and the press; the public days are Saturday 20 March, 11:00 to 19:00, and Sunday 21 March, 11:00 to 18:00.
Getting there
As of November 2026, Marrakech-Menara has direct flights from many European cities, among them Paris, London, Brussels, Geneva, Milan, Madrid and Amsterdam. Winter timetables change, so check them before you book. From Paris the flight takes a little over three hours.
There is more choice this winter. easyJet opened a base at Marrakech in April 2026, and from late October and early November it adds two flights a week to each of Prague, Zurich and Newcastle. Ryanair has five new Marrakech routes for the winter, among them Wrocław.
On paperwork: British citizens can visit for up to 90 days without a visa, with a passport valid for at least three months after the day they arrive, in good condition; make sure it is stamped when you enter. French citizens need a passport, as the national identity card is not accepted. Everyone else should check their own government's advice before travelling.
Quick answers
Is Marrakech warm in winter? By day, yes: around 19 to 23°C on average, with plenty of sun. At night, no: lows of around 6 to 11°C.
Does it rain? Rarely. Three or four days a month, on average.
Can I visit during Ramadan? Yes. Be discreet about eating and drinking in public by day, and expect shorter opening hours.
Good to know
- Weather, November to February: days around 19 to 23°C, nights around 6 to 11°C; three or four rainy days a month; about seven and a half hours of sun a day.
- Daylight: sunrise between about 07:00 and 07:30, sunset between about 17:30 and 18:30.
- Time: GMT since 20 September 2026; the same as London, one hour behind Paris.
- Film festival: 20 to 28 November 2026.
- "Yves Saint Laurent en scène": until 5 January 2027; museum closed on Wednesdays; tickets online only.
- Yennayer: 14 January, a public holiday.
- Marathon: listed for Sunday 31 January 2027; check before you go.
- Mohamed Nabili at the Jemaa el-Fna heritage museum: until 15 February 2027.
- Ramadan: expected from about 8 February to 9 or 10 March 2027, depending on the moon.
- 1-54 art fair: 18 to 21 March 2027 at La Mamounia; public days 20 and 21 March.
- Dar el Bacha, Musée des Confluences: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00; 60 dirhams for visitors from abroad.
- Entry: UK citizens, 90 days without a visa, passport valid three months after arrival; French citizens, passport only.
- Pack: a warm jumper for the evenings, and something warmer for the roof.
Dar Estran opens at the end of 2026, behind door 80 at the end of Derb Snan, against the gardens of the royal palace: eight bedrooms, which you can book one at a time or all together. Bookings open soon. If you would like to hear first, there is a list for that on the Dar Estran page. And if you are wondering how a family with houses on the Atlantic and in Sardinia ended up in the medina, it is all in Who we are.
Lola
The house
Dar Estran, Dar el Bacha, Marrakech. Eight bedrooms around two patios, opening at the end of 2026. Be the first to know.
