Museums
Marrakech has several excellent museums, all set in historic buildings and highlighting collections of local arts and crafts. The 19th-century Bahia Palace still functions as a royal residence where the king entertains, but dozens of rooms are open to the public to see how the royals lived, including the former residence of the Grand Vizier's four wives and his royal harem of 24 concubines. These rooms are decked out floor to ceiling with an eye-popping combination of stuccowork, mosaics, and intricately carved and painted wooodwork. Just north of the Bahia palace along Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jedid you'll notice signs pointing the way to Musée Dar Si Saïd. This former mansion of 19th-century royal chamberlain Sidi Said now houses a notable collection of daggers, carved doors, musical instruments, and mysterious kitchen implements. The route through the museum flows through maze-like entry rooms, through a courtyard, and upstairs to the magnificent domed wedding chamber and top-floor kitchen.

Nearby, the Musée Tiskiwin is a beautiful double riad containing the private collection of folk crafts belonging to Dutch collector Bert Flint. This small, dusty, and appealingly quirky museum leads visitors on a journey from Tuareg artifacts of the Sahara to the talismanic Berber adornments of the Atlas Mountains. Despite being around the corner from the Musée Dar Si Saïd, the way is poorly signed and it is easy to get lost en route; follow the signs on Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jedid instead.

In the heart of the souks, the sublime Ben Youssef Medersa is a former Koranic school where the main courtyard is a wonder of stucco, mosaics, and marble surrounded by balconies of exquisite carved cedar and relatively austere dorm rooms where students lived, memorised scriptures, crammed for tests in Islamic law, and prepared simple hot-plate meals. A visit here can be combined with a trip to the Musée de Marrakech (Museum of Marrakech), a magnificently restored 19th-century mansion built by the Mnebhi family that now displays carpets, jewellery, furniture, ceramics, textiles and manuscripts. Across the square in front of the Ali ben Youssef mosque is the Koubba el Badiyin, the sole surviving structure of the city's Almoravid founders other than the mudbrick city walls. A combined ticket gives same-day access to the Medersa, museum, and Koubba el Badiyin.

Bahia Palace
Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jedid, near Place des Ferblantiers
Tel: (024) 389 564.
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs and Sat-Sun 0830-1145 and 1430-1745, Fri 0830-1130 & 1500-1745.
Admission charge.

Musée Dar Si Saïd
Off Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jedid, near Bahia Palace
Tel: (024) 389 564.
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 0900-1200 and 1500-1800.
Admission charge.

Musée Tiskiwin
8 Rue Dar Bahia, near Bahia Palace
Tel: (024) 389 192.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1230 and 1500-1730.
Admission charge.

Musée de Marrakech
Ben Youssef Medersa
Koubba el Badiyin
Place ben Youssef (in the souks)
Tel: (024) 441 893 (Medersa) or 390 911 (museum).
Opening hours: Medersa daily 0900-1800, museum and Koubba daily 0900-1900.
Admission charges.

Menara Gardens
With its backdrop of the Atlas Mountains, it is no surprise that the Menara Gardens are one of the most photographed places in Morocco. It is also a popular place among locals for picnics. The best time to come is late afternoon (or evening if it is light enough) when most of the tourists have left. More a working farm than a garden, the Menara was laid out in the 12th century by the Almohads. Around 30,000 olive trees are set around a magnificent reflecting pool, filled with fish that leap above the surface to the surprise of passing walkers. The well-kept picnic pavilion, the menzeh, was built much later in 1869. The first-floor open balcony offers a wonderful view over the pool and the mountains beyond.

Avenue de la Menara, 2km (1 mile) east of the medina
Opening hours: Daily 0500-1845.
Admission charge.