Where to Stay in Morocco
Staying in a Riad in Morocco
What a riad is, what to expect inside the medina walls, how riads compare with hotels and how we choose the ones we use.
The short answer
- A riad is a traditional house built around an inner courtyard or garden, usually inside the old medina.
- Most have between five and fifteen rooms, so service is personal and the atmosphere quiet.
- Cars cannot reach most riads; a porter meets you at the nearest gate with a cart for the luggage.
A riad is a traditional Moroccan house built around a central courtyard, often with a fountain or orange trees, and with rooms opening onto galleries above. Many have been restored as small guesthouses, and staying in one is the best way to feel what life inside a medina is like.
Riad or hotel?
Riads give you character, location and personal service. Hotels give you space, larger pools and easy car access. On most journeys we mix the two: riads in Marrakech and Fes, where the medina is the reason to be there, and hotels or kasbah lodges elsewhere.
What to expect
- Arrival on foot. The lanes are too narrow for cars. Your driver walks you in and a porter brings the bags.
- Rooms of different shapes. Rooms in an old house vary; we always say which room we have reserved.
- Rooftop terraces. Breakfast and evening drinks are usually served on the roof.
- Quiet nights. Thick walls keep the medina noise out, though the call to prayer is part of the experience.
How we choose
We visit every riad we work with, and we look at the walk from the nearest gate, the quality of the beds and bathrooms, how the team handles late arrivals and whether the rooms on the courtyard are quiet enough to sleep. See the stays we use on our Stays page.
