No online booking exists for Bahia Palace. Anyone selling a "ticket" online is bundling a guide or audio guide with the gate price. Just turn up with 100 MAD.
Ticket prices 2026
| Visitor | Price |
|---|---|
| Foreign adult | 100 MAD (~€9.50) |
| Moroccan citizens & residents (with card) | 30 MAD |
| Children (approx. 7–12) | 30 MAD · under 7 generally free |
| Guided tour with entry (platforms) | €15–30 per person |
The Ministry of Culture raised entry at its Marrakech monuments (Bahia, Badi, Saadian Tombs) to 100 MAD for foreigners; older guides still say 70 MAD. Checked October 2026. Bring dirhams: the card terminal is not always working.
Opening hours
- Every day: 9:00 – 17:00, last entry around 16:30.
- Ramadan: roughly 9:00 – 16:00.
- Closures: occasionally for official events; the palace is still used by the Ministry. Sections close for restoration without notice.
What you see
- The entrance garden. A 150 m walk through orange trees and cypresses before the ticket office. This is where the queue forms.
- Petit Riad. The small courtyard with the first painted ceilings. Groups bunch here; keep walking and come back.
- Grand Courtyard. 1,500 m² of Carrara marble and zellige, lined with the rooms of the grand vizier's wives and concubines. The photo everyone takes.
- Grand Riad. The oldest part, built by Si Moussa in the 1860s, with the finest cedar ceilings.
- Council Room and the apartments of Lalla Zineb. Stained glass and the most elaborate stucco. Often where the restoration work is.
The rooms are empty: no furniture, few signs. Without a guide you are looking at ceilings and tilework, which is beautiful but tells you nothing about who lived here. A guide (or a good audio guide) is the difference between "pretty" and understanding the harem politics of the 1890s.
Getting there
- On foot from Jemaa el-Fna: 12–15 minutes south along Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid. Straightforward; ignore anyone who says the palace is "closed today" and offers to take you somewhere else.
- From El Badi / Saadian Tombs: 5–10 minutes' walk. The three together make the classic Kasbah morning.
- Taxi: ask for "Palais Bahia" or "Place des Ferblantiers". 20–30 MAD from Gueliz.
Things nobody tells you
- 9:00 means 9:00. Be at the gate when it opens and you get the Grand Courtyard almost to yourself for 20 minutes.
- Half the palace is closed. The visit covers only the public wings; the rest is still state property. Do not feel short-changed, that is normal.
- Look up. The best work is on the ceilings. The courtyard floors are nice; the cedar is the point.
- Toilets are near the exit, basic. Café outside the gate, not inside.
- Combine with El Badi Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Mellah spice market, all within 10 minutes' walk. Afterwards, lunch at Place des Ferblantiers.
Bahia Palace: frequently asked questions
Do I need to book Bahia Palace tickets in advance?
No. There is no official online ticketing; you buy at the gate, cash or card. The "skip the line" tickets sold on platforms are resold entries with a guide or audio guide; they can be worth it in peak season when the gate queue is 30 minutes, but the palace itself never sells out.
How much is Bahia Palace entry?
100 MAD for foreign adults (the Ministry of Culture raised it from 70 MAD), 30 MAD for Moroccan citizens and foreign residents with a card, and 30 MAD for children. Under 12 usually free. Cash in dirhams is safest; card terminals exist but are not always working.
How long does Bahia Palace take?
45 minutes to 1 hour. The visitable part is the Grand Courtyard, the Petit Riad, the Grand Riad and the Council Room. Parts are periodically closed for restoration, so some days it is shorter.
What is the best time to visit Bahia Palace?
At opening, 9:00 am sharp. Tour groups arrive from about 10:00 and the courtyards fill up quickly. After 15:30 is the second-best window. Avoid 10:30–13:00.
Is Bahia Palace the same as El Badi Palace?
No. Bahia (19th century) is the intact, decorated one with painted ceilings and tiled courtyards. El Badi (16th century) is the ruined one with the sunken gardens and storks, five minutes' walk away. Most people do both plus the Saadian Tombs in one morning.
