12 Best Museums in Marrakech

The national museum of Moroccan decorative arts, housed in a magnificent 19th-century palace built by Si Said, brother of Grand Vizier Ba Ahmed. The palace itself is the first exhibit: carved cedar ceilings, painted zouak woodwork, zellige tilework, and a central courtyard with a fountain and orange trees. The collection includes Berber jewellery, weapons, carpets, ceramics, leather goods, and carved wooden objects from across Morocco. The highlight is the hammam room — an intimate space with an original marble fountain. The palace is quieter and less crowded than the nearby Bahia Palace, with equal architectural beauty. The collection provides excellent context for understanding the crafts you see in the souks. The rooftop has medina views.

Housed in the 19th-century Dar Menebhi palace — a grand riad with a spectacular central courtyard featuring a massive brass chandelier hanging from the painted ceiling. The museum displays Moroccan art: ceramics, textiles, coins, weaponry, and contemporary Moroccan painting. The building is the star: ornate carved stucco, zellige tilework, and painted cedar ceilings. The courtyard is one of the most photographed interiors in Marrakech — the chandelier, the marble floor, and the surrounding galleries create a sense of grandeur. The hammam section displays original heated-floor architecture. The palace was a residence, then a workshop, before being restored as a museum. Located next to the Ben Youssef Madrasa, it's usually visited as part of a circuit with the madrasa and the Almoravid Koubba.

A personal collection of Saharan art and objects assembled by Dutch anthropologist Bert Flint over 50 years of travels through Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa. The museum follows a caravan route from Marrakech to Timbuktu, with each room representing a stage of the journey: textiles, jewellery, musical instruments, weapons, and household objects from Berber, Tuareg, and West African cultures. The collection is extraordinary — some pieces are the last surviving examples of their kind. The riad housing the collection is itself beautiful, with a quiet courtyard. The museum is small (allow 45 minutes) but dense with cultural information. Bert Flint collected with a scholar's eye and a connoisseur's taste. The museum bridges Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa.

The palatial residence of Thami el-Glaoui — the "Pasha of Marrakech" who hosted Churchill, Roosevelt, and Colette. Recently restored and opened as the Musée des Confluences, the palace is one of Marrakech's most opulent: vast painted ceilings, carved cedar, ornate zellige, and a series of courtyards. The museum programme focuses on the confluence of cultures that shaped Morocco — Berber, Arab, Andalusian, African, and European. The restoration is extraordinary — rooms that had fallen into disrepair now gleam with original colour. The palace scale is closer to a royal residence than a typical riad. The Bacha coffee shop (in the courtyard) is a destination in itself, serving single-origin Moroccan coffee. The building tells the complex story of Marrakech's 20th-century politics.