At 11 in the morning during Ramadan, the courtyards of Bahia Palace are close to empty. Not because the palace is closed, but because half the usual crowd assumed it was.
That assumption costs people one of the better months to see the place. Visiting Bahia Palace during Ramadan is entirely possible and, in some ways, better than visiting in April. The hours are shorter, the medina runs on a different clock, and there are a handful of things you should not do in public. None of it is complicated.
Here is what actually changes.
What are Bahia Palace's Ramadan opening hours?
Outside Ramadan, Bahia Palace opens daily from 9:00 to 17:00. During Ramadan the schedule is typically reduced to around 10:00 to 16:00.
The word "typically" is doing real work in that sentence. Ramadan hours are set each year and can be adjusted, sometimes with little notice, and individual monuments do not always change on the same date. Treat 10:00–16:00 as your planning assumption and confirm before you go, either through the official Ministry of Culture portal at e-services.minculture.gov.ma or by asking your riad the evening before. Riad staff generally know the current hours across the medina better than any website does.
Our 2026 opening hours guide tracks the standard schedule and any published seasonal changes.
Two consequences of the shorter day:
- You lose the 9:00 hour. That is normally the quietest hour at Bahia, so the usual "arrive at opening" advice shifts an hour later.
- Last entry moves earlier. Do not plan to arrive at 15:45 and expect a full visit.
When is Ramadan in Marrakech?
Ramadan follows the lunar calendar, so it moves roughly 11 days earlier each year against the Gregorian calendar. That means it drifts across the seasons over time, and a Ramadan that falls in cool March weather will, some years later, fall in punishing summer heat.
Because the start depends on the sighting of the moon, the exact first day is confirmed only a day or two in advance. If your trip lands near the boundary, plan for both possibilities rather than assuming a date you read months earlier.
What actually changes in the medina
The palace is the smallest part of it. The city is what changes.
Mornings are slower. Shops in the souks open later and with less energy. Nobody is calling you into their stall at 9am with much conviction. If crowds and constant approaches are the part of Marrakech you dread, Ramadan mornings are a noticeably gentler version of the city.
Afternoons empty out. In the hour before sunset the medina thins dramatically as people head home for ftour, the meal that breaks the fast. Jemaa el-Fna, which is normally at its busiest in the early evening, goes quiet. It is genuinely strange to see, and it lasts about an hour.
Then the city restarts. After ftour the medina fills again and stays busy late. Cafés are full at 11pm. Families are out. This is the best part of Ramadan as a visitor and the main reason to consider timing a trip for it.
Some restaurants close during the day. Not all, and tourist-facing places in the Kasbah and near the main squares usually stay open, but your options at 1pm are narrower than usual. Our guide to restaurants near Bahia Palace lists places in the area, though during Ramadan it is worth calling ahead.
Etiquette: what you should and should not do
You are not expected to fast. You are expected to be discreet about not fasting.
Do not eat, drink or smoke while walking through the medina during daylight. This is the single rule that matters. Nobody will confront you, which is precisely why visitors keep getting it wrong, but it reads as rude in the same way that eating a sandwich during a church service would. Drink your water indoors, in your riad, or in a restaurant that is serving.
Dress a little more carefully than usual. The standard advice for Bahia Palace applies year-round: shoulders and knees covered. During Ramadan it is worth being slightly more conservative than the minimum. Our dress code guide covers what gets people turned away at the gate.
Be patient with service. Someone who has not eaten or had water since before dawn, in a hot city, working a full shift, may not be at their most cheerful at 4pm. This is a reasonable thing to accommodate.
Say the greeting. "Ramadan Mubarak" or "Ramadan Karim" costs you nothing and lands well.
Ask before photographing people, which is true year-round but especially during a religious month.
Do not chew gum in the street. This catches people out because it does not feel like eating. It reads exactly the same way to someone who has been fasting since dawn.
Keep perfume light and music quiet. Neither is forbidden, but a phone playing music on a bus at 4pm during Ramadan gets the same look it would get in a library.
None of this is enforced by anyone. There is no fine and nobody will stop you. That is precisely why it is worth getting right: the only thing regulating visitor behaviour during Ramadan is whether visitors have bothered to find out what the month means to the people around them.
Why Ramadan can be the best time to visit
Fewer people. That is the honest headline.
Tour groups thin out. The queue at Bahia's ticket booth, which can run 20 to 30 minutes at midday in high season, is usually shorter. The courtyards that are difficult to photograph without strangers in the frame become manageable. If you have read our guide to avoiding the crowds at Bahia Palace, Ramadan does much of that work for you.
The evenings are the other reason. Ftour in a Moroccan family riad, or simply sitting in a café as the whole street breaks its fast at the same minute, is a genuinely memorable thing and it does not exist the rest of the year.
And the mild negative, because there always is one: your daytime rhythm has to bend. You will be planning around closed kitchens, shorter monument hours, and a city that is running at low power between noon and sunset. If your holiday depends on long lunches and afternoon energy, another month suits you better.
Planning your day around the shorter hours
A workable Ramadan schedule for the Bahia area:
- 10:00 Bahia Palace at opening. It stays quiet longer than usual.
- 11:30 Walk to the Mellah or El Badi, both within ten minutes.
- 13:00 Late lunch somewhere that is open, or back to your riad.
- 15:00–17:00 Rest. Genuinely. The city is doing the same.
- Just before sunset Find a rooftop or a café and watch the medina empty.
- After ftour Go back out. This is the good part.
If you are compressing Marrakech into a single day during Ramadan, our one-day Marrakech itinerary can be shifted an hour later and still works, though you should cut one stop.
Getting there during Ramadan
Nothing changes structurally. Bahia Palace is on Rue Riad Zitoun el Jedid, about ten minutes on foot from Jemaa el-Fna, and the walking route from the square is the same in any month.
One small difference: taxi drivers are often trying to get home before sunset, so a taxi at 17:30 during Ramadan is harder to find and less willing to negotiate than usual. Walk, or leave earlier.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bahia Palace open during Ramadan?
Yes. It stays open daily, usually on reduced hours of roughly 10:00 to 16:00 instead of the standard 9:00 to 17:00. Times can be adjusted year to year, so confirm through the official portal or ask your riad the day before.
Can tourists eat and drink in public during Ramadan in Marrakech?
You are not required to fast, but eating, drinking or smoking while walking around in daylight is considered disrespectful. Do it indoors, in your accommodation, or in restaurants that are open and serving during the day.
Is Marrakech worth visiting during Ramadan?
For many visitors, yes. Crowds are lighter at monuments including Bahia Palace, and the evenings after ftour have an atmosphere the city does not have at other times. The trade-off is shorter monument hours and fewer daytime dining options.
Do I need to dress differently during Ramadan?
The standard expectation of covered shoulders and knees applies year-round at Bahia Palace. During Ramadan, dressing slightly more conservatively than the minimum is a small courtesy that is noticed.
Are the souks open during Ramadan?
Yes, though they open later in the morning and go quiet in the hour before sunset. They are busiest late in the evening after ftour, which is a good time to shop if you do not mind a late night.
Will there be queues at Bahia Palace during Ramadan?
Usually shorter than normal. The combination of fewer tour groups and a later opening spreads arrivals out. Arriving within the first half hour of opening still gives you the quietest courtyards.
Planning a Ramadan visit? Entry to Bahia Palace is sold at the official price of 100 MAD with nothing added on top. Our ticket page explains how to get in and what to expect at the door.