Palace

Bahia Palace

#7of 9 places to visit in MarrakechMarrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco

Also known as El Bahia Palace · Palais de la Bahia · Bahia Palace Marrakech

Quick answer

Opening hours: 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30. Entry: MAD 100. Allow 1.5 hrs. Best time: 09:00 - 10:30.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 5 min read

Get directionsOfficial site

Photo: Val Traveler / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Opening hours: 09:00–17:00; Daily 09:00-17:00 with last entry around 16:30, per most 2026 sources; one guide lists 08:00-17:00, so verify at the entrance. During Ramadan hours are usually shortened, commonly to around 09:30-15:00. Rooms can close without notice for restoration work following the 2023 earthquake.
Entry fee: MAD 100; Ticket from
Time needed: 1.5 hrs
Best time of day: 09:00 - 10:30
Best months: Mar – May, Sep – Nov
Address: Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid, Medina, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco

About Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace charges MAD 100 for adult foreign visitors and opens 09:00-17:00 daily, as of 2026, with the fee and hours varying between guides (verify at the gate). Built in the late 19th century for Grand Vizier Ba Ahmed ben Moussa, the complex covers about eight hectares and has around 150 rooms, though only a fraction is open to the public. Visitors walk through a sequence of courtyards paved in marble and zellige tile, past carved plaster arches and painted cedar ceilings, with orange trees and fountains in the open gardens. Bahia Palace is not furnished: the vizier's collections were removed after his death, so the visit rests on the surfaces, the ceilings, and the sequence of doors and light rather than on displays. The name means 'the brilliant' or 'the beautiful', and the palace was designed as a private residence with rooms for the vizier's wives and concubines around the Court of Honour.

Best time of day: 09:00 - 10:30. Before the midday tour groups arrive and while the marble courtyards are still cool and the painted cedar ceilings are lit from the side.

Bahia Palace timings

Bahia Palace opens at 09:00 and closes at 17:00. It keeps the same hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Opening hours: 09:00–17:00; Mon–Sun 09:00–17:00; Daily 09:00-17:00 with last entry around 16:30, per most 2026 sources; one guide lists 08:00-17:00, so verify at the entrance. During Ramadan hours are usually shortened, commonly to around 09:30-15:00. Rooms can close without notice for restoration work following the 2023 earthquake.
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	09:00–17:00

Good to know: During Ramadan hours are usually shortened, commonly to around 09:30-15:00. Rooms can close without notice for restoration work following the 2023 earthquake.

Opening hours compiled from visitmarrakech.com and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Bahia Palace ticket price

Entry fees for Bahia Palace
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	MAD 100
Concession (student / senior)	MAD 50
Children	MAD 50

Bahia Palace charges MAD 100 for adult foreign visitors at the gate, as of 2026, per most 2026 sources; children aged 7-13 pay about MAD 50 (some sources list MAD 30) and children under 7 enter free. SOURCE CONFLICT: several earlier and some current guides still list MAD 70 for adults. No separate student or senior rate was found, so the concession field mirrors the child rate; verify at the ticket window. Cash in dirhams only, no cards. Moroccan residents pay a lower rate that could not be confirmed.

Prices compiled from visitmarrakech.com and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Bahia Palace

Quiet
Moderate
Busy
Very busy

09:00 - 10:30
Opening Window
The best time to see the main courtyards nearly empty; tickets are sold at the gate and queues are short before the groups arrive.
Moderate
10:30 - 14:00
Tour Group Peak
Coach and walking groups fill the Court of Honour and gates; peak-season ticket queues can run 45-90 minutes.
Very busy
14:00 - 16:00
Afternoon Lull
Groups thin as lunch breaks end, though summer heat pushes visitors indoors to the shaded rooms.
Busy
16:00 - 17:00
Closing HourBest time to go
Last entry is around 16:30; the palace empties and the low light is good for ceiling details, but some rooms are already closed.
Quiet

History of Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace was begun in the 1860s by Si Moussa, grand vizier to sultans Muhammad IV and Hassan I, and enlarged between 1894 and 1900 by his son Ba Ahmed ben Moussa, who served as chamberlain and effective ruler during the minority of Sultan Abdelaziz. Ba Ahmed hired craftsmen from Fez and elsewhere in Morocco to lay the cedar-wood ceilings, carve the stucco and set the zellige tile. He died in 1900, and the palace was reportedly looted soon after, with the furniture and fittings stripped from many rooms.

During the French Protectorate that began in 1912, Bahia Palace served as the residence of the Resident-General Hubert Lyautey. Parts of the complex are still used by the Moroccan royal family and officials, which is one reason large sections are closed to visitors. The September 2023 Al Haouz earthquake caused damage in the medina, and the palace reopened to visitors about one month after emergency repairs, according to the Ministry of Culture. A formal restoration programme covering Marrakech monuments including Bahia was announced afterwards; timing and scope of any partial closures should be verified on arrival.

Rules & etiquette at Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace expects modest dress, with shoulders and knees covered, though staff rarely enforce it at the gate. Marble and tile floors are slippery when wet, and flat, grippy shoes are advisable. Tickets are sold only at the gate in cash, and queues in peak season commonly run 45-90 minutes at midday, so buy early or book a skip-the-line ticket through a licensed guide or an online agent, as of 2026.

Bahia Palace allows photography for personal use at no extra charge; tripods and commercial shoots need authorisation. Some rooms carry no signage, and unofficial guides at the gate sometimes offer a 30-minute tour for a fee they raise afterward, so agree the price first or decline. Official guides carry a badge issued by the Ministry of Tourism.

Tips for visiting Bahia Palace

1
Bahia Palace rewards an early start: arrive at 09:00 opening and go straight to the Court of Honour, the large marble-paved courtyard with painted cedar doors, before the tour groups reach it. The Small Court and the private apartments beyond it are quieter and have the finest painted ceilings. Follow the arrows because the routing can double back, and several rooms close for restoration without notice.
2
Bahia Palace pairs with the Saadian Tombs and El Badi Palace in a single morning, since the three are within 10-15 minutes of each other on foot, though the medina lanes between them are confusing and Google Maps often mis-routes. Buy water outside because vending inside is limited; the on-site toilets are basic. The entrance sits on Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid, and the side street is lined with souvenir stalls that quote inflated prices, so expect to negotiate.

How to reach Bahia Palace

The red star is Bahia Palace; the numbered pins are the 7 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid, Medina, 40000 Marrakech, MoroccoDirections in Google Maps

From Jemaa el-Fnaa
1 km · 15-20 min
Free on foot; a petit taxi starts near MAD 7 on the meter, and drivers often quote MAD 20-30 flat
From Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)
7 km · 40-55 min
MAD 30 one-way on Bus 19 (as of 2026)
From Marrakech railway station (ONCF)
5 km · 15-25 min
Metered fare typically MAD 20-40; agree the fare if the meter is refused

Nearest airport

From Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)

approximately 8 km, 20-30 minutes by taxi.

Nearest station

From Marrakech railway station (ONCF)

approximately 5 km, 15-25 minutes by taxi; no rail station near the palace.

Bahia Palace FAQs

How much does Bahia Palace cost?

Bahia Palace costs MAD 100 for adult foreign visitors at the gate, as of 2026, per most current sources. Some guides still list MAD 70, so verify at the ticket window; children aged 7-13 pay about MAD 50 and children under 7 enter free.

What are the opening hours of Bahia Palace?

Bahia Palace is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00, with last entry around 16:30, as of 2026. Hours are commonly shortened during Ramadan, and some rooms close for restoration.

Is Bahia Palace open after the 2023 earthquake?

Yes. Bahia Palace reopened about one month after the September 2023 Al Haouz earthquake following emergency repairs, and a wider restoration programme for Marrakech monuments has followed. Some rooms may be closed, so check on arrival.

Can visitors see the whole of Bahia Palace?

No. Only a fraction of the roughly 150 rooms is open to the public, and parts of the complex are still used by the royal family and officials. The public route covers the main courtyards, the Court of Honour and a set of decorated rooms.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places