Is Marrakech good with kids, and what is there to do with children?

I take families to Marrakech all the time, and the honest headline is: it's wonderful with kids, but it's a high-stimulation city, not a gentle one. The medina is loud, hot, crowded and full of scooters, which young children can find thrilling or overwhelming depending on the day. Manage that and Marrakech becomes a brilliant family adventure — there's genuinely magic here for them — but go in with a slower pace, plenty of breaks, and a base with a pool to retreat to in the fierce early afternoon.

The square, Jemaa el-Fna, is the obvious hit — kids are mesmerised by the storytellers, musicians, acrobats and the lantern-lit food stalls at night. I'd keep snake charmers and monkey handlers at arm's length (they grab for photos and money, and it's not great for the animals), but the spectacle from a little distance is magical. A horse-drawn calèche ride around the ramparts and gardens is a relaxed, stroller-free way to see the city and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and a Palmeraie camel ride is a gentle, short introduction to the romance of Morocco without committing to the far desert.

For greener, calmer days, the gardens deliver. The ANIMA garden toward Ourika is colourful and playful with space to roam, Le Jardin Secret gives a shaded breather in the medina, and a half-day in the Ourika Valley itself — river paddling, a Berber village, the Setti Fatma falls — is cool, active and a favourite with families escaping the city heat. A hands-on cooking class where kids shape their own bread or pastilla goes down well too, and many riads will tailor one for children.

A few practical things make or break a family trip here. Pick accommodation with a pool — a riad with a plunge pool or a Gueliz/Hivernage hotel — because the midday heat is real and a swim resets everyone. Forget strollers in the souks (the lanes and steps defeat them); a baby carrier is far better. Stay on top of water, sun cream and hats, be cautious with street food for little stomachs while still enjoying the busy, high-turnover stalls, and plan around naps and the heat rather than fighting them. Do that, and the kids come home with the best stories of anyone.