What is Marrakech like in February?

February feels like the first soft hint of spring in Marrakech, even though it is firmly still winter. Daytime temperatures creep up to 19 to 21°C, a degree or two warmer than January, and the afternoons can be genuinely warm in the sun. What I love about this month is the almond blossom: drive an hour into the Atlas foothills and the valleys around Ourika and Asni turn pink and white with flowering trees. It is one of the prettiest times of year in the region and almost nobody talks about it.

The nights, as in January, are the part to plan for. Expect 7 to 8°C after dark, sometimes cooler, so the same advice applies — a proper coat, layers, and a riad with reliable heating. By late February the chill starts to ease a little and the evenings on a sheltered rooftop become bearable rather than bracing, but I would not pack as if it were spring quite yet. Mornings can start cold and grey before the sun burns through into another bright afternoon.

Crowd-wise and price-wise, February is still very much shoulder of the low season, which means thin queues at the major sights and accommodation rates well below the spring peak. The exception is the school half-term week, when European families briefly fill the better family riads, so if your dates fall in mid-February book a little earlier than you otherwise would. Outside that week, you will have the Saadian Tombs, the Secret Garden and the tanneries refreshingly to yourself.

For activities, February rewards the culturally curious over the sun-seeker. The rooftop pools are still too cold for swimming, but this is a wonderful month for long days in the medina, a cooking class, a hammam, and day trips into the snow-dusted Atlas. If you are pairing Marrakech with the desert, February nights in the Sahara remain cold, so pack accordingly — but the daytime dunes are uncrowded and the air is wonderfully clear. Come for the light, the blossom and the calm, dress for cool evenings, and February quietly over-delivers.