What is there to do with kids in Marrakech?

Marrakech is genuinely one of the best family cities in Morocco, and I plan it for families constantly. The thing that overwhelms some adults — the sheer sensory overload — is exactly what lights kids up. The centrepiece is Jemaa el-Fnaa, the great square, and you want to visit it at dusk: orange-juice carts, snake charmers, drummers, acrobats, storytellers, and (be aware) Barbary apes and snake handlers who will want a few dirhams if you photograph or engage. Children find it thrilling. Eat from the food stalls or watch the whole spectacle from a balcony restaurant ringing the square with a tagine in front of you.

For gentler daytime fun, a horse-drawn calèche ride around the ramparts and gardens is a winner with little ones — they love the clip-clop and you get to see the city without small legs giving out. The Jardin Majorelle, with its cobalt-blue buildings, bamboo, cacti and koi pools, is compact and engaging (go early to beat the queues), and the vast Menara gardens with their olive groves and reflecting pool give kids room to run. The souks become a treasure hunt if you give an older child a small budget to haggle for a lantern or a leather slipper.

Just outside the city the activity menu is fantastic for energetic kids. Camel rides through the palmeraie (palm groves) on the edge of town are short, gentle and led — perfect for a first taste of the "desert" experience without an overnight trek. Quad biking and buggy rides through the rocky Agafay desert thrill older children and teens. For real fresh air, day-trip to the Ourika Valley for a riverside walk, a mule ride and a paddle, or to the Ouzoud waterfalls where Barbary macaque monkeys live in the trees and kids can swim in the pools below.

Two practical things make Marrakech with kids work. First, base yourselves in a riad or hotel with a pool — the heat is real, and an afternoon swim resets tired, overstimulated children far better than pushing through. Second, build the day around the cooler morning and evening, with a long, lazy pool-and-lunch break in the middle. A traditional hammam is also a lovely, slightly novel treat that older kids surprisingly enjoy. Get that rhythm right and Marrakech keeps everyone happy.

My honest verdict: Marrakech is a superb family city if you mix the cultural theatre (the square, the gardens, the souks) with a couple of active outings (camel ride, quad biking, a valley day trip) and plenty of pool downtime. Our family team builds exactly these blends, and our three-day Marrakech itinerary is an easy starting point to adapt to your children's ages.