Bahia Palace vs El Badi Palace: Which Marrakech Palace to Visit?

Marrakech's two great palaces sit a short walk apart in the Kasbah and Mellah quarter, yet they offer opposite experiences: the Bahia Palace is an intact, lavishly decorated 19th-century palace, while El Badi is a vast, atmospheric ruin of a 16th-century Saadian one. Here is how to choose — or combine both.

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Two of Marrakech's most visited palaces stand only a short walk apart in the Kasbah and Mellah quarter, but they could hardly be more different. The Bahia Palace is a restored, intact palace built in the late 19th century, conceived as one of the grandest of its day: you walk through richly decorated rooms and tranquil courtyards, past intricate zellij tilework, painted and carved cedar ceilings and finely worked stucco, with a riad-style garden at its heart. Its name is usually translated as 'the beautiful', and the palace lives up to it through sheer ornament and craftsmanship. El Badi Palace tells the opposite story. Built in the late 16th century under the Saadian dynasty as a palace of legendary splendour, it was later stripped, and today survives as monumental ruins — an enormous sunken courtyard set with sunken orange groves and reflecting pools, ringed by towering pisé (rammed-earth) ramparts where storks nest, with underground passages below and the restored Koutoubia minbar displayed in a pavilion. One palace is intact and decorated; the other is vast, ruined and atmospheric. Many visitors, given how close they sit, simply do both.

Option A

Bahia Palace

An intact, richly decorated late-19th-century palace — zellij, painted cedar and tranquil courtyards

Best for

Visitors who want ornate interiors, craftsmanship and walkable, decorated rooms

Full guide

Option B

El Badi Palace

A vast 16th-century Saadian palace now in monumental ruins — sunken courtyard, ramparts and storks

Best for

Visitors drawn to grand open-air ruins, atmosphere, ramparts and rooftop views

Full guide

Side-by-side breakdown

Bahia Palace vs El Badi Palace

How the two stack up across the things that actually shape a trip — read down each column, or across each row.

Category

Bahia PalaceEl Badi Palace

Bahia Palace compared with El Badi Palace
State & era	Bahia PalaceIntact and restored; a late-19th-century palace you walk through fully decorated	El Badi PalaceMonumental ruins; a late-16th-century Saadian palace stripped over time, now open-air
What you see	Bahia PalaceRichly decorated rooms and courtyards — zellij tilework, painted carved-cedar ceilings, stucco and a riad garden	El Badi PalaceA vast sunken courtyard with sunken orange groves and reflecting pools, ramparts and underground passages
Atmosphere	Bahia PalaceOrnate, intimate and tranquil — a sequence of decorated interiors and shaded courtyards	El Badi PalaceGrand, open-air and atmospheric — scale, ruin and sky rather than decoration
Signature feature	Bahia PalaceThe craftsmanship itself — intricate zellij, carved and painted cedar ceilings and stucco work	El Badi PalaceThe towering pisé ramparts where storks nest, plus the restored Koutoubia minbar on display
Photography	Bahia PalaceDetail and pattern — tilework, ceilings, doorways and courtyard symmetry	El Badi PalaceScale and texture — the sunken courtyard, rampart views and nesting storks; good rooftop panoramas
Cost & time	Bahia PalaceA small separate entry fee; roughly an hour to walk the rooms and courtyards	El Badi PalaceA small separate entry fee; roughly an hour, longer if you climb the ramparts for the view
Location & combining	Bahia PalaceIn the Kasbah/Mellah quarter, a short walk from El Badi — easy to pair in one outing	El Badi PalaceA short walk from the Bahia Palace; the two are commonly combined in a single visit
Who it suits	Bahia PalaceThose who prefer intact, ornate interiors and fine craftsmanship	El Badi PalaceThose who prefer vast atmospheric ruins, ramparts, storks and rooftop views

Our verdict

Which should you choose?

Choose the Bahia Palace if you want intact, ornate interiors and craftsmanship — a sequence of richly decorated rooms and tranquil courtyards with intricate zellij tilework, painted carved-cedar ceilings, stucco and a riad garden. Choose El Badi Palace if you are drawn to vast, atmospheric ruins — an enormous sunken courtyard with sunken orange groves and reflecting pools, towering pisé ramparts where storks nest, underground passages and the restored Koutoubia minbar on display, with rooftop views over the quarter. Because the two palaces sit only a short walk apart in the Kasbah and Mellah, and each costs only a small entry fee, the simplest answer for most visitors is to do both in one outing — the Bahia for the decorated interiors, El Badi for the grand open-air ruins.

Deep dives

Explore each destination in full.

Full destination guide

Bahia Palace

Full destination guide

El Badi Palace

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

What is the difference between the Bahia Palace and El Badi Palace?

The Bahia Palace is an intact, restored late-19th-century palace you walk through fully decorated — intricate zellij tilework, painted and carved cedar ceilings, stucco and tranquil courtyards with a riad garden. El Badi Palace is a much older late-16th-century Saadian palace that survives as monumental ruins: a vast sunken courtyard with sunken orange groves and reflecting pools, towering rammed-earth ramparts where storks nest, underground passages, and the restored Koutoubia minbar on display. In short, the Bahia is intact and ornate, while El Badi is grand, ruined and atmospheric.

Can I visit both the Bahia Palace and El Badi Palace in one day?

Yes, easily. The two palaces sit a short walk apart in the Kasbah and Mellah quarter of Marrakech and are commonly combined in a single outing. Each has its own small entry fee. Many visitors see the Bahia Palace for its decorated rooms and courtyards, then walk over to El Badi to explore the ruins and climb the ramparts for the views.

Which Marrakech palace is better for photography?

It depends on what you want to capture. The Bahia Palace is best for detail and pattern — tilework, painted cedar ceilings, doorways and symmetrical courtyards. El Badi Palace is best for scale and texture — the enormous sunken courtyard, the rammed-earth ramparts, the nesting storks and the rooftop panoramas over the quarter. For variety, photographing both gives you both the intricate and the monumental.

Is El Badi Palace worth visiting if it is in ruins?

For many visitors, yes — the ruins are exactly the appeal. El Badi was built in the late 16th century as a Saadian palace of legendary splendour and, though later stripped, it remains hugely atmospheric: a vast sunken courtyard with sunken orange groves and reflecting pools, towering ramparts where storks nest, underground passages, and the restored Koutoubia minbar displayed in a pavilion. It offers grandeur and open-air atmosphere rather than the decorated interiors you find at the Bahia Palace.

Which palace should I visit if I only have time for one?

If you want intact, richly decorated interiors and fine craftsmanship, choose the Bahia Palace. If you prefer vast, atmospheric ruins with ramparts, storks and rooftop views, choose El Badi. Since the two are only a short walk apart and each charges a small entry fee, it is worth trying to fit both into one visit. Always check current opening hours before you go.

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