Match-ups
Marrakech vs Istanbul
For: City-breakers who love bazaars, domes and food
Two great bazaar cities, two great breakfasts, two cities that will sell you a carpet before you've said hello.
Marrakech3 Istanbul1
7 rounds. Numbers come with their sources under each round; the scores out of 5 are our own take. Draws count for no one.
Round 1
Getting there
Average return fare from London (Kayak), with flight times
Marrakech £154 return 3.7 h non-stop from London, no non-stop from Dubai. Average return from Dubai: AED 2,661 (to RAK)
Istanbul £265 return 3.9 h non-stop from London, 5.2 h from Dubai. Average return from Dubai: AED 1,974 (to IST)
Marrakech is the cheaper trip from London.
Sources kayak.co.uk kayak.ae kayak.co.uk kayak.ae Checked 2026-11-14.
Round 2
Cost of a day
Average spend per traveller per day (budgetyourtrip.com), in US dollars
Marrakech US$ 100 a day
Istanbul US$ 157 a day
Marrakech is cheaper: about 36% less a day.
Sources budgetyourtrip.com budgetyourtrip.com Checked 2026-11-14.
Round 3
Weather
Average daytime high, °C
Marrakech Marrakech Jan 19.1°Apr 25.7°Jul 37.7°Oct 28.5°
Istanbul Istanbul Jan 9.2°Apr 17.1°Jul 29.5°Oct 20.8°
Marrakech for winter sun; Istanbul for a mild spring or autumn. Marrakech in July is very hot.
Sources en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org Checked 2026-11-14.
Round 4
Visa
For UK, EU and US passports; check yours on the official page
Marrakech No visa for UK, EU and US passports, up to 90 days
Istanbul No visa for UK passports, up to 90 days in 180
A draw on paperwork.
Sources gov.uk gov.uk Checked 2026-11-14.
Round 5
Sights
Our take, scored out of 5
Marrakech 4 / 5 Jemaa el-Fnaa, Bahia Palace, Majorelle, the souks, the Atlas a day trip away
Istanbul 5 / 5 Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı, the Grand Bazaar, a Bosphorus ferry
Istanbul: 2,000 years of empire are hard to beat.
Round 6
Day trips
Our take, scored out of 5
Marrakech 5 / 5 Atlas villages, Ouzoud waterfalls, the Agafay desert, Essaouira
Istanbul 3 / 5 Princes' Islands, the Black Sea villages; most else is far
Marrakech: mountains and desert within a few hours.
Round 7
Crowds
Our take, scored out of 5
Marrakech 3 / 5 Busy medina, constant offers from touts and guides
Istanbul 3 / 5 A city of 15 million; the old town is packed in summer
A draw: both are loud, both are worth it.
The verdict
Istanbul has the bigger sights. Marrakech has the sun in winter and the mountains next door. Go to Istanbul in spring, Marrakech from October to April.
Marrakech3 Istanbul1
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Photo credits "2018 01 (Blue) - Chaouen" by Fbrandao.1963, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Jemaa el-Fnaa Marrakech at sunset" by Herokk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Merzouga Dunes 2011" by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Fes Bab Bou Jeloud 2011" by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Taghazout village" by Jimbobbailey312, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Moroccan mint tea" by Reyes Martínez, CC0, via WordPress Photo Directory · source "Tubing" by eelke dekker, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr · source "Kitesurf-Dakhla-Morocco (4)" by Nomadz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Bab Kasbah, Tangier" by David Jones, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Kasbah des Oudaias P1060356" by Pline, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "City walls at the port, Essaouira 01" by Adam Harangozó, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Sunshine on mosque Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco - Flickr - Milamber's portfolio" by Milamber's portfolio, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Main Gate Chellah Rabat Nov25" by Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Ksar Aït Benhaddou, Marocco" by Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Blick auf Volubilis 1990" by Christian Wittmann, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Stucco decoration, Bou Inania Madrasa, Fez" by Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Tetouan, near the Medina and Qasba" by Ideophagous, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Ibn Danan Synagogue DSCF5081" by R Prazeres, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "La Citerne portugaise" by Guilandre, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Camels at Aït Benhaddou, Saharan caravan route, Morocco" by Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakech", watercolour by Hercules Brabazon Brabazon (1821–1906), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Qarawiyyin Mosque DSCF4250" by R Prazeres, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "The northern gate of Sijilmassa Mansouria" by Hmidanix, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Gnawa Singer" by Monaam Ben Fredj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Kasbah Ait Benhaddou, Morocco (1) (30765760583) (cropped to focus on old town)" by ER Bauer from Freising, Germany, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Rice terraces, Bali" by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Hagia Sophia Mars 2013" by Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "1000 Three domes of Oia in Santorini" by Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Wadi rum desert" by Peter Chisholm, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Teide Canadas" by Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Seville, Plaza de España (edited)" by Dmitry Dzhus, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Alfama, Lisbon, Portugal July 2021 - Tram" by Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Egypt, Cairo, Islamic Cairo, the City of a Thousand Minarets" by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source "Tangier Medina" by Travel4Brews, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source