Ben Youssef Madrasa and Secret Garden: which guided tour to choose?
Updated October 7, 2026 · 6 min read
For most travellers, take the walking tour of the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Secret Garden and the souks: three hours, €16 per person, 4.6 out of 5 from 4,949 reviews, and a guide who speaks English, French, Arabic, Italian, Spanish or German. If you read French or English and want the highest rating, the tour of the madrasa, the Secret Garden and the medina costs €15.16 and is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 2,218 reviews. At the lowest price, the four-hour tour of the madrasa and the Secret Garden costs €12.60 and is rated 4.7 out of 5.
See prices and dates for the walking tour of the Ben Youssef Madrasa and the Secret Garden
What you pay on top, on the spot
None of these tours includes entry fees. The offer pages list 50 MAD per adult for the Ben Youssef Madrasa and 100 MAD per adult for the Secret Garden, payable in cash on site; for children aged 7 to 13 they state 30 MAD per monument, and entry is free under 7. The madrasa’s official website, for its part, gives 50 DH for adults, 10 DH for under-12s and 30 DH per ticket for groups of more than 20 people; the two sets of rates don’t match for children, so ask at the ticket desk.
The madrasa is open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to its official website, which also says that online ticketing is under maintenance: tickets are bought at the entrance.
Four tours, side by side
| Offer | Duration | From | Rating | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Youssef, Secret Garden and souks, on foot | 3 hours | €16 | 4.6 out of 5 (4,949 reviews) | most travellers, guide in six languages |
| Ben Youssef Madrasa, Secret Garden and medina | 3 hours 30 | €15.16 | 4.8 out of 5 (2,218 reviews) | those who read French or English and want the best rating |
| Ben Youssef Madrasa, Secret Garden and souks | 4 hours | €12.60 | 4.7 out of 5 (535 reviews) | the smallest budget |
| Bahia, Ben Youssef Madrasa and souks | 3 hours | €20 | 4.4 out of 5 (604 reviews) | those who want a palace rather than the garden |
The durations are those of the listing: the page for the €15.16 tour advertises three and a half to four hours. The prices are starting prices per person.
The walking tour, with guides in six languages
According to its page, the walking tour takes in Jemaa el-Fna square, the Ben Youssef Madrasa (about 40 minutes), Mouassine, the Secret Garden (about 40 minutes), the Semmarine souks and the medina, and passes the Koutoubia without going in. Its page advertises guides in six languages, including Spanish and German. It also offers a private version and pick-up if you choose it when booking.
The page describes a restored garden, with palaces, fountains and traditional Moroccan gardens. One limitation: the offer lists people with reduced mobility among those for whom it is not suitable.
Half an hour more, for the best rating
The three-and-a-half-hour tour follows a similar route, with the Mouassine hammam added, and it is rated 4.8 out of 5. Its guide speaks English and French; it too offers a private option. It costs €15.16, against €16 for the walking tour, and you gain between half an hour and an hour of sightseeing. If you speak neither language, take the six-language tour.
See availability for the three-and-a-half-hour tour of the madrasa and the Secret Garden
The smallest budget
The four-hour tour costs €12.60 and shows 4.7 out of 5, but from only 535 reviews: the rating rests on a smaller sample. The Secret Garden is listed there as an optional visit, with a supplement, which is worth checking before you book if the garden is your goal. The guide speaks English and French.
See prices for the four-hour tour of the Ben Youssef Madrasa
Madrasa without the garden
The tour with the Bahia, the madrasa and the souks costs €20 for three hours and is rated 4.4 out of 5, the lowest rating in the comparison. It replaces the garden with the Bahia Palace: see our article on the Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs for what you see there and what you pay.
Our recommendation
For most travellers: the three-hour walking tour at €16, 4.6 out of 5 from 4,949 reviews, the most reviewed, with guides in six languages. Allow 150 MAD in entry fees per adult in cash, madrasa and garden, and wear comfortable shoes: the lanes of the medina are not flat.
If you read French or English, the three-and-a-half-hour tour at €15.16 has the best rating from a large sample. To compare this outing with others, see our comparison of guided souk tours and the guided tours of the medina.
