Wandering around Morocco’s medinas involves a bit of sensory overload. The small, winding alleyways are full of life: local artisans parade their crafts; spice merchants stand behind conical mounds of brightly colored saffron, paprika, and turmeric; women sell fresh herbs and Argan oil; young children on bikes weave through it all with almost unbelievable ease.
Once you look beyond it all, you begin to notice the streets themselves; specifically the heavy wooden doors, sometimes intricately carved, other times plain and unassuming. It’s behind these doors that the noise of the streets and souks stops. A few open into cafés or museums, but many of them lead into private homes—multi-floor spaces where windows and balconies overlook central courtyards filled with citrus trees, decorative tiling, and sparkling pools and fountains. Welcome to the Moroccan riad.
Traditionally, ‘ryad’ or ‘رياض’ in Arabic means a lush and verdant garden, or oasis. Over time the word has come to represent this specific design of home, and it’s easy to see why as you trade the busy streets for their peaceful courtyards. If you want a taste of tradition, many riads are available to book on Airbnb—most often in Marrakech, Fez, and Essaouira.
The Best Moroccan Airbnbs, According to Vogue:
- For Exploring Marrakech’s Design District: Riad Umaia, from $368 per night
- For Shopping in the Medina: Riad Yaz, from $416 per night
- For Moroccan-meets-Mediterranean Style: Dar Tus, from $498 per night
- For a Seaside Stay: Riad Atlante, from $243 per night
- For an Authentic Experience: Le Petit Bijou, from $160 per night
Wall-to-wall terracotta tadelakt plaster surrounds Berber-style rugs, rattan pendant lampshades, and glazed ceramics; walking into this riad feels like stepping into a dreamy Moroccan moodboard.
Mornings begin with a dip in the courtyard pool, before breakfast on the rooftop—a feast of Moroccan specialties including msemmen, muffins, and mint tea. From here, it’s a 15-minute walk to Jemaa el-Fnaa, a 10-minute drive to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, and 20 minutes by car to Sidi Ghanam—the city’s design district where those in the know shop for homeware, and where I loved watching craft come to life inside artisan workshops when I last visited the city. Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj has a boutique store and café here; two of my other favorite studios to browse (and buy from) are those of cult lifestyle brand LRNCE, and candle-maker Côté Bougie.
Rooms: 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Amenities: Kitchen, washer, AC, heating, outdoor dining area, pool
Location: Marrakech
Riad Isobel
A lot of love has gone into the design of this Airbnb. Each of the four en-suite bedrooms are named after local flowers and herbs, and lead toward a tiled rooftop that overlooks a central courtyard with a swimming pool, dotted with orange trees that give off a sweet blossom scent. Inside, antique art hangs on walls, tamgroute (local pottery) lines small alcoves, board games are stacked inside cupboards, and coffee table books have plenty to dive into.
Rooms: 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
Amenities: Kitchen, washer, dryer, AC, heating, outdoor dining area, pool, breakfast, on-street parking
Location: Marrakech
Riad Yaz
If the medina streets outside feel chaotic, Riad Yaz is the antidote. Located in the heart of it all, the home’s terrace overlooks the medina rooftops, Koutobia Mosque and the Atlas Mountains, but still feels a world away from the city’s bustle. There are three bedrooms, and you might have to pull straws for the one on the ground floor, which is just steps from the riad’s central pool. There’s a modern Moroccan, boho feel across this riad—pom-pom throws here, striped parasols there, sage green zellige tilework underfoot—but it’s the sense of calm amid the city’s souks that you’ll appreciate most after a busy day exploring.
Rooms: 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
Amenities: Kitchen, AC, heating, outdoor dining area, pool, cot, breakfast
Location: Marrakech
Dar Tus
A one-hour ferry ride from Spain’s Tarifa, Dar Tus reflects a design intrinsic to Tangier, its whitewashed walls and wrought-iron railings influenced by Mediterranean design. Bright and airy, the three-story riad is eclectic in all the right ways: mid-century modern tables sit next to 1970s-style armchairs, with Berber rugs and hanging lanterns placed somewhere in between.
Here, the city is right on your doorstep. Walk five minutes west to the historic Kasbah, home to a 17th-century Sultan’s palace, five minutes south to Petit Socco for souk shopping, and 10 minutes further south still toward Gran Teatro Cervantes, a 1,400-seat theater that highlights a southern Spanish, Art Nouveau design.
Rooms: 5 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms
Amenities: Kitchen, washer, dryer, AC, heating, sea view, outdoor dining area, grill, cot
Location: Tangier
Riad Atlante
You might picture a riad amid bustling souks (and, in many cases, you’d be correct), but that couldn’t be further from the truth at Riad Atlante, a quieter spot that overlooks the Atlantic. Falling asleep to the ocean breeze and crashing waves encapsulates the essence of Essaouira, a city long favored by a bohemian crowd. There’s a more laid-back feel to this place than other Moroccan cities, something I felt instantly on arrival as I walked the small medina lanes, stopping for fish tagine and browsing local artisans’ stores.
A big draw of this riad is its moody courtyard, accented by a terracotta-tiled floor, weathered wood doors, and low-level lighting, where your whole group will want to hang out in the evenings. But the icing on the cake (or the sugar in the mint tea—we are in Morocco, after all) is the hot tub on the rooftop, an ideal spot for winding down alone for a quiet bit of R&R after a day exploring the port city.
Rooms: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Amenities: Kitchen, washer, sea view, hot tub, breakfast
Location: Essaouira
Riad in the Medina
There’s a more traditional feel to this riad than many: Zellige in the central courtyard follows the centuries-old, eight-point star medallion pattern; geometric motifs pattern bedroom ceilings; bejmat tiles line floors, and solid wooden doors are carved with an Arabesque tawrīq (leaf) design. Spread across four floors (including an incredible rooftop terrace), this is a spacious home located in the center of Essaouira’s medina and its art galleries. Spend an afternoon wandering to browse local crafts, from canvas paintings to woven blankets to thuya wood jewelry boxes to raffia shoes, perhaps picking up another suitcase to carry it all home in.
Rooms: 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Amenities: Kitchen, washer, AC, heating, cot, outdoor dining area
Location: Essaouira
Le Petit Bijou
It doesn’t get more authentic than this: Built in the fourteenth century, Le Petit Bijou is one of the oldest houses in Morocco. Located in Fez (the oldest city in Morocco), it stands inside Fes el Bali, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site (and the world’s oldest living medieval medina). That’s a lot of superlatives for one home. To stay here is to sleep among centuries of history—something the property is eager to remind you of at every turn.
Zellige and bejmat tiling cover the floors and walls, high ceilings reach for the sky (homes in Fez are traditionally narrow but tall, to make the most of dense streets), and hand-carved bronze lamps hang from horseshoe arches. Outside, the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss, the Mausoleum of Sidi Ahmed Tijani, and the 12th-century Quaraouiyine University are all within a three-minute walk.
Rooms: 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Amenities: Kitchen, washer, AC, heating, cot
Location: Fez
