There are three kinds of study spot in Marrakech: the library or media library (quiet, daytime hours, no food), the coworking space (well equipped but paid) and the café (flexible, food on hand, talking allowed, open without a break). With 37,501 new students at Cadi Ayyad University in 2024-2025 (etudiant.ma), quiet seats go fast at exam time.
A table, a socket, a connection that holds, and nobody hinting that it might be time to leave. That's all anyone wants when revising. In Marrakech it's harder to find than it sounds. Cadi Ayyad University took in 37,501 new students in 2024-2025, according to ministry figures reported by etudiant.ma, and Times Higher Education puts its total enrolment above 116,000. That's a lot of people for not many quiet tables.
This guide compares the three options honestly, with what each does well and less well. If you just want a café to open your laptop in Gueliz, our page on the café to work and study in Marrakech covers what we offer at Kuma.
Library, café or coworking: where should you study in Marrakech?
It depends on what you need that day: silence, food, or a proper desk. A SNRT News report published on 7 June 2026 sums up why so many young Moroccans end up in cafés: a noisy home, no desk, and coworking that's too expensive on a student budget.
| Place | What it does well | Its limits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library or media library | Silence, a working atmosphere, no need to order | Daytime hours, no food, rarely open in the evening | Solo revision, heavy reading |
| Coworking | A real desk, a professional setting | Paid by the day or month, office hours | Internships, freelancing, important video calls |
| Café | Flexible, food on site, talking allowed, long opening hours | Noise varies, you order, not every café welcomes studying | Groups, long sessions, afternoons |
Most students mix them. Library in the morning for the heavy lifting, café in the afternoon when focus drops. SNRT News also notes that seeing other people work is motivating, which is part of why revising surrounded by others beats staring at your bedroom wall.
Which libraries and media libraries are there in Marrakech?
The best documented is the media library at the Institut français de Marrakech, on the Route de Targa: more than 1,300 readers and 30,000 loans a year, according to a job posting the Institut published in 2024. From Rue Khalid Ben El Oualid in Gueliz, allow about 27 minutes on foot (OSRM walking route, checked 12 October 2026).
On university libraries, we'd rather be straight with you: the university's pages (uca.ma) weren't accessible when we checked on 12 October 2026, so we're not publishing any opening hours. Check with your faculty before crossing town, especially during exams.
If you like working among books without library silence, Café du Livre on Rue Tarik Ben Ziad has around 2,000 second-hand books, board games and a quieter upstairs, according to guides compiled by Wanderlog and Tripadvisor reviews.
Can you study in a café in Marrakech?
Yes, in most cafés, but not all of them. In October 2025 Akhbarona reported on a national row: some cafés put up "no studying in the café" signs, accusing students of holding a table for hours over a single order. We wrote a whole piece on that debate and both sides of it.
In Gueliz, a few names come up again and again in guides when people want to work:
- Karma Café (Rue Abou Bakr Seddik): described as a quiet literary café, recommended for studying or working (Wanderlog review summary), open 7am to midnight (Trip.com).
- Mon Quotidien Gueliz (Rue de Yougoslavie): its upstairs is recommended by a local for laptop work (Reddit r/Morocco, 2022).
- 16 Café (Place du 16 Novembre): wifi and quiet mornings, cited for remote work (citytoursmorocco, 2026).
- Grand Café de la Poste: tagged "work-friendly" by TableJourney, which notes the indoor room is quieter than the terrace.
A useful reality check: Google shows that people stay an average of 15 minutes at the Starbucks in Carré Eden (figure shown on Wanderlog). A pleasant place isn't necessarily a place to settle in.
Kuma Marrakech is one of the cafés where you can study. At 12 Rue Khalid Ben El Oualid, a few minutes from Rue Yves Saint Laurent and the Majorelle Garden, you get free high-speed wifi, plenty of sockets, and a room open from 10am with no afternoon break. During the day, the whole room is non-smoking. Studying here isn't tolerated, it's welcome. A menu designed for students is coming soon; follow us on Instagram to hear first.
When is the best time to study in a café?
During the day. Weekday mornings and afternoons are the calmest slots: the room is relaxed, the network is less busy and it's easy to find a table near a socket. It's also when the library and the café work best together, one in the morning, the other in the afternoon.
At Kuma, the room opens at 10am and doesn't close in the afternoon. During the day, the whole room is non-smoking, and the menu keeps pace with your session: brunch in the morning, crepes, waffles and milkshakes to keep you fuelled, or a proper plate from the Mexican fusion menu. New to the area? Our guide to eating near the Majorelle Garden will help you get your bearings.
When do quiet seats get scarce?
At exam time, unsurprisingly. The official 2026-2027 university holiday table, published by Dreamjob on 2 September 2026, puts the end-of-first-semester break from 24 to 31 January 2027. In 2025-2026, one Cadi Ayyad faculty published autumn exams for 3 and 8 January 2026. So late December and early January will be the busiest weeks.
Two more markers, from marrakeshcozystays.com in August 2026: many businesses close on Friday between 12.30pm and 3.30pm for prayers, and cafés are packed on Saturday and Sunday mornings with family brunches. For a calm session, aim for weekday afternoons.
How many minutes' walk from your school?
Kuma isn't next door to any big faculty, and we'd rather say so. Walking times from our door, calculated with OSRM walking routes on 12 October 2026:
| School | On foot |
|---|---|
| WLC Marrakech (languages) | 2 min |
| Institut supérieur de journalisme (ifjsup) | 5 min |
| ISTA Bab Doukkala (OFPPT) | 8 min |
| Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (FMPM) | 14 min |
| EMSI Gueliz | 15 min |
| ENCG Marrakech | 23 min |
| FST Gueliz | 24 min |
| ENSA Marrakech | 26 min |
| Faculty of Sciences Semlalia | 28 min |
Which coworking spaces in Gueliz are good for quiet work?
Several spaces in Gueliz are listed by the specialist directories workin.space and Croissant: L'Blassa (Rue Tariq Bnou Ziad), Cowork in Marrakech (Place du 16 Novembre), plus KEZ, Syllabus and Fraktal. MTECH is at M Avenue. All of them charge by the day or month; check their rates directly, we don't reproduce them here.
Coworking makes sense for an internship, an important video call or a month of regular work. For revising a mid-term, most students skip it. If you freelance, our guide to the best cafés to work in Marrakech goes further, and our Gueliz wifi café guide helps you pick where to connect.
FAQ
- Where can you study for free in Marrakech?
- The places with no need to order are your school's library and media libraries such as the one at the Institut français de Marrakech on the Route de Targa, which reports more than 1,300 readers (2024). Check access conditions there. In a café, the custom is to order through your session.
- Is there a media library near Gueliz?
- The best documented is the media library at the Institut français de Marrakech, Route de Targa, about 27 minutes on foot from Rue Khalid Ben El Oualid (OSRM route, 12 October 2026). It reports 30,000 loans a year. Check its opening hours directly with the Institut.
- Can you study in a café in Morocco?
- Yes, in most cafés, although some display "no studying" signs, a row Akhbarona reported in October 2025. Several cafés in Gueliz are known for working. At Kuma Marrakech, studying is welcome: free high-speed wifi, plenty of sockets, open from 10am.
- When is the best time to study in a café?
- During the day, especially weekday mornings and afternoons, when rooms are calm. At Kuma Marrakech in Gueliz, the room opens at 10am with no afternoon break, and during the day the whole room is non-smoking: free high-speed wifi, plenty of sockets and a relaxed atmosphere.
- Where can a group study together in Gueliz?
- In a café rather than a library, where silence is the rule. Avoid Saturday and Sunday mornings, when cafés fill up with family brunches (marrakeshcozystays, 2026). At Kuma, come during the day and send us a WhatsApp message before coming as a group so we can keep space for you.
