Introduction to my Marrakech City Guide
This Marrakech city guide gives you an honest insight into our first impressions of Marrakech, highlights, details of our itinerary, useful links and top tips. We hope you enjoy!
✨ This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Marrakech.
Contents
- Introduction to my Marrakech City Guide
- How we booked our DIY trip
- What is a Riad?
- Places to Visit and Things to Do in Marrakech
- Conclusion
- Top Tips a for First Time Visit to Marrakech
- Useful links
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About Marrakech
Welcome to Marrakech! – ‘The red city’. This bustling vibrant city is full of life, tradition, music and colour. Learn about centuries of Islamic history and culture. Explore the souqs, lose yourself in the maze of the medina and relax in the wonderful restaurants and gardens.
Marrakech is the 4th largest city in Morocco with a population of just under 1 million; 20 percent live within the medina (the old town), and 80 percent in the new town, where there are roads, pavements, apartments and villas.
How We Booked Our DIY Trip
We decided to book this weekend getaway because we saw that EasyJet were flying from Bristol and a return flight was only £89.
We opted to book a riad stay on Booking.com at Riad Adriana £288 for 3 nights. This wasn’t the cheapest riad, but it had a great score and fantastic reviews.
The owner, Melanie, is very helpful and organised a transfer from the airport to the riad and dinner for our arrival.
As we only had 2 whole days, I did my research and asked for recommendations for the best things to do. We booked a free walking tour with GuruWalk for our first morning. We made reservations for Le Jardin and Dardar restaurant, bought tickets for Jardin Marjorelle and arranged a private hammam and massage (see links in our itinerary).
What is a Riad?
We decided to choose a riad for our accommodation because it sounded unique and exotic. Riads are houses that are like mini palaces, with beautiful mosaics, pillars and fountains. The richest families originally owned these houses but most are businesses now.
The riad house is built around a courtyard garden with a fountain in the centre. It usually has a rooftop terrace and many also have a small pool (a modern addition). Most riads have 10 bedrooms or less, which are uniquely furnished – so it seems more like a guest house than a hotel.
Riad Adriana
We chose Riad Adriana because it looked stunning in the pictures, and it had amazing reviews on Booking.com. The owner, Melanie, is the perfect host; extremely helpful, she answers questions quickly and is happy to make any arrangements that you require. She organised our airport transfer (8 euros per person) and our dinner at the riad for our arrival. The driver met us at the airport and walked us to the riad when we reached the medina.
The staff greeted us with mint tea and biscuits (a Moroccan tradition) before showing us to our room. We then had an amazing dinner on the rooftop terrace. The room was beautiful and spacious, with a terracotta ensuite, which had a gold sink and taps and rose petals sprinkled around – making it feel very luxurious. The bed was really comfortable and it was quiet. In the morning, they served us a plentiful breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice, a huge jug of coffee and eggs made to order.
Our Long Weekend Marrakech Itinerary
As we only had 2 whole days, I did my research and asked for recommendations for the best things to do. We booked a free walking tour with GuruWalk for our first morning. We made reservations for Le Jardin and Dardar restaurant, bought tickets for Jardin Marjorelle and arranged a private hammam and massage (see links in our itinerary).
Day 1. Arrive 9pm - Dinner at Riad Adriana www.riadadriana.net
Day 2. Walking tour – Exploring Marrakech Old City with guruwalk.com
Lunch at Le Jardin lejardinmarrakech.com
Afternoon - visit the Secret Garden lejardinsecretmarrakech.com
and Museum of Marrakech marrakechmuseum.com
Dinner at Dardar roof top restaurant www.rooftopdardar.com
Day 3. Morning - Jardin Majorelle www.jardinmajorelle.com
Afternoon – Lunch
Bahia Palace bahia-palace.com
Hammam and massage at Riad Al Ksar and Spa www.alksar.com
Day 4. Bacha Coffee museum darbacha.com
Airport – Home
Places to Visit and Things to Do in Marrakech
Walking tour of the Medina
On our first morning, we went on a guided walking tour with GuruWalk. GuruWalk is a company that organise free walking tours all over the world. We met our guide in the town square outside one of the cafes. He showed us around the souqs and told us about the history, culture, and customs of the medina.
It was great to be able to look around the souqs with a guide because no one approached us when we were with him so we could have a good look and take lots of photographs. We saw places that were off the beaten track and really interesting like the metal and leather works that were like mini factories. We also went into a bakery where they showed us a community oven and given bread to try.
Our guide explained how to barter and how much was a reasonable amount to pay for items. The souqs are amazing places – full of beautiful rugs, pottery, lanterns, clothes and spices. We finished in the town square where there are snake charmers and monkeys on leashes, but we didn’t pay these any attention.
A few interesting facts we learnt
- The oldest parts of the medina were built in 1070 -72.
- Lots of cats live in the medina but hardly any dogs because people regard dogs as dirty animals. Cats are acceptable, especially because they keep the rat population low.
- People speak 3 main languages – Classical Arabic, Moroccan Arabic and French. The Berber dialect is widely spoken also. The staff in riads and hotels speak English and is it becoming more popular with the younger generations.
- Doors have small doors within them. The small door is used for family and the large door is opened for events.
- Many people in the medina don’t own ovens so they have communal ovens to bake their bread.
- The water comes from the Atlas Mountains through an irrigation system and is cleaned and chlorinated.
Le Jardin
After our tour we ate lunch at Le Jardin restaurant. This restaurant is large and very popular, so it is best to make reservations. There are plants and trees growing in the centre courtyard and various shaded indoor and outdoor seating areas on different levels. Amongst the plants in the centre courtyard are tortoises roaming around.
We chose T-bone steak, chicken tagine and roasted vegetables, which were delicious. It was very busy and so the service was a little slow, but they were friendly and professional.
The Secret Garden
Not far from Le Jardin restaurant and the Marrakech Museum, hidden away in the busy medina is a peaceful garden called Le Jardin Secret. Dating 400 years old, once home to some of Marrakech’s most important political figures, Le Jardin Secret only opened its doors to the public in 2016.
The garden is spacious and so doesn’t get crowded and there are plenty of benches to sit and enjoy the calm and beauty. Brightly coloured tiled walkways take you through the exotic trees and plants, that lead to beautiful fountains and structures. We enjoyed a coffee in the outdoor café area.
Museum of Marrakech
The Defence Minister once lived in this impressive building situated in the Dar Menebhi Palace. It dates back to the late 19th century and is a wonderful example of Andalusian architecture. The same foundation that purchased the Ben Youseff Madrasa bought and restored it. The architecture is stunning, and it is worth visiting to see the amazing mosaic floors and incredible intricate ceilings.
Dardar Rooftop Restaurant
I had seen lots of social media posts about Dardar and was unsure whether it would live up to the hype, but I am happy to say it did. Be sure to reserve a table if you would like to eat at this restaurant because it is extremely popular and for good reason.
The staff are warm and welcoming, the food and cocktails are beautifully presented and delicious and the view is gorgeous – you can see all the way to the Atlas Mountains. As the sun sets, the lanterns light up and it looks magical. There is a DJ playing and we even had a magician visit our table too!
After our great evening at Dardar, we walked back to our riad and along the way, walked through the town square (Jemaa el Fnaa). The square at night is fantastic – it really comes to life with crowds of people surrounding entertainers and musicians. The atmosphere is incredible, and you should definitely come and witness the revelry at night time if you are visiting Marrakech.
Jardin Marjorelle
The next morning, we walked to the new part of the city to visit Jardin Marjorelle. This area is completely different to the Medina – there are very busy roads, pavements and modern buildings. When we arrived, we queued to enter with all the other ticket holders. This attraction is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Marrakech so you must buy tickets prior to your visit to guarantee entry and you can only purchase tickets on-line.
A French artist called Jaques Marjorelle created the garden over 40 years ago. Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Berge bought it and worked to restore it.
The gardens are beautiful and amongst them are bright blue wooden structures and ornaments that contrast against the green plants and it looks wonderful. There are plenty of photo opportunities but you need to prepare for long queues to get the best pictures.
Bahia Palace
We caught a taxi to the area where the hammam spa is and had a quick lunch in a café. I wanted to visit Bahia Palace but thought I wouldn’t have time but when we realised it was so close to the spa, we decided to take a look.
Bahia Palace was originally built for Si Moussa, Grand Vizir of the Sultan, a former slave who had climbed the ranks. His son Bou Ahmed occupied the palace. He gained control over the state until he died in 1900. After the French occupation, the royals used it as their residence until King Hassan II transferred it to the Moroccan Ministry of culture so it could become a tourist attraction. It is well preserved and consists of stunning gardens, mosaics and paintings.
Al Ksar Hammam and Spa
If you haven’t ever experienced a hammam spa, it is worth booking one while you are in Marrakech. There are many to choose, from public ones to luxury private spas. The public ones are inexpensive but single sex only.
We chose a private hammam that was located near the Bahia Palace in Al Ksar Riad. The riad was an oasis of green and serenity, not far from a particularly busy and hectic part of the medina.
What happens during a Hammam Spa?
The owner showed us to the dressing room where we changed into our swimwear and were provided with dressing robes. The staff gave us a basket to place our belongings and we put them in a locker. We were then taken to the hammam, which was a tiny warm room lit by candlelight.
The lady poured warm water over us and then instructed us to lie down for 10 minutes on the heated, tiled benches. She came back and scrubbed us with a body scrub and scrubbing mitten. She washed us down, before we put our robes back on and we were taken to a separate room for our massage with oils while listening to ambient music.
After our massage we dressed before being served mint tea on the roof top terrace. We paid 78 euros for a 30-minute hammam and 45-minute massage. It was well organised and a very relaxing experience.
Our last evening
On our last evening we were very tired from all the walking and sightseeing over the weekend, so we decided to eat locally and enjoy a bottle of wine on the riad terrace. As the sun set, we could hear the ‘call to prayer echo’ across the city. We chose a Moroccan patisserie for dessert, served with mint tea, which complimented it perfectly.
Bacha Coffee Museum
On the last day, we decided to visit Bacha Coffee Museum as I had seen videos of it on Instagram. We hadn’t realised that it was so much more than just a coffee lounge and that it would be so popular!
We had to queue and pay to enter and unfortunately there was a 40-minute wait for coffee, which we didn’t have time for, so we looked around the pretty courtyard garden and went for a coffee at the Bicycle café down the road instead, before our airport transfer from the riad.
Conclusion
We thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend in Marrakech. The people are extremely warm and welcoming; they literally say ‘welcome’ to you as you walk around the streets.
When we first arrived, we felt like we were walking through a film set with the wooden ceilings through the medina, the market stalls, sights, sounds, motorbikes zipping through and donkeys. It is an artist’s dream – so colourful and full of beautiful mosaics and pottery.
I can’t wait to return and explore Morocco further, including the Sahara, Atlas Mountains, Chefchaouen (Blue city), and Agadir on the coast.
I hope this Marrakech city guide has inspired you to travel here. If you are interested in visiting Marrakech, flights from the UK take approximately 3 hours and are very reasonable with EasyJet and Ryanair. Accommodation ranges from £12 a night in hostel accommodation, £100 for riad accommodation to £££ for luxurious hotels.
Top Tips a for First Time Visit to Marrakech
Here are my top tips and some interesting facts that we learnt during our stay:
1. SIM cards
Buy a SIM card at the airport (after passport control) and download Google maps before you arrive. We navigated our way through the medina and souqs using this and had no trouble finding our way around.
2. Money
You can pay with Euros at the majority of places. We took Euros and bought some Dirham at the airport. We were told by our guide that the post office in the town square was a good place to exchange money.
3. Guided tours
Book a guided tour with a professional, local guide so you can see the more interesting parts of the medina.
4. Appropriate Dress
There aren’t any official dress rules but it is advisable to dress modestly and keep shoulders and knees covered so as not to draw any unwanted attention.
5. Alcohol
Although alcohol is available in some restaurants, riads and hotels, it is not served everywhere.
6. Dining with a host
It is polite to eat 50 -75 percent of the food on your plate when dining with a Moroccan host. If you eat all the food, they will think they did not give you enough!
7. Weather
The weather is most pleasant in spring and autumn. In winter it is cold at night and warm in the day. The temperature in summer reaches 45 degrees Celsius!
8. Photos
Don’t assume it is ok to take photos, many signs request that you don’t – so if in doubt, check. Also, do not take photos of people without their permission.
9. Walking
Walk on the righthand side around the streets in the medina. Watch out for motorcycles!
10. Directions
If you need directions ask shop keepers. Do not trust people who approach you because there are scam guides, unfortunately.
11. Haggling
Should you choose to buy something from the souqs, you will need to haggle. They will give you a high price, you say half the price asked and then you meet somewhere in the middle! If you are not happy, walking away will sometimes help.
12. Taxis
There are no cars in tiny streets of the medina, but taxis are available in the town square and surrounding streets. You should agree a price or insist they use the meter before your journey. There are also a few tuk-tuks around. We found everywhere was pretty much walkable.
13. Being approached
You will be approached a lot by locals wishing to sell things to you or inviting you into their restaurants. If you are not interested, just smile and say, ‘no thank you and maybe later’. This is usually enough and keeps them happy.
14. Getting Lost
Make sure you learn your way from the town square to your accommodation. The square is easy to find. Accept that you are going to take a wrong turn and don’t panic!
✨ This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Marrakech.
Useful links
https://www.visitmorocco.com/en/travel/marrakesh
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