An imperial city, former capital of Morocco, and now the country's tourism capital, Marrakech balances between tradition and modernity. This vibrant, colorful city holds a stunning diversity, which is largely due to its history.
Also called the "red city," its architecture, culture, and various monuments make Marrakech a true treasure.
Marrakech is a fascinating and bustling city in many ways. It’s true that it’s a noisy, crowded, and somewhat dirty place. But it’s also a very welcoming, festive, rich, and colorful city! A multicultural city full of wealth waiting to be discovered.
We must admit, we didn’t know what to expect when we arrived in Marrakech (or Morocco in general). There are many stereotypes and divergent opinions about the country, making it difficult to form an opinion before experiencing it firsthand.
We won’t lie—due to our lack of knowledge, we were hesitant about theft (pickpocketing), scams, cleanliness, the acceptance of foreigners and non-Muslims, etc. But ultimately, none of that was an issue! We were pleasantly surprised. We didn’t experience or witness any theft. We could dress as we liked (while remaining decent and respectful, of course, I didn’t wear a mini-skirt and a low-cut top) without feeling judged. We truly loved our stay in Marrakech.
We were transported to a culture different from our own, with different codes. We were warmly welcomed, visited beautiful places, and made great encounters. Of course, we were scammed more than once (though Simon didn’t back down during negotiations), but that’s part of the game. Who hasn’t been scammed in Morocco (except Moroccans)? We were unsettled, discovered souks overflowing with treasures, colors, and surprising smells (not always pleasing to our noses), but that’s what travel is all about!
So yes, Marrakech is a tiring and overwhelming city because it demands your full attention when walking around, but we highly recommend it due to the wealth of things to discover!
Now, let’s talk about the essential places you must visit during your stay in Marrakech:
Located in the heart of the medina, the Ben Youssef Medersa is an old Koranic school. It is the largest in Morocco and one of the largest in North Africa.
It has endured centuries, eras, and dynasties, from the 14th century to the present day, influenced by the Merinid, Almoravid, and Saadian periods.
In the past, it hosted over 900 students a year studying Islamic sciences, law, theology, and philosophy and had more than 130 rooms (very simple and basic) to house students from outside Marrakech.
Today, and since 1950, the Ben Youssef Medersa is open to the public and is no longer a place of study. Its rooms, prayer halls, and courtyard are accessible to all, making it one of the few religious buildings open to non-Muslims in Morocco. For this reason alone, it’s a must-see! But beyond that, the place is simply stunning! It was the most beautiful visit we made in Marrakech!
The decorations and details on the walls and ceilings are so breathtaking that you’ll want to spend the whole day admiring them.
So yes, you might think we’re exaggerating, but this is truly how we felt while visiting this place. The site isn’t huge and can be visited fairly quickly, but we walked around it several times to make the most of it and delay the moment of departure! 🤣
To visit this beauty, you’ll need to pay 50DH per adult (around €4.60), and 10DH per child (under 12), which is about €1.85.
And if we could give you three tips:
Website of the Ali Ben Youssef Medersa: medersabenyoussef.ma
Online ticket booking: medersabenyoussef.ma/billeterie
And if you want to learn more about the creation and evolution of this medersa, I recommend reading this very detailed article from Riad Al Ksar.
The Majorelle Garden is a living masterpiece, a little green oasis just steps from the medina.
Associated with its last owners, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, this famous and iconic garden was originally the project of Jacques Majorelle, who created it from scratch in the 1930s.
Il He built an Art Deco painting studio there, painted in the famous “Majorelle blue,” and planted hundreds of plants from all over the world. He is the one to thank for this masterpiece, which the famous couple later renovated and maintained.
Visiting this garden comes at a certain cost: 155DH per adult (just under €15), and 80DH per child (from 10 years old) and student (about €7.40).
It’s also possible to combine your visit and ticket with the Pierre Bergé Museum, dedicated to Berber culture, and/or the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, dedicated to the couturier. A combined ticket costs 315DH (about €29 per adult, 165DH, or about €15 for children and students).
The garden is lovely and very well maintained, but the highlight, the reason why people come to see it, is the famous blue house surrounded by cacti.We must admit we were a bit disappointed because for the price, we expected a much larger garden, but there’s no denying that when you stand in front of that bright blue and those enormous cacti, you forget the rest.
Again, if we can give you two tips:
Website of the Majorelle Garden: jardinmajorelle.com
Online ticket booking: tickets.jardinmajorelle.com
Another lovely garden in Marrakech is the Secret Garden. This one is located in the heart of the medina.
It is actually two gardens: a small exotic garden with plants from all five continents, and a larger Islamic garden (though not vast), with a large kiosk in its center surrounded by olive trees, orange trees, and lavenders.
This garden was built on the ruins of an old palace dating from the 16th century, restored in the 19th century, and renovated in 2008 after being abandoned for several years, to become the Secret Garden we know today.
To be honest, we hesitated a bit before visiting this garden... The entrance costs 100DH full price, about €9.20, and 80DH at a reduced rate (up to 25 years old), around €7.40 (tickets to be bought on-site). It’s cheaper than the Majorelle Garden, but we still thought it was a bit steep for a small garden.
The photos of this place on Instagram piqued our curiosity, so we decided to give it a try. But we have to say we were a bit disappointed... We found the place more impressive in pictures than in real life, and the crowds of tourists didn’t help in such a small space. It’s a shame because the kiosk at the center of the Islamic garden is beautiful. But it’s hard to fully appreciate the beauty of the place.
If you want to visit this garden, our advice would be to come right when it opens to enjoy it by yourself and avoid disappointment!
Also, know that the garden has a café and a restaurant, and you can gain some height to admire the garden (as well as the surrounding medina) by going up the tower for an additional 40DH full price and 30DH at a reduced rate (about €3.70 or €2.80).
Website of the Secret Garden: lejardinsecretmarrakech.com
No online booking, tickets can be bought on-site.
The Saadian Tombs are another must-see in Marrakech. They are located in the Kasbah (the fortified neighborhood that served as a citadel and palace for the sultans), right next to the Mellah (the Jewish quarter), south of the medina.
This place is made up of three areas:
In total, nearly 100 people are buried here.
These tombs are so different from what we’re used to seeing or imagining, with Moorish (Arab-Muslim) architecture and a unique design. It is also one of the only remaining vestiges of the Saadian dynasty, which ruled the Kingdom of Morocco between 1511 and 1659, and was rediscovered only four centuries later, in 1917, during topographical surveys.
What surprised us was the shape of the tombs: they have only a tombstone (not a stele), which is rectangular, but quite small and narrow, placed directly on the ground, either flat or triangular. From what we understood, the design of the tombstone depended on the wealth of the deceased and their family. So the more intricate and tall the design, the wealthier the person was. That’s why the tombs of servants and soldiers are flat or almost flat.
Moreover, the mausoleums themselves are just magnificent! True works of art, with everything from the floor to the ceiling decorated. The floor and lower walls are covered in mosaics, the upper walls are stuccoed (a decorative plaster imitating marble), and the ceilings are wooden and also sculpted. The details in these walls and ceilings are truly impressive!
You can visit this surprising site for 70DH, about €6.50.
Website of the Saadian Tombs: saadiantombs.com
No online booking, tickets can be bought on-site.
The El Badi Palace is also located in the Kasbah, not far from the Saadian Tombs, and is one of the few remaining vestiges of the Saadian dynasty. It was built in the 16th century by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansour and had more than 300 rooms. Today, only ruins remain, and it can be a bit hard to imagine its former grandeur...
That said, the central courtyard with its various pools (which were empty during our visit, to our great disappointment) gives an idea of the scale of the place.
If you want to visit this former palace, which now hosts events and festivals like the Marrakech du Rire by Jamel Debouze, you’ll need to pay 70DH, about €6.50.
El Badi Palace Website: badipalace.com
No online booking, tickets are available on-site.
Marrakech’s medina is brimming with souks of all kinds! No matter your route through the city, you’ll inevitably pass through one or more souks during your stay.
Souks are covered markets with stalls, shops, and workshops. There are many, each with a different theme:
We even prepared a map to help you make sense of it all:
As you can see, souks are spread across much of the medina, and merchants won’t hesitate to approach you to show or let you try products. They don’t give up easily and will insist that you buy something even if you say no. It can be tiring, but as we mentioned earlier in this article, you need to be firm and sometimes even ignore them if you don’t want to stop every few seconds.
Some people find this behavior unbearable. It’s understandable, but it didn’t bother us. At the same time, it’s part of the experience – it’s just how they operate, and it’s no secret. I think it’s better to accept it, especially since if you’re in the middle of the souks, you’ve chosen to travel and immerse yourself in Moroccan culture.
When visiting Marrakech, you’re bound to end up at Jemaa El Fna Square at some point. This square isn’t particularly beautiful or architecturally special – it’s crowded and noisy – but it remains a must-see both day and night. This place never sleeps. It’s a bustling bazaar filled with food stalls, street performers, storytellers, dancers, vendors of all kinds, snake charmers, fortune tellers, and more. It’s an experience in itself! To escape the crowds and constant solicitations and get a better view, you can sit on the terrace of one of the many cafes and restaurants surrounding the square. From above, you’ll be less bothered and can take in this cultural hub, a true symbol of Marrakech. Jemaa El Fna Square was even added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2001.
Be warned, though we didn’t see it during our visit, it’s not uncommon to see photos on Instagram of animals (monkeys, turtles, snakes, etc.) used to perform and earn money for their owners. These animals live in poor conditions and are mistreated. So please, don’t participate in this and don’t pay for these shows!
Just a short walk from the square, don’t miss Koutoubia Mosque. Also called the "Booksellers' Mosque" (as it was built on a book and manuscript souk), it’s the largest mosque in Marrakech, and one of the largest in Morocco and North Africa.
It was built in the 12th century by the Almoravid dynasty, then destroyed and rebuilt twice (due to an orientation error) by the Almohad dynasty when they took control of Morocco.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to visit its interior, as it’s only accessible to Muslims, but you can still admire its simple, Almohad-style architecture, its 77-meter-high minaret, and the ruins of the first mosque nearby.
You can also wander through the mosque garden and Lalla Hasna Park, which has a lovely fountain.
In Morocco, it's usually the city of Fez that comes to mind when we think of tanneries, with its vats and vibrant colors that create an incredible visual experience! I was a bit sad to think I wouldn’t see this during this trip, as Fez is over 500 km and nearly a 6-hour drive from Marrakech.
However, during my research, I discovered that Marrakech and a few other cities, like Essaouira, Casablanca, Meknes, Tetouan, Tangier, Taroudant, etc., also have their own traditional tanneries. As you can imagine, I was thrilled! And, of course, I added the tanneries to our itinerary!
There is an entire area in the northeast of Marrakech's medina dedicated to tanners. We initially planned to go there on our last day, but on our first day, while heading back to our Riad after visiting the Ben Youssef Madrasa, a friendly local on a scooter approached us and took us directly to the tanners’ quarter.
He introduced us to a guy who showed us around the tanneries, providing some explanations, and we ended the tour in a shop where a seller demonstrated the final stage of transforming leather into various products (bags, cushions, jackets, belts, etc.). He also showed us how Berber rugs are made, then, of course, tried to sell us the whole store!
We ended up buying a Berber rug for our living room (2.5m x 1m), which Simon skillfully negotiated! The seller initially asked for 4,000 DH (about €370), and after some lengthy bargaining and a counteroffer at 800 DH, we got it for 1,500 DH (around €140). A Moroccan colleague later confirmed the price was “very reasonable.” Phew!
However, it didn’t end there because, upon leaving the shop, the guide who had shown us around the tanneries waited to ask for money… I’d read about this while researching the tanneries, but I was hoping we’d avoid it. Unfortunately not! He asked for 200 DH per person, almost €20 each… a bit much, really, especially since I’d read that you could tip whatever you liked.
In the end, we gave him 200 DH for both of us, though I think we could have paid a lot less. That was one area where we definitely got taken. But oh well.
Back at the riad, we did some research and realized we’d been “had.” Moroccans have a pretty standard method for the tanneries:
In short, even if you can reach the tanneries on your own, I don’t think you could get in alone. There are often locked gates, and guides usually station themselves at the entrances to guide tourists. So, even if you skip the first step, you still need to go through the rest.
We left the tour happy! The only disappointment was that it wasn’t the “dyeing season”… Yes, apparently there’s a season for this (according to our guide)! Natural dyeing, which offers a spectacular array of colorful vats, is done in summer when temperatures are high enough for drying. Keep this in mind to avoid disappointment, especially if you’re going there for photos!
The Mellah is the Jewish quarter of Marrakech. It's one of the oldest neighborhoods in the country, founded around 1060 by the Almoravids. This quarter houses the Jewish cemetery of Marrakech, also known as the Miara Cemetery, as well as the Salat Al-Azama Synagogue and the Negidim Synagogue.
These three sites are open to visitors, typically free of charge, with a donation system. However, when we visited a month after the September 2023 earthquake, donations of 10 DH per person (under €1) were made mandatory, likely to help with maintenance and restoration.
We didn’t visit the synagogues, but we did enter the Miara Cemetery. It is the largest in the country, with nearly 20,000 graves. All the graves are small, narrow, white-washed, and arranged with a rounded or triangular prism on top (somewhat similar to the Saadian Tombs but without the grandeur).
Les tombes sont réparties en parcelles, où elles sont rangées côte à côté, mais l’orientation des parcelles n’est pas toujours la même. De plus, aucun nom n’est inscrit sur les tombes (du moins pas sur toutes)… C’est assez étranThe tombs are arranged in clusters, set close together, though the orientation of each cluster isn’t always the same. Plus, there aren’t names on all the tombs, which feels somewhat strange.
We couldn’t find any explanation, and unfortunately, we never saw the caretaker again after entering…
However, through some later research, we learned some fascinating facts about Jewish burial customs:
Here are the other sites we noted for a visit in Marrakech, though we couldn’t see them all due to time:
You can find other ideas for tours and activities on GetYourGuide :
Now that we’ve talked about sightseeing, let’s dive into food! And there’s certainly no shortage of restaurants in Marrakech:
PNot far from the Secret Garden, this spot offers a beautiful view of the rooftops and mountains. It’s trendy and a bit pricey for Marrakech, but the setting is beautiful and enjoyable.
Website for La Terrasse des Épices: terrassedesepices.com
An alternative to La Terrasse des Épices, this café is located at Place Rahba Lakdima. It offers a nice view of the square and the city rooftops. It’s smaller, with a simpler and more authentic decor, making it a pleasant spot to relax. Prices are still high for the country, but the ambiance is enjoyable.
Website for Café des Épices: cafedesepices.ma
Here, prices are definitely not dropping, as it’s a luxury palace. While room rates are far above our budget, the tearoom is a bit more wallet-friendly. We had planned to enjoy a mint tea (priced at 90 DH, or over €8) to admire the place and its gardens, but fate had other plans. The venue wasn’t yet open to the public when we arrived—it opens to outsiders only from 11 am, if I remember correctly.
Website for La Mamounia Tearoom: mamounia.com/fr/les-salons-de-the/
We ate at this small restaurant in the Mellah district, south of the medina. The terrace is very pleasant and nicely decorated. Simon ordered a beef tagine, which was excellent, though a bit small, and I, seeking something refreshing, ordered a Moroccan salad (a decent portion, though the ingredients were chopped a bit too large for my taste… but it still did the job).
Google Maps location for Table de Marrakech: 31.620895, -7.984215
At the last riad of our stay, we tasted the best meal! The dishes were outstanding and incredibly flavorful. The menu doesn’t offer many options, but that’s because everything is prepared according to the season and what the chef, Rachida, finds at the market. Honestly, we highly recommend it!
Website for Riad Le Pèlerin: riadlepelerin.com
Bonus Recommendation: Cooking Workshop or Class
We tried this experience during our stay at this riad, and it was fantastic cooking alongside chefs Aziza and Zakaria.
Here's the plan: you'll cook a couscous and a milk pastilla with orange blossom, then enjoy your creation! All of this for 400 DH per person (around €35).
More information and reservations for the cooking workshop: riadyasaman.com/cours-de-cuisine
If you’re visiting Morocco, we highly recommend staying in traditional and authentic riads! It would be a shame to miss out on this experience by opting for standard hotels. Riads are beautiful spaces with an inner courtyard and often a rooftop, offering a unique ambiance.
Most of them are in the medina, but once inside, you're well shielded from the noise outside. That said, it’s worth noting that walls are thin, so you might hear internal sounds (staff or other travelers coming and going). If you’re a light sleeper, consider bringing earplugs.
We stayed in two riads in Marrakech, and both were fantastic, each with its own unique style and decor. Here are the details:
Our first riad, located right in the medina, is a haven of peace and greenery. The decor is refined, with harmonious tones of green, white, and wood. A small pool sits in the courtyard, and there’s a jacuzzi on the rooftop.
The rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated, and the staff is incredibly kind and attentive. The riad is about 10 minutes from Jemaa El Fna Square, between the Tanneries District and Ben Youssef Madrasa, in a quiet street.
One surprise was the morning prayer call, which starts at 6 am and lasts 30 minutes, broadcast by speakers in and around the nearby mosques. It woke us up on the first morning, but after that, we got used to it. If you're sensitive to noise (in general, as mentioned above), earplugs are a good idea, but this shouldn’t stop you from experiencing this wonderful riad!
Website : riadyasaman.com
Booking : booking.com/dar-yasaman
Adress : 151 Derb Sekkaya, Marrakech 40000
GPS : 31.630070, -7.982595
The last riad of our stay, Riad Le Pèlerin, had a different style. A cozy, refined oasis, decorated in white and wood, with beautiful, modern communal spaces. There’s no pool or jacuzzi, but there are lovely cactus arrangements, and the food is a must-try!
The rooms aren’t large, but they’re well-designed and tastefully decorated. We loved our time here, and the staff was warm and welcoming.
Riad Le Pèlerin is also about 10 minutes from Jemaa El Fna Square, to the west of the medina near the Secret Garden.
One downside is the location on Google Maps, which made it hard to find at first. Luckily, a local guided us to the riad (but did ask for a tip 😅). To make it easier, here’s a map that should help:
(UPDATE: Signposts now make it easier to find the riad.)
Website : riadlepelerin.com
Booking : riadlepelerin.com or booking.com/le-pelerin
(Let them know your arrival time so they can meet you at Dar El Bacha)
Adress : Derb Tizougarine 92, Marrakech 40000
GPS : 31.632117, -7.991097
Several modes of transport are available depending on what you want to do:
The cheapest option is to take the bus. For 20DH (less than €2), you can take line 19, which loops between the Airport – Medina – Gueliz. Buses depart every 20 to 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and you can buy your ticket directly from the driver on board.
Next, you can opt for a taxi. To avoid being scammed and paying an exorbitant price, the airport has set up a regulated system with fixed prices and kiosks.
So, as you exit the airport, on your right, you will find « Kech.cab » kiosks. You need to go there to book your ride. The price is fixed based on your destination and the size of the taxi, but the options are limited and very honest, with all prices clearly displayed at the kiosk.
For a small taxi (a normal car, with a maximum of 3 passengers):
Once the fare is paid, the kiosk will give you a ticket with your taxi number. You will then head to the parking lot where your taxi will be waiting. And off you go to your destination!
This system was implemented recently, in May 2023, by the National Airports Office (ONDA), and some taxi drivers are struggling to accept these prices and complain because they don’t find it profitable. I want to say that if they don’t like it, they are free to stop coming to the airport! Unfortunately, even the complainers are still there... and you may encounter one of these drivers.
It happened to us. We paid the daytime rate by a few minutes, and to avoid any issues, we made sure to confirm with the kiosk that it was okay. However, the driver didn’t like it and wanted us to pay the ride at the higher rate directly. We obviously didn’t do that. We went back to the kiosk, and an employee came with us to explain to the driver that it doesn’t work that way. In the end, the driver took us without charging extra, but the ride was a bit tense... He drove very fast the whole way to get rid of us as quickly as possible since we were not profitable for him...
Usually, through your accommodation, you also have the option of a private transfer. This option is more expensive, with the price set directly by your accommodation. You can expect an average of 200DH, or about €19 for transfers to the Medina. It’s certainly more expensive, but with this option, a driver will be waiting for you at the airport, take your luggage, and bring you directly to your accommodation. The price for peace of mind.
Within the Medina, clearly, everything is done on foot! The streets are so narrow that there are (almost) no cars. There are a few scooters and bikes, but we would advise against it; driving in these crowded alleys would be a real nightmare... That’s for them!
If you want to leave the Medina (or return if you’ve already left), three options are available to you:
We didn’t try it, but the bus network is fairly well developed and works quite well from what we’ve heard. Some buses even have air conditioning. A ticket costs 4DH, or less than 40 cents, and will allow you to travel outside the Medina.
You can also choose to travel by taxi. Since Uber does not exist in Morocco, you will most likely need to negotiate your fare, but it is still quite affordable.
A few tips for your ride:
Otherwise, there’s the inDrive app, where the price is set at the beginning (but you need internet for that, and we didn’t buy a SIM card for this).
The last option, quite practical if you want to leave Marrakech for a few days while keeping the freedom of your itinerary and schedule, is renting a car.
You can either rent from a local who offers their car (we didn’t dare, unsure about where or which platform to use), or through a rental agency. Most agencies are located at the airport.
That’s what we did. We went with Thrifty, a subsidiary of Sixt. We paid €78 for 3 days of rental, or €26 per day, which is very reasonable. We rented a standard car and got an equivalent of a Renault Clio.
Here’s a little story: we first booked a car without worrying about the company, and the day before we were supposed to pick it up, we couldn’t find the agency... Nothing was clear, and of course, there was no email or phone number to contact them. So, we canceled the reservation and went with an agency we knew. We had done some research beforehand, and after some bad rental experiences in Morocco, we took a video of the vehicle’s check-up, noting all the marks and small damages it already had, to avoid any issues when returning the car. And everything went smoothly!
If you don’t want to hassle with this, you can also choose to rent a car through the DiscoverCars. platform. They compare hundreds of agencies to offer you the best deals in terms of both price and rental conditions. With DiscoverCars, you’ll have unlimited mileage, partial coverage included as standard, and theft protection. It’s very reassuring!
That’s it, we’ve reached the end of this article. It’s quite long because there was a lot to cover, and Moroccan culture is so interesting that it would have been a shame to skip over the explanations. In this article, we’ve shared our opinion, lots of tips, and, most importantly, the must-see places in Marrakech! We hope this has been informative and will help you plan your stay here. And if you want to book your flight, you can do so right here:
Feel free to share any questions and your feedback in the comments for other travelers 😉.
1. Everything is negotiable! Moroccans don't hesitate to quote very high prices, especially for tourists, claiming they can't lower them in order to make as much money as possible. That's how you end up getting "scammed." You shouldn't let yourself be fooled and must negotiate hard with the merchants to find a reasonable price. However, even though they may "lie" about the prices, Moroccans will never lie about the history behind the item you're trying to buy. We say this because when we bought the Berber rug in the tanners' district, we had many questions, particularly about whether everything the seller told us about the rug’s creation was true or false. But after talking to a Moroccan colleague, he told me that no Moroccan would ever lie about the history to sell something. It would be unforgivable for them. And that reassured us a lot.
2. According to my Moroccan colleague, nothing costs more than 50DH (around 4.60€) in the medina! Well, when it comes to clothing (not rugs, ironwork, leather, etc.). This is good to know for negotiations. We feel less guilty about drastically lowering the price compared to what the seller initially asks for!
3. You should always leave tips. At the restaurant, at the hotel, to the guide. There are even people on the street who will guide you if you're lost, even if you didn't ask. But beware, it's not free! They expect a little money in the end and won't hesitate to ask for it (and sometimes even get angry if you refuse).
4. Si If you visit the tanneries, and your guide will remind you of this, you're not allowed to take photos in the "Arab" tanneries, only in the "Berber" tanneries.
5. Don't hesitate to hire a guide to explore and discover the city, the local specialties, etc. We didn’t do it, but after talking to my Moroccan colleague (after our trip, of course, otherwise it wouldn’t have been as fun), he told us that we missed out on a lot of things (especially culinary specialties). In fact, if you hire a guide, yes, you’ll need to pay them by the day, but you’ll benefit because they know the best spots in Marrakech, they know where to take you, what to visit, which restaurants are really worth going to, and they will even negotiate on your behalf with the merchants, so you'll get local prices, not tourist ones. A much more authentic experience that we’d love to try next time!
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