Marrakesh was the last stop of my trip and the funnest one! We stayed there for about 24 hours and made the most of it.
We arrived there at 10 am and by the time we got to our hotel, freshened up from our 3 hour drive, it was already lunch time. As for our sleeping arrangements, we taught it would be best to stay in a riad in Jemaa El-Fnaa given it’s near to all the main attractions.
We stopped at the first restaurant we saw in Jemaa El-Fnaa, grabbed a sandwich and an orange juice and afterwards made our way to the Menara Gardens. You can walk in the park and enjoy the view of the Atlas mountains on one side and the Koutoubia Mosque on the other side. This garden is a bit less touristy than Le Jardin Majorelle but more authentic to the moroccan culture.
Menara Gardens
Next stop: Le Jardin Majorelle, YSL Museum & The Berber Museum. Le Jardin is such a picturesque place and given the crazy hot weather in Marrakesh, it’s nice to stay in the shadows for a moment. The Berber Museum is in Le Jardin and you can see paintings and objects describing the berber culture! Stop at the Cafee majorelle to drink, eat and relax if needed. If you are a fashion addict, you can stop afterwards next door to the YSL Museum, where you can look at the evolution of the YSL brand. All three places are very tourism-oriented. You won’t find many locals there but for a nice picture it’s where you should go!
Jardin Majorelle YSL Museum
On our way back to Jemaa El-Fna we stopped at the Koutoubia Mosque. Historically, this mosque was the home of many booksellers that would either sell books or exchange them on the streets surrounding the mosque. This is where the name of the mosque comes from given the roots of the word Koutoubia is the arabic for books. Non-muslims unfortunately can’t enter the mosque. They can instead walk around in the gardens surrounding the mosque (I have no idea how strict they are with this rule).
Koutoubia Mosque Jemaa El-Fnaa
By now, the weather has cooled down a bit and it’s the perfect time for some shopping. Jemaa El-Fnaa is the biggest souk in Morocco so you will a 100% find whatever you want or need. It’s a great place to buy your souvenirs and practice your haggling! When the sun sets, restaurants will open their doors in the main square where you can enjoy a traditional meal in Marrakesh. Jemaa El-Fnaa is much nicer at night; the place is filled with musicians, entertainers, acrobats, henna tattoo artists and people so you could just stay there and enjoy the night or…
You can enjoy the nightlife of Marrakesh. The best neighborhoods to visit are Gueliz and Hivernage. You can go to a fancy restaurant, a shisha bar, the casino, clubs…
Casino of Marrakesh Sofitel
To be completely honest with you, you should spend more than 24 hours in Marrakesh, because there is a lot more things I wish I did. And 24 hours don’t really allow you to take in all the beauty that the city has to offer.
Let me know if you’ve already went to Marrakesh and how was your experience! If you tried other places mention them in the comment section below so I add them to my list for my next trip to Marrakesh!
I also wrote a post on the city of Fes, that you can read HERE if you are interested on discovering that city!
With much love,
Sofyah,
”If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it’s lethal.”
