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Going there in 12 days with my partner. Nice Riad sorted. Tons of people seem to have been there. Any advice on must-see places/things?
Thanks in advance. 🙂
The Souks will put you off your food.
Buy a carpet.
Drink sugary tea.
Head to the main square both during the day and in the evening. Wander around the Souks, sample some foods and people watch from a roof top bar.
Get lost!
We made it out of the town in a day towards the deserty bit with Camel herder blokes.
How long are you staying and what riad? We went there last February for a week. Ourika valley was nice with a really gool guided hike and essaouira worth a visit. The drive across the Atlas is spectacular but if you head that way it would be worth staying in the desert for a night or two as the journey is a bit of a slog.
Eat lots of street food, visit the old palace in the south, there's a beer dungeon in the supermarket just south west outside of the old town. And if you're buying anything look to pay a quarter of whatever they're asking.
Go to Le Grand Cafe de la Poste for a drink.
You will get lost in the alleys and souks. Kids will guide you a corner or 2 and then want money but make them take you all the way back to the big square. Otherwise they'll say "just up there" and you'll still be lost. 🙂
Kosy Bar is good for a drink with a view of the old fort and the storks.
My advice is based on being 19 years old when I visited...and I am siginificantly older now!
Go with the flow and get some local smoke
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Hotel Ali has a good terrace for reasonable priced eating.
Get a guide and pay them to stop you from being hassled by sundry vendors and other guides or getting lost.
Go into the mountains to Oukamaiden (sp?) and to the coast to Essouria
IMO 2-3 days in the city is enough. If you are there longer take a trip to the Atlas.
Main square & souks, all of this is quite an assault on the senses so you need a pitstop or to relax back at the Riad. Also you can download maps with wifi when in Riad and use Google Maps GPS only with data off to navigate around Souks which are a maze and very easy to get lost
If you visit the Centre Artisanale everything is fixed price so you can either buy there or get an idea of the correct prices to barter in the Souks
The Mamounia hotel made famous as one of Churchill's favourite places is worth a stroll around the gardens and a drink on one of the terraces. You can do all of this without being a resident. The restuarant there is spectacularly expensive. In fact in my view eating out in Marrakesh is quite expensive, we ate in our Riad.
The Yves Staint Laurant Gardens / House are worth a visit (the taxi hustlers outside are a bore, its worth knowing the right price back to town and hanging out for it, many of them won't take you unless you pay a multiple of the correct fare). if you get time or are interested it's worth downloading the YSL movie (french with subtitles)
When we where there last year we spent time in Essouria, its a working fishing port so quite grubby with hundreds of manky cats. Interesting all the same but the Atlas are better, we failed to make it to the ski resort as the road was jammed with traffic after the first big snow of the year (late Jan). Was fun to stand in 2 ft of fresh powder in North African though and watch the locals enjoying it.
As others have said - main square (day and evening) + a mouch around the Souks.
2-3 days is enough, the Atlas are on your doorstep and much more worthwhile than day after day spent in the city.
Eating out can range from sensible to Monaco prices!
I would thoroughly recommend going to the Medersa Ben Youssef, fantastic architecture and a very calming atmosphere.
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The saadian tombs are similarly incredible architecturally, but can be little tricky to find (also they are closed on Fridays for prayers, as are most other places except the souks).
The tanneries are a tourist trap full of hustlers (I speak from experience) and are much smaller/harder to appreciate than those in Fes.
You HAVE to go into a Hammam at least once, I was out there for 2 weeks last year (travelling around the country) and wimped out of trying one until the second to last day. I have to say it was my biggest regret as despite not knowing a word of arabic I found it to be a wholly welcoming experience to simply walk into a local hammam and relax. The bit involving being exfoliated (violently) by a chap with a scrub glove is entirely optional, but I found mine to be great!
I'll echo what others have said about going into the Atlas mountains, the pass roads are awe inspiring, and the views are quite brilliant, that said if you have booked into your Riad you may not be able to get too far in a day, but look into it.
Let me know if I can be any more help, but I thoroughly enjoyed the time I was there.
Dicky
I would also back up the 2 - 3 days in the city comments. We had a guide and did 4 days treking including a summit of Toubkal, the highest peak in the Atlas. We stayed in local villages and a mountain hut belonging to the French Alpine club, one village we stayed in was being connected to the national grid the following week.
I would expect it to be quite wintery in the Atlas this time of year though, we were there in Sept. and the snow arrived early so we needed crampons and ice axe from mid way up Toubkal.
Amazing country and people.
Have a good trip!
Forgot about the Marjorelle gardens but definitely worth a visit, also would echo 2-3 days being enough without venturing outside Marrakech, to say it's full on is a massive understatement.
And lots of very cheap 'local' hole in the wall eateries on Rue Bab Doukala.
The Marrakech Express? 😉
Imlil and the kasbah du tofu kcal for a treat.
It's alright, couple of nice palaces and the squares quite busy, you just get hassled everywhere. Atlas Mountains and the fishing port are nice to get out of the centre. If you like drinking whilst away it's worth taking some duty free!! Although there are a few bars. Best thing I saw was a chicken being killed halal style interesting as it Was right behind the restarante so I guess the food is fresh.
Go for one of those hot bath things it was decent enough and mine was quite a touristy one.
Yes +1 for @burgateddicky's recommendation for the Ben Yousef Islamic scholars school. Also there is a Synagogue in one of the alleyways, a little harder to find and some of the locals try to distract you and take you elsewhere.
You can visit Essaoura (sp?) in a day. Eat at No.42 in El Fna. Take some booze with you .
Don't bother, go to Fes. Or from Marrakesh get a taxi to Imlil and climb Jebel Toubcal
I'll have the souk, bread and cheese.
ourika valley and Essaouira would be on my list, we did an atlas mountains jeep safari which was great too.
Don't use cash machines in the souks............
Went to Morroco a few years ago. Had a few nights in Essaouira then headed to Marrakech (both ways by local bus which was brilliantly cheap). Barely there a day before longing to be back on the coast. The fishing port was just relaxed and fairly empty. Very tempted to take up kite surfing which it is a bit of a Mecca for. Loved eating the deep fried doughnut equivalents from the street stalls.