7 places you must see in Marrakech

Marrakesh, also known as the “Red City”, combines history, culture and exotic flavours. In our opinion, a visit to this city will leave no one indifferent. An unforgettable adventure and a chance to experience a different culture. In this blog, I have written down the most important sights to see in Marrakech during your visit.

The famous Jemaa el-Fnaa Square is the heart and soul of Marrakech and one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks. In the morning, the square is clean and tidy, but not for long. By day, it’s a market of fruit drinks and local vendors, and by night it transforms into an authentic Moroccan atmosphere. The square is filled with musicians, henna-painting artists, trained monkeys, snake tamers and numerous street food vendors offering a variety of flavours of Moroccan cuisine. And if you’re just a little inattentive or curious, before you know it, a snake is slung around your neck or a monkey perched on your shoulder. This colourful mix of voices, smells and sights can become a little chaotic in an instant.

We honestly didn’t like all this hustle and bustle, so we retreated to one of the nearby cafés. On the terrace, overlooking the square, we watched the “madness” in peace. This place has a special charm at sunset, when the calls to prayer can be heard from the minarets of the surrounding mosques.

Not far from the Jemaa el-Fnaa, if you walk along the Avenue Jemaa el-Fnaa, where the carriages line up, you will see the imposing Kutubiyah Mosque, considered the largest mosque in the city. The mosque is surrounded by lush gardens. Entrance to the park is free and it’s a paradise when you want to get away from the all the noises of the city.

The medina is the old town of Marrakech. A labyrinth of narrow souks, where at every turn you’ll find souvenir shops, carpets, ceramics, spices, clothes and other handicrafts. In the souks you can buy everything from argan oil to traditional Moroccan lanterns. Bargaining with the vendors is a must, but this often prolongs the purchase and creates interesting stories to tell for a long time to come.

If you venture a little away from the main streets, you will quickly discover quieter corners where shops are fewer and production much more obvious. In these areas, prices are lower to start with and the sellers are less skilled at negotiating. However, because of the lower level of English, communication is usually a little more difficult, but some clever sellers already opt for text-to-voice translator function to overcome that obstacle and try to make a sale. It may assist with simple products, but once you try to discuss something made on demand, that’s a whole different story…

For curious explorers, we recommend venturing a little further away from the tourist streets, where the crowds gradually disappear or are non-existent. There, the character of the souks changes – instead of souvenirs and handicrafts, it’s everyday groceries and necessities. Butchers, grain stalls, shops selling construction materials, electronics…

I tried to capture some moments in photos, but was caught several times by locals who loudly warned me “no photo”. So, out of respect for them, I decided not to publish these pictures. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend a visit to this part of the Medina, where life is not tailored to tourists, but shows the authentic daily life of the locals – genuinely and without embellishments.

At some point, while you wander through the streets of the Medina, you’re bound to find yourself in front of Le Jardin Secret botanical garden and the Ben Youssef Medersa Islamic School. The school is now open to visitors who can admire its Moroccan-style architecture. We didn’t visit the museum ourselves, but at the entrance we saw exceptional details such as fine wood panelling, carved marble, sculpted walls and mosaics in green and blue ceramics.

Outside the walls of Marrakech’s medina, in a slightly quieter and more modern part of the city, is the beautiful Jardins Majorelle botanical garden. It was created by the French painter Jacques Majorelle. Today, the garden is owned by the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house, which is responsible for preserving and restoring this jewel. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum, dedicated to the life and work of the famous fashion designer, is located nearby the garden.

Due to its popularity, I advise you to buy your ticket in advance, as there was a long queue even before the opening time.

You won’t be bored in Marrakech. If you don’t feel like visiting museums and are tired of wandering around the souks, you can relax in the hammam or enjoy the sunset on the roof of a traditional riad while sipping Moroccan tea. This was our favourite way to end the day. What kind of riad we chose and how we spent the day with the Berbers are the topics for upcoming posts.