An Honest 2024 Guide To The Best Things To Do And See In Marrakech
Morocco is a contraddictive country that you will not easily forget. You love it, and you hate it. You want to explore it more, and you want to run away from it as fast as possible.
I read SO MUCH about Morocco to prepare for my trip.
It was completely useless.
I soon discovered that everyone has a very different experience in the city; we rented a car by ourselves and travelled through most of the country without a guide, so our experience was completely different compared to those who only visited the city with a guided tour.
But, as always, we wanted to experience the true essence of Morocco, and sometimes this is impossible without pushing yourself in the most remote areas of the country.
I found myself agreeing with some of the things I read before my trip, while completely disagreeing with others.
Keep reading for a honest and sincere guide on the best things to see and do in the city.
How many days to visit Marrakech?
To visit the main attractions in the city, 2 days are enough. If you are thinking about taking excursions and day trips from the city, 4 days would be good.
We spent 7 days in Morocco: 3 in Marrakech, 4 driving to the Sahara Desert and back to Agadir (from when we caught the return flight).
Is Marrakech safe for tourists?
Marrakech is generally safe for tourists. However, the risk for terroristic attacks is high in the country, and in the last few years, there have been several attacks from ISIS.
As in any busy city, pickpocketing is very common. Paying attention is essential in Marrakech, both inside and outside the Medina.
One of the things we hated the most was people trying to scam us every minute. And that is not an exaggeration. Are you walking in the busy area of the Medina, admiring the shops? You will be stopped at least 60 times by locals who tell you that you have to go to that square, in that building, that museum, and that they will take you there. Even though you had no intention to do so and did not ask them. Then, they will ask you for money. I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone in the city, and it was very frustrating. The owner of the riad we stayed in confirmed my feeling: he explained that if we were lost, we could only ask the police for indications and no one else.
Prepare yourself to be scammed at least once during your trip. Apparently, it’s part of the real Moroccan experience. And it’s very annoying.
If you want more info before travelling to the city, check out my other article: All you need to know before travelling to Morocco.
Where To Stay In Marrakech
Forget the hotels: if you’re after an authentic experience, sleep in the Medina. Here, you will find many traditional “riad“, typical Moroccan houses with two or more floors surrounding an internal garden. Also, they usually have very nice panoramic terraces and serve a delicious typical breakfast (which we then found out it was identical through all Morocco).
Check out the map below to find accommodation deals!
What To Eat In Marrakech
Moroccan cuisine is characterised mainly by many, many spices. If you, like me, are not a fan of spiced food then be prepared to starve (honestly, cumin was even in the breakfast!).
The main dishes are:
- The tajine, a typical dish with meat, fish or vegetables (and, of course, spices!) served in a ceramic vessel.
- The Moroccan cous cous, one of the most diffused dishes in the area.
- The pastilla, sweet and sour puff pastry filled with meat and topped with almonds.
- The Baghrir, typical Moroccan pancakes served for breakfast.
Food in Marrakech – What to avoid
One of the things to absolutely avoid is stopping in the Medina to buy food from the shops on the street; the food here is not covered and is left for hours next to the thousands of motorcycles, so I guess everything tastes like smog (even though we didn’t dare to try). Be careful also with the sweets sold on the street, these are often covered by clouds of insects, usually flies and bees.
Other tourists told us about their bad experience in Jema el-Fnaa, where most of them stopped to buy some food or drinks and paid four times more than what it was actually worth.
Besides these few things to be careful about, Moroccan food is full of fresh ingredients and the smell will accompany you throughout your walks in the souks (traditional markets).
What To See And Do In Marrakech:
Marrakech is divided in two parts: the old city (the Medina, surrounded by walls) and the new city, completely different. The majority of the attractions are situated in the old city.
Let’s find out the best things to see in Marrakech!
Wonder through the Medina
Starting your visit from the main square and the Medina is a must: Jema el-Fnaa, the principal square, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is the true essence of Marrakech. It’s always busy, day and night, and it’s the city’s stage: besides the many merchants and the food trucks, it’s full of snake charmers and monkey trainers. It was a bit painful to see animals treated this way: snakes with mouth sewn shut, monkeys with diapers and chains… it looked more like a creepy circus than the main square of a big city.
The Medina is probably the biggest market I’ve ever seen. It’s full of colours and smells, craftsmen, artists and merchants. It’s really fascinating, but some people could find it very challenging: it’s not easy to get lost in its labytinthic small alleys, and the sellers are very insistent, so much to result terribly annoying.
We explored the Medina by ourselves and we didn’t love the experience; it’s very stressing and the merchants are very unrespectful, some even followed us for more than 30 minutes trying to sell us something we didn’t even want.
I highly suggest you visit the Medina with a guide, as this will allow you to have a more relaxed experience and will prevent to be annoyed every second.
If, however, you decide to go by yourself, the general rule is to not stare at the shops for more than 10 seconds if you don’t wish to buy anything, and to ALWAYS bargain. Be careful of your belongings and don’t trust strangers that offer to bring you somewhere else – a couple we spoke to got lost in the Medina and a guy offered to bring them back to the hotel, however, he brought them in an isolated area and robbed them.
Don’t let this discourage you. Besides the essential precautions, walking through the Medina is an unforgettable experience: it’s the heart of the city, it’s the vibrant part of Marrakech, and you should definitely visit it!
Find some of the highly rated tours below:
Le Jardin Majorelle, the Berber Museum and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum
Le Jardin Majorelle and the two Museums are some of the things we love the most in Marrakech.
Situated just outside the old city, it’s a nice walk to admire a Marrakech completely different from the Medina.
A tranquil walk in the colourful garden will be a very appreciated break form the external chaos of the city. It’s an oasis of blue and cactii really worth a visit.
You can find the combined tickets including a visit to both the garden and the museums. As they can get very busy during the day, I highly suggest you book the first ticket in the morning to fully enjoy the experience (please note that tickets are only sold online – you can find them on the official website).
The Berber museum was very interesting, with a selection of traditional clothes, jewellery and artifacts. No photographs are allowed inside, and visit takes about 15 minutes.
The Yves Saint Leurent Museum has its own entrance not far from the garden. This is quite small too, and it takes about 25 minutes to visit it all. It shows a collection of clothes and sketches from the fashion designer. It’s very interesting and, if you love fashion, you can’t miss a visit!
Ben Youssef Madrasa
The Madrasa is situated in the Medina, and its beauty is just breathtaking.
One of the most beautiful buildings in Marrakech, with an amazing architecture, the Madrasa was once a Qouran school built in th 16th century. Nowadays, it’s one of the most important historical buildings of the city.
It’s beautifully designed with an incredible detailing of the decorations, a masterpiece of craftmanship which will drag you to a tranquil and calm athmosphere.
It took us about 1 hour to visit it all. The place is full of perfect spots for taking stunning pictures, so take your time!
The tickets can be bought on site and are 40dh (less than £4).
Maison De La Photographie
After the visit to the Ben Youssef madrasa, a visit to the beautiful Maison De La Photographie is a must. In fact, the two attractions are very close to each other.
The Maison De La Photographie (situated in a riad) is a hidden gem unknown to many tourists – but absolutely worth it! The beautiful pictures explain the history of the country; these will take you to the past and help you to better understand the present.
Don’t leave before going to the terrace and enjoy the typical mint tea (they also serve food), while admiring a stunning view over the city!
The place is not too busy (we went about one hour before the closing time), and tickets can be bought on-site.
Saadian Tombs
As I promised this was going to be an honest guide to the best things to see in Marrakech, I must say: me and Kris didn’t love the Saadian Tombs. They were highly suggested by all the other blogs I read before our trip, but we were a bit disappointed. The ticket is quite expensive if compared to the other attractions in the city (70dh, compared to the 40dh of the Ben Youssef madrasa).
The place was very small and could be visited in 10 minutes, however, it was so crowded (at 9am!) that we spent most of the time queueing to see one of the three rooms (that could only be seen from the outside).
The architecture is stunning, and the details of the decoration are incredible. If you have enough time, maybe it’s a good idea to make a quick stop here. Otherwise, better to visit some other attraction from this list in my opinion!
El Badi Palace
Less crowded than the close Bahia Palace (also worth a visit), El Badi Palace is huge, and it hosts many exhibitions. During the visit, videos will show you the magnificence of the palace at the time, nowadays partially ruined.
The Palace was built in the late 1570s, commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty
Mind the rattle sound above your head and look up – the walls are full of stork nests!
The beautiful terrace offers great views over the palace and the city. Make sure to find the hidden tunnels, very interesting to visit!
It takes about 3 hours to visit the entire palace, and the tickets (70dh) can be bought on site.
Best Tours To Explore Marrakech
Check out some of the best rated tours in Marrakech! Most of these include the entrance to the main attractions, and give you the possibility to admire the city in complete tranquillity.
Kikka
EDITOR IN CHIEF