Highlights

• Walk around the old town within the city walls
• Jemaa el-Fna central square for street food, performers and market stalls
• Souk Laksour and Souk El Bahja
• Palmeraie sunset, although be warned that there is a lot of rubbish around
• El Badi Palace
• Tinsmiths Square
• Saadian Tombs
• Jardin Majorelle by Yves Saint Laurent
• Koutoubia Mosque
• Bahia Palace
• Madrasa Ben Youssef for the architecture
• Day trip to the Atlas Mountains

Before you go

• The English spelling is “Marrakesh”, although “Marrakech” (French) is also widely used
• Weather can be variable and cool in the winter. Also the riad we stayed in didn’t have much insulation so we were cold
• Be prepared to be harassed in the souks and city centre if you look like a tourist
• Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted, less so American Express
• Taxis can be shared so don’t be surprised if you pick up other people. Also, agree on the price before getting into to the car. Cash only. It might be easier to hire a driver for the day
• It is a Muslim country, and many mosques require women to cover their heads

Transport

• The Marrakesh Menara Airport is located to the southeast of the city, and it is a short 15 minute taxi ride
• Within the city centre, we walked around most of the time
• However, to see the further out places we hired a driver for the day or took taxis

Accommodation

• We stayed at a lovely riad called Riad Al Assala. Since it was winter, there were few people and we had a huge room with high ceilings. The only downside was that the room was cold even with the heaters so we had to wear extra clothes to sleep
• As usual I recommend checking reviews on Google Reviews or using AirBnB

Food

Our favourite meal was at Al Baraka, a restaurant recommended to us by a Moroccan friend. It was an experience complete with a belly dancer and musicians. We also had so much food served to us throughout the evening. First, we started with a variety of salads. The server explained to us that all vegetables were cooked so it was safe for us to eat. Then we had couscous, tagine, and sauces. Finally, we had desserts including cookies, pastries and oranges with cinnamon. Everything was flavourful, spiced and delicious. The decor and setting was also so beautiful.

Our other main meal was at a terrace restaurant along the large Jemaa el-Fna square. We had a great view of the bustling city while enjoying tagine. I couldn’t find the Panorama restaurant anymore but would recommend eating on a terrace in the centre to enjoy the view from the peacefulness above the square.

We had a great breakfast each day at the hotel, which was plenty to last us until late afternoon. So, we didn’t tend to eat much during the day besides pastries and snacks.

One evening, we enjoyed drinks and fire dancers at the Jad Mahal. We also hung out at the cosy and casual Riad Mabrouk.