Marrakech

Yves Saint Laurent spent 40 years returning to Marrakech. The Jardin Majorelle, which he and Pierre Bergé rescued from developers in 1980, became his reference point for colour: the cobalt blue of the villa walls, the rust orange of the planting pots, the baroque green of the cacti and euphorbia. The palette is genuinely startling when you walk in, even if you have seen photographs of it a hundred times. His ashes were scattered here in 2008. The Musée Yves Saint Laurent next door opened in 2017 and the combined visit is the most intelligent way to spend two hours in the city for anyone interested in 20th-century fashion or Moroccan design.

In 2026, Jardin Majorelle tickets cost 170 MAD (about EUR 16) for adults; combined with the Museum of Berber Arts inside the garden, 230 MAD; all three sites including the YSL Museum, 330 MAD. Tickets are booked online only – there is no longer a ticket desk at the gate. Book in advance at the official site; morning slots sell out first. The YSL Museum is closed Wednesdays. Arrive from the medina by taxi and negotiate the price before getting in; expect 15 to 20 minutes from Jemaa el-Fna.

How the Medina Works

The medina is disorienting by design. Medieval city planning optimised for confusing invaders, which works equally well on first-time visitors. Pick one area and explore it slowly rather than trying to navigate the whole system. Downhill paths eventually find the medina edge. The main arteries all connect back to Jemaa el-Fna if you follow the crowd noise.

Jemaa el-Fna is the wide central square, UNESCO-listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage. By day: rows of orange-juice carts, water-sellers in red and copper costumes demanding payment for photographs, and the general controlled chaos of a major market square. From dusk onward: food stalls spread across the square serving grilled kebabs, harira soup (a rich tomato and lentil broth), and tanjia (lamb slow-cooked overnight in a clay vessel buried in the coals at the hammam furnace). Retreat to a rooftop café above the square for the view over the sea of orange lights and the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque.

The Main Sights

Bahia Palace was built in the late 19th century by a Grand Vizier who intended it as the most beautiful palace in the world for its time. It covers nearly 8 hectares. The carved cedar ceilings, stucco honeycomb muqarnas, and intricate zellige tile floors represent Moroccan decorative craft at a level rarely matched. Go in the morning before tour groups arrive, which is the correct advice for nearly everything in Marrakech.

Saadian Tombs are a small, elaborately tiled necropolis dating to around 1600, sealed by a later sultan who did not want to demolish them (bad fortune) but also did not want to maintain them. They were forgotten until a French aerial survey rediscovered them in 1917. The tile and plasterwork in the main burial chamber is extraordinary; the site is intimate in scale, which makes it feel more serious than the larger palaces.

Ben Youssef Madrasa is a 14th-century Quranic school rebuilt by the Saadians in the 16th century, once one of the largest in North Africa with several hundred students from across the Islamic world studying theology, law, and poetry in its cells. The central courtyard in carved cedar and zellige is one of the finest interiors in Morocco. The upper-level cells, looking down into the courtyard from their cramped balconies, convey what student life here actually involved in a way that no description quite matches.

The Souks north of Jemaa el-Fna specialise by craft and trade: leather slippers in Souk Smata, dyed wool skeins hanging over the Souk des Teinturiers, ironwork in Souk Haddadine, copper and brasswork toward the north. Morning visits are less pressured than afternoon; the specialised souks are more interesting than the tourist handicraft rows closer to the main square.

Eating

Al Fassia in the Gueliz district (the modern city, not the medina) is run and staffed entirely by women and serves the most carefully executed Fassi cuisine in the city: lamb tanjia, pigeon pastilla with cinnamon and almonds, slow-cooked tagines that represent days of preparation. The restaurant is a family-run institution that has existed for decades, drawing Moroccan families and serious food visitors alike. Book ahead; it is popular with locals, which is the strongest recommendation available.

Nomad on Rahba Kedima square, overlooking the spice market from multi-level rooftop terraces, does creative contemporary Moroccan cooking. It is more expensive than the local average and worth it for the combination of food quality and the view at sunset.

At Jemaa el-Fna, the food stall section is good for harira, merguez sausages, and fresh snails. Stall 14 has maintained a steady reputation. The orange juice carts charge tourist prices but the juice is fresh and excellent.

Where to Stay

La Mamounia is the hotel the city is famous for: 20 acres of walled Andalusian gardens, Art Deco interiors, a pool that Winston Churchill painted in front of during his regular visits in the 1940s and 1950s. Rates are high; the grounds are worth seeing even if you are not staying there, accessed via a drink at the bar.

El Fenn near the Koutoubia is the boutique option with the best design sensibility: multiple plunge pools, a rooftop bar, private terrace rooms, and a more relaxed atmosphere than the grand hotels. Riad Kniza in the medina has impeccable service and an in-house restaurant widely considered among the best in the city.

Smaller medina riads offer double rooms from 40 to 70 euros with breakfast and offer a more direct experience of the neighbourhood. The trade-off is noise, limited natural light in some rooms, and medina navigation. Worth it for stays of three nights or more.

Practical Notes

March through May and September through November are the right months. Summer pushes past 40 degrees regularly and the heat is not enjoyable for sightseeing. Winter evenings are cold in riads that are unheated by design – ask specifically about heating when booking in December or January.

The Moroccan dirham is technically a closed currency; exchange at ATMs or at a bureau de change on arrival. Haggling in the souks is expected and most sellers price accordingly; agree on a price before handling goods or you may find the negotiation position has shifted. Dress conservatively near mosques and the main medina sites – cover legs and shoulders. A “bon jour” to shopkeepers as you walk is appreciated and changes the interaction noticeably.