Destination Guide : Marrakech, Morocco

Marrakech has been a destination on my dream list for a long time. As a kid, we celebrated birthdays and special occassions at a Moroccan restaurant in LA. I remember plate after plate coming to our table full of delicious spices and new flavors. And, of course, I can’t forget my sister and I being peer pressured into belly dancing with a beautiful, Moroccan woman while we were going through our awkward phase. Embarrassing memories aside, those dinners stuck with me and I wanted to experience Marrakech for myself. Even better? My mom and sister were able to meet up with us there after we had been traveling for over seven months!

We spent a total of 7 nights in Marrakech and, honestly, it was perhaps too long. Marrakech is colorful and magical, and busy and loud. It was one of our toughest places to travel with kids. Although the kids did get so much attention and affection from the locals! After a week in Marrakech, we were ready to escape to Portugal. But as ready as we were to leave, Marrakech really stayed with us. We went from saying how ready we were to put the Medina streets behind us, but then only days later we were reminiscing about how it was unlike any other places that we had traveled to. And Morocco has reappeared on my travel list. I would love to road trip from Tangier to Marrakech through the Atlas Mountains and end with some time on the coast in Essaouira.

Until then… let’s see how we spent our week in Marrakech!

STAY

Our riad was hands down the best part of our time in Marrakech. It was a quiet, peaceful escape from the busy streets of the Medina. A riad is a traditional-style Moroccan home with a courtyard in the center and rooms all around the perimeter. It’s impossible to capture the felling of being in one through photographs. The riad that we stayed in through Airbnb was gorgeous. Located in the heart of the Kasbah, the oldest part of the Medina. Every detail was perfect and thoughtful and we couldn’t love it more. The selling point was really the rooftop patio. So many places to lounge for an afternoon nap and to talk late into the evening. (Which we did!) We practiced yoga at sunrise and celebrated with a drink at sunset. The French owners met us in person to give us a tour and Marrakech recommendations all over mint tea. If you can swing it, a stay in a riad is a must for your time in Marrakech.

We also stayed at an apartment outside of the Medina before my mom and sister arrived. The apartment was great and the location, while far from the Medina, was central to grocery stores and walking distance to sights like Jardin Majorelle. The apartment decor was straight out of an IKEA catalogue which was oddly comforting!

GETTING AROUND

When you’re staying in the Medina, walking is really your best way to get around. But warning, the streets are busy! Motorbikes, cars, donkeys, other pedestrians. It was tricky walking through the streets with small kids. I always needed to give myself a little pep talk before we stepped out the door. When I would venture out without the kids, it was much easier to navigate. I do think that our experience would have been more positive overall if we hadn’t been as concerned about the kids. Which is something I don’t say lightly. It’s honestly the only place that we traveled to that I felt that way.

Hiring a driver is very popular especially when traveling at night or outside of the Medina in general. Our riad hosts gave us the number of their driver and we used him often. He was so kind and gave us recommendations on where to go as well.

THINGS TO KNOW

Haggling - In addition to the busy streets, there are a lot of people who are going to try to sell you something as you walk down the street. Both of our hosts warned us to be aware of our surroundings, just like you would do in any big city. Also, when shopping in the markets, learn the art of negotiating before you begin. Haggling is an expectation in Marrakech, so don’t take the first price that the seller gives. I love the quote from this Telegraph article on haggling, “It’s a dance, not a fight.” Remember, this is someone’s livelihood. So as thrilling as it can be to test your negotiating skills, you need to be respectful. If a seller is pressuring you in the beginning, politely ask for time to look. It’s much kinder than ignoring them. Window shopping and asking about a price is always welcome. But once you enter the haggling process and agree on a price, be prepared to buy. It’s rude and a waste of their time to walk away at that point.

Dress & Other Islamic Customs - Morocco is a Muslim country and Islamic laws and customs are upheld in Marrakech. Remember to dress appropriately, especially when visiting landmarks. Appropriate dress usually means shoulders covered and pants or full-length skirts. In Morocco, you are not able to visit mosques if you are not Muslim, unlike in other Muslim countries (e.g. Turkey). But you will hear the adhan, the call to prayer, five times each day. While you don’t need to do anything special when the call to prayer is occurring, it’s best to remain respectful especially during that time. But generally, you will see people carry on with their day. Throughout our travels in Turkey and Morocco, we came to really appreciate the routine of hearing the call to prayer. We would pause to listen to it and note what time it was. Our kids would hear it and say “oh it’s lunch time!” or “it’s the getting dark one now!”.

Drinking Alcohol - In addition to dressing appropriately, alcohol is limited throughout Marrakech. Within the Medina walls, it is very difficult to find alcohol. Make sure to know the rules around alcohol and be respectful when drinking it. I cover more about where you can find a beer or wine in the DRINK section below.

EAT : We ate some wonderful food in Marrakech. But our best meal was prepared for us in our Riad! Our riad hosts set us up with a home chef to come and cook us dinner. While we only had her prepare dinner one night, from the reviews many guests have her prepare breakfast and dinner for them most days. In hindsight, we would have loved a second, or third, dinner cooked by her. We ate beef tagine, cous cous, a traditional Moroccan salad, and cake and cinnamon oranges for dessert. The tagine was the best that we had during our time in Morocco.

CAFE CLOCK - This restaurant was across the street from our riad and we loved it for its food and casual dining atmosphere. We ate breakfast, lunch, and went once just for dessert during our stay. The menu is much more modern than we had in other restaurants. We ate falafel and hummus bowls, berber eggs, and Moroccan tapas. There’s a camel burger on the menu as well, but no one in our group tried it. We loved the servers and their rooftop patio. They also have great storytelling and music events!

L’ADRESSE - We ate lunch at L’Adresse on their rooftop patio overlooking Jemaa el-Fna, the most popular open air market in Marrakech. Lunch was great and the setting could not be better.

DAR ESSALAM - This is the type of restaurant that I dreamed of visiting in Marrakech. Room after room of ornate decor, sofa seating around a circular table. The restaurant dates back to the 17th century and people such as Winston Churchill and Alfred Hitchcock dined here. Hitchcock even filed a scene from The Man Who Knew Too Much at the restaurant. We ate Moroccan dishes like lamb tagine, chicken pastilla, and chicken with lemon and olives. My favorite was the moroccan salads (or we would call them dips) that came at the beginning of the meal.

DO

GUIDED TOUR - Walking through the winding streets of the Medina is great on its own. But traveling with a guide really brings to light all of the details around you. Our guide Chafik was incredibly knowledgable and happily answered our many questions. We visited the souks, Jamaa El Fna, the public oven where bread is baked each day, and tried Panache, juice popular with locals. We also visited the synagogue and Jewish cemetery which was an aspect of Moroccan history that we didn’t know anything about. Because we had 6 people in our group, we had our own private tour which was great with small kids. Chafik found things that would interest them, especially treats to try from different vendors.

HAMMAM - After my experience at a hammam in Istanbul, I knew that I had to experience one in Marrakech with my mom and sister. We visited the hammam at the 5 Elements Spa near our riad. It didn’t compare to the hammam experience that I had in Istanbul but we all still had a wonderful time. Want to learn what it’s like to visit a hammam? Read my post Visiting a Hammam - My Experience, Step by Step.

SOUKS & JAMAA EL FNA - Souks are truly such a wonderful part of Marrakech. I don’t think that I bought more souvenirs anywhere else during our travels! Hand-dyed fabrics, spices, light fixtures, wood carvings. You could spend days wandering from shop to shop. Remember your haggling tips and bring your cash! Jamaa El Fna is a must-see market in the center square. It’s been featured in many movies and is a great place to people watch. Yes, there are literally snake charmers and monkey wranglers there. If you take a picture of the snakes, be prepared to pay money. Even if you’re not posing with one. We were told by many locals and travelers to only visit during the day with children. In the evening, the market is packed with people and not safe to visit with little ones. We kept our distance from the animals, a close eye on our belongings and children, and then enjoyed our 15 minutes in the market.

SEE

SAADIEN’S TOMB - Marrakech is full of historic landmarks to visit. El Badii Palace, Bahia Palace, La Jardin Secret. We kept our sightseeing to a minimum and instead spent more time wandering the souks and catching up on time with our family. But we did visit Saadien’s Tomb. There’s a small courtyard to appreciate the citrus trees and Zellij, Moorish geometric tilework. While there are a series of sepulchers and mausoleums, the centerpiece, of course, is Saadin’s tomb - the Hall of Twelve Columns. You can view it from a small opening, only big enough for about two people. Yes, you will need to stand in line. Yes, it is worth it to see the immaculate space filled with Italian Carrara marble and golden honeycomb muqarnas (vaulting).

JARDIN MAJORELLE / YSL MUSEUM- This was the highlight of our sightseeing. Everyone who had visited Marrakech recommended a visit to Jardin Majorelle. Lush, succulent gardens and, of course, the rich blue house in the center. We also enjoyed exploring the Berber Museum and learn so much about Berber culture. Our kids love anytime they can see traditional clothing, jewelry, and tools up close. The YSL Museum was also fantastic. (Yves Saint-Laurent owned the gardens for almost 30 years.) It was especially memorable to visit with my sister who is a designer and has always appreciated fashion. Don’t miss out: buy the combined ticket for both the gardens and the YSL Museum.

PLAY - Like I said above, Marrakech proved to be the hardest place to travel with our kids. In addition to the busy streets and crowds of people, there was also a lack of space for them to run and play. But we did find a few! Most playgrounds were rundown, missing swings and unsafe structures. There was one playground near our apartment at Parc El Harti. The kids loved the dinosaur slides, which you technically can’t slide down anymore but made for good climbing. Most of the equipment was in working order when we visited. The rest of the gardens are really beautiful and it was a great place to walk around. Entrance is free. The park did open and close randomly, possibly coinciding with the call to prayer. We were never sure. There’s also Parc Lalla Hasna, which doesn’t have a playground, but it is a beautiful space to let the kids run around with a view of Koutoubia, a 12th-century mosque, in the background.

TREAT : There is no lack of sugar in Marrakech! Delicious, sweet treat abound!

Another reason to visit Dar Essalam? Their pastilla of flakes with cream and almonds. It was the perfect way to end the meal. Our kids loved a meringue style cookie that we tried from a local street vendor. Ice cream at Cafe Clock was another favorite. The servers gave our kids free ice cream during our first visit. We also made a special trip there late one evening just for desserts on their rooftop patio. As a non-sweets person, I love that oranges with cinnamon are also a ubiquitous dessert in Morocco.

RUN : Running in Marrakech is not for the faint of heart. Traffic exhaust, dust, overall congestion. It was hard to find a route to enjoy. Trent and I had the best luck finding routes outside of the Medina on the west side. Find some large gardens and run alongside the outer perimeter. Generally that’s where the sidewalks are more well kept and usually there are more trees to provide shade.

DRINK : While alcohol is generally off-limits in Marrakech, there are a handful of places to enjoy (or buy) a drink. Overall, you won’t find alcoholic drinks on the menu at any restaurants in the Kasbah. And, for the most part, drinking alcohol in public or outdoors, rooftops and patios, is not done. None of the restaurants that I mentioned above serves alcohol. Most of the beer and wine that we tried was purchased at the local grocery store. Only one came from Morocco, Casablanca. Otherwise, it’s a lot of imported beers and they are not cheap.

Kosybar - This was the only spot within the Medina that we visited where alcohol was served. They have cocktails, as well as beer and wine. All served on their rooftop patio. It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon after hours spent walking around the souks.

There’s our time in Marrakech! How about you? Have you visited Marrakech? Is it on your dream destination list?