Marrakech
Marrakech, in a few days
Marrakech is Jemaa el-Fna coming alight at nightfall, souks designed for getting lost in, and the quiet of a riad around its courtyard. The red city is intense and disorienting, and it rewards time spent in it.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
Day by day
Day 1
- Morning · Jardin Majorelle · about 1 hThe garden created by painter Jacques Majorelle and later saved by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, around a villa painted cobalt blue.
- Evening · Jemaa el-Fna free · an eveningThe great square of the medina, UNESCO-recognised for its oral heritage, where food stalls, musicians and storytellers take over as night falls.
Day 2
- Morning · The medina souks free · about 1 h 30A maze of covered alleys north of Jemaa el-Fna, grouped by trade: dyers, metalworkers, leather, spices and carpets.
- Afternoon · Bahia Palace · about 1 hA late 19th-century palace built for the grand viziers, with painted cedar ceilings, zellige tilework and garden courtyards.
Day 3
- Morning · Koutoubia Mosque free · about 30 minThe 12th-century Almohad mosque whose minaret, about 77 metres tall, is the city’s landmark; non-Muslims admire it from the gardens outside.
Worth sorting before you go
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Tagine: slow-cooked in the clay pot it is named after (chicken and lemon, lamb and prunes).
- Couscous: traditionally a Friday dish.
- Pastilla: a sweet and savoury pie, chicken or pigeon, dusted with sugar.
- Mint tea: less a drink than the way hospitality is done.
- Street food: msemen, harira and skewers on Jemaa el-Fna.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Turn down the unofficial guides who attach themselves to you in the medina. Politely, and firmly.
- Haggle. Starting at a third of the asking price is normal, not rude.
- Ask before photographing people, and before photographing the tanneries.
- Do not drink the tap water. Bottled, with the seal unbroken.
Words that help
English ↔ Arabic
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| Hello | مرحبا (marhaba) |
| Thank you | شكرا (choukran) |
| Please | من فضلك (min fadlik) |
| Yes | نعم (na'am) |
| No | لا (la) |
| Excuse me | عفوا (afwan) |
| Goodbye | مع السلامة (ma'a salama) |
| Do you speak English? | هل تتكلم الإنجليزية؟ (tatakallam injliziya?) |
| I don't understand | لا أفهم (la afham) |
| How much is it? | بكم هذا؟ (bikam hadha?) |
| Where are the toilets? | أين الحمام؟ (ayna al-hammam?) |
| The bill, please | الحساب من فضلك (al-hisab min fadlik) |
| Help! | النجدة! (an-najda!) |
| Cheers! | في صحتك! (fi sahtak!) |
The practical page
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/marrakech
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.