Kenza & Hamza

Everything to know about Marrakech

You can fly into two airports:

Casablanca Airport (CMN)

This is the biggest international airport in Morocco and is is the ONLY one with direct flights from USA (Miami/NYC) From here you will need a car to drive you to Marrakech (~2.5 hours).

Marrakech Airport (RAK)

This is the only airport in Marrakech and only 10 minutes from town. There are direct flights into Marrakech if you stop over in Europe (usually UK, France, Spain, Lisbon). You can take a taxi or schedule a car service.

The square of Djemaa El-Fna: is the highlight of any Marrakech early evening. Musicians, dancers, and story tellers pack this square at the heart of the medina, filling it with a cacophony of drum beats and excited shouts. Scores of stalls sell a wide array of Moroccan fare (some overcharging heavily; see the Eat section) and you will almost certainly be accosted by women wanting to give you a henna tattoo. Enjoy the shows, but be prepared to give some dirhams to watch. By day it is largely filled with snake charmers and people with monkeys, as well as some of the more common stalls. Ignore anyone who offers you something that you do not want or move away: They will be asking you shortly for (too much) money. If you don't want to pay dearly for that henna or the photo of yourself with a monkey on your shoulder, politely decline when his owner approaches.Highly recommend you indulge. You will be asked to give tips whenever you take pictures with any of the troops/snake charmers etc, ~$1 is more than enough. Also best time to visit is early evening, right at sundown.

The Souks (suuqs), or markets of Marrakech, just adjacent to Place Djemaa El-Fna, are where you can buy almost anything. From spices to shoes, jellabas to kaftans, tea pots to tagines and much, much more. Undoubtedly, being a foreigner means you will end up paying higher prices than a native would, but BARGAIN. If they ask for $100 for a beautiful mirror (1000 moroccan dirhams), don't buy it for more than $50. Walk away, they will capitulate. All that said, the sellers are much less aggressive than, say, Egypt or Turkey, so have fun!

Koutoubia Mosque (founded in 1147), right besides Djemaa El-Fna, is named after the booksellers market that used to be here. It is said that the minaret of the Koutoubia mosque is to Marrakech as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. At night, the mosque is beautifully lit. As with most mosques in Morocco, non-Muslims are not allowed inside, so this will require just a 15min stop for a picture when you are done with Jemaa el Fna & the Souk

Saadian Tombs (named after the Saadian dynasty which made Marrakech a capital city when ruling from 1510 to 1659) were not discovered until the beginning of the 20th century. They have been preserved just like they were during the glory days of the Saadian rulers. Unlike the El Badi Palace, they were not destroyed, probably for superstitious reasons. The entrance was blocked so they remained untouched for hundreds of years. Inside you will find an overload of Zelij (Morrocan tiles) and some beautiful decoration. Once inside, you can expect to wait in line for about 45 minutes to see the most impressive tomb. While here, look for the tombs of Jews and Christians; they are noted by their different markings and direction of the tomb.

Jardin Majorelles: Beautiful gardens that have plants and cactus from all around the world. If you are into instagram, this is the perfect place to be an instamodel.... Amazing modern Moroccan architecture in a peaceful setting. Attached to it is the Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) Museum for the fashionistas. He called Marrakech his second home & spent the majority of his final 20 years in the city before his death in 2018.

The Menara gardens, which are west of the city, and consist of a mixture of orchards and olive groves surrounding a central pavilion which is a popular sight on tourist postcards. The pavilion was built during the 16th century Saadi dynasty and renovated in 1869.

El Bahia Palace is an ornate and beautiful palace, popular with guided tours and stray cats. The palace is well worth a visit and gives a great impression of what it must have been like to be a 19th century nobleman in Morocco. There is a nice garden with banana flowers, tranquil courtyards, and other lovely plants. The interior decoration is quite similar to the Dar Si Saïd Museum, which is considerably less crowded, so you might want to choose the one or the other.

ATV riding at Ourika Valley. This is a half day trip in which you ride with a guide in semi-arid/semi-desert land surrounding a major lake with views of the Atlas Mountain snow peaks. The event ends with a picnic at a local village where you are served Moroccan mint tea & various Moroccan sweets. This should cost ~$70-$100 including transportation to the site.

Horse Carriage (or Caleche in French) ride around Marrakech is always a no brainer (unless you have severe allergies). This is the easiest way to tour the old Medina & beyond in an efficient manner. They usually fit 4-5 people and should cost not more than $20-25 an hour.

Golf: Marrakech is home to some of the most pristine courses in Morocco many designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus. Assoufid is probably my favorite with stunning views of the snowcapped Atlas Mountains. Would also recommend any of: Samanah (Jack Nicklaus), Royal Palm, Al Maaden.

Trip to the Moroccan desert with stop in iconic Ourzazate (Holywood of Morocco with Game of Thrones, Alexander, The Mummy, Babel, Lawrence of Arabia etc) & the town of Air BenHadou (famous stop for all commerce from Timbuktu) 2-3 DAYS required. The closest desert stop is by Zagora (7 hour drive + 1hr camel ride) and this can be done in 36-48hr trip (exhausting though) with camping, sunrise on the dunes & various folkroic shows and activities. The furthest & most impressive stop is another addition 2-3 hour drive.

Camel Rides

Moroccan Cooking Classes

Hiking the Atlas Mountains and visiting Berber villages

Other recommended day trips:

- Essaouira (2.5hr drive) coastal town known for its Blue old Medina, amazing seafood, windy surf spots & authentic Gnaoua Moroccan music. It is also host to the biggest Jewish quarters in all of Morocco (Mellah).

- Ourzazate/Ait Ben Hadou mentioned above on the desert trip . You can skip the desert and make this a full day trip (4-4.5hr trip)

- Casablanca: many of you will be flying in/out of here given direct flight from JFK. If so, there is ONLY ONE place worth your time (and it really is worth it). That is the HASSAN II mosque (only mosque that allows non-Muslims to visit). It's the largest in Morocco and the third largest in the world--also consisting of the tallest minaret in the world. Beautiful interior complete with water features, a roof that opens to the sky, a huge hammam in the basement (not in use), and beautiful tile work. Ladies should dress (with their legs and shoulders covered) & Men cannot wear shorts above the knee.

Tangier: Unfortunately, the majority won't have the time to visit Hamza's beautiful city (6hr 30min drive) in the northern most tip of Morocco, where the Mediterranean and Atlantic meet on the Straits of Gibraltar. You can see Spain as it is just 8.7 miles away from most of the coast. The first ever US foreign building sits here. It is famous for Hercules cave (where Hercules was said to complete one of his tasks), stunning mountain/ocean views, Half Cafe (where Rolling Stones smoked hash and got inspired for their songs) and hippie culture (all the Beat Writers passed thru Tangier in the 1920-1950s). Tangier was the only the city NOT colonized by either the French or Spanish and remained an INTERNATIONAL BUFFER zone until Moroccan independence.

Le Comptoir: Diverse menu (French, Moroccan, Asian fusion) in a very fancy setting with live shows (Moroccan belly dancer, candle dancer, fireshows etc). This is right by all the recommended hotels (5min walk).

Kabana: rooftop by the Medina that turns into a bar/salsa party in some evenings. Diversified menu (sushi, French etc) with a cocktail menu of over 50 drinks (rare in Morocco).

Dar Yakout: for a traditional GOOD Morooccan meal in a traditional Moroccan setting. This is in the old Medina & is a beautiful riad converted into restaurant. If you get there for drinks before sunset, you can enjoy an amazing view of the old menu and listen to the evening call of prayers.

Another top notch Moroccan restaurant: Al Fassia

+61: If you overdose on Moroccan food, this is a restaurant run by an Australian lady offering amazing drinks and a nicely diversified menu with an Aussie twist.

Other restaurants:

Buddha Bar: Asian

Koi: Asian

Vita Nova: cheap Italian

Kuya

Kabana: which we mentioned as a Restaurant option above.

The Churchill: famous and fancy bar at the Mamounia named after Winston Churchill (who called Mamounia his favorite hotel ever). Will be pricy, but is a top spot.

Casino of Marrakech: which will be stuck to all of you staying at Es Saadi Palace. Mamounia Hotel (where Kenza and Hamza are staying) also has a casino where Leo DI Caprio has been spotted numerous times.

Theatro: one of our favorite nightclubs of all time. We have been going there since our high school years & every time we have visited since it gets better. This is also attached to the Es Saadi hotel