Marrakech is the legendary "red city" of Morocco. Mystical (it is home to marabouts), stealing (when entering the market, pick your pocket!), cheeky, noisy, luxurious, hot ... Marrakech has no access to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, but every year, crowds of tourists rush here like ants on a piece of sugar. The local hotels are like paradise oases of comfort and beauty, gardens filled with fragrant flowers, refreshing swimming pools, relaxing spas and golf courses. The nightlife in Marrakech is endless. As well as gourmet restaurants with terraces, where it is so pleasant to relax, art galleries, literary cafes, museums, palaces. It is in Marrakech where many celebrities have bought their villas and luxurious riads: Brad Pitt, Madonna, Naomi Campbell, Jean Paul Gaultier, Leonardo di Caprio, Alain Delon. This magical city spread out against the backdrop of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains has inspired and beckoned artists, fashion designers, and filmmakers. What are the must-see leisure activities in the cultural capital of Morocco? I have prepared a list of 10 interesting must-dos ;-)
When darkness falls, we will sharpen our babushi on Jemaah el-Fna
Coming to Marrakech and not going to the famous Djemaa el-Fna... is like ignoring Red Square in Moscow and Times Square in New York. In the daytime, it's quiet and almost deserted. But as dusk falls, tents and pavilions are erected, cauldrons and braziers are brought out, and incredible delicacies are cooked and, of course, orange juice is squeezed. The aromas and smoke envelops the entire neighborhood. It's the best street fast food that makes your mouth water. Also entertaining those who flock to the lights, sounds and smells are fortune tellers, henna painters, medicine men, gnahua musicians, acrobats, cobra charmer and storyteller-celebrities, toothpickers and just the local merrymakers. A seething cauldron of impressions, a buzzing, entertaining buffoonery that will never be erased from your memory. If you plan to snap your camera, prepare some change. Otherwise, you'll get cursed. Tip: You can climb on the terrace of a nearby café and take beautiful pictures from above.
Join a Morocco desert tour from Marrakech:
Marrakech is the capital city of tourism in Morocco. Therefore, it is where most of tourists start their Morocco desert tours. You can get to Jamaa El Fna and ask for Sahara trips, the best itinerary is to take the
4 days desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
Buying potions of rhinoceros horn and dried chameleon
Of course, you know that in Marrakech you must buy real saffron and other spices in all shades of the rainbow, plus argan oil to add to salads or use in cosmetics. But after a glance at the Berber pharmacy in the spice market, you will find something more interesting: magic potions for any illness - for insomnia, loss of potency, migraines ... You will be offered elixirs, powders, plant extracts, minerals, snakeskin, iguana feet, dried chameleon, rhinoceros horn. Just name your ailment and they will tell you how to exorcise it. Leave it for three nights under the stars and then rub it on your forehead, or just take it inside in the morning. With especially severe cases or with such requests as to win a trial, to return a love that has gone, you can turn to local witches and miracle workers. You will not do without magic spells and rituals with hypnotic dances. Are not afraid? Come on!
Wandering the labyrinth of the bazaar in search of wondrous treasures
The twilight web of the main street bazaar stretches from the northern part of Jemaa el Fna Square to Ben Youssef Madrasah, the grandiose Islamic university. Each shop is like a cave from an Aladdin fairy tale. Inside are mountains of all sorts of stuff, leather, ceramic, silver, copper. Bags, plates, slippers, vases, jewelry, exotic doorknobs, openwork lamps, colorful scarves, purses, carpets ... Allah, help me not to go bankrupt! Hovering over souvenirs, getting out of the bazaar is no easy task. You also have to dodge mopeds, donkey carts, cyclists, and pickpockets and backpacks as thieves tend to come and go. Getting lost enough, you'll get to those distant corners, where artisans in front of rare passers-by are making their goods - beating with hammers, bending, cutting, shaving all sorts of materials to then display in their stores. Colorful and informative! If you are invited for tea and chat, say yes.
Relaxing in the colorful Jardine Majorelle like Yves Saint Laurent
The delightful botanical Jardine Majorelle once belonged to the French artist Jacques Majorelle. He moved to Marrakech at the beginning of the 20th century to improve his health. As a result, he brought here from different parts of the world amazing plants - all kinds of cacti, lotuses, yuccas, bamboos, jasmine, palms... To be in the garden on a hot summer day is a cool pleasure for the mind, eyes and ears. Under the singing of birds, the lush vegetation, you can relax near a gurgling fountain or meditate in a gazebo. Connoisseurs of high fashion will be pleased to know that after the death of the artist the garden was acquired and restored by Yves Saint Laurent himself. He spent many inspired days here, creating his clothing collections and drinking tea with sweets. In the central part of the garden is a memorial to the couturier. And in the blue building - a museum of Berber art, whose exhibits were collected by the fashion designer himself.
Cooking Moroccan food at a cooking course
If you're crazy about Moroccan cuisine (and no wonder, it makes your tongue swallow), Marrakech invites you to learn how to cook it. It's as if you were born here. You will understand spices and spices and unimaginable combinations of flavors. Amaze your family and friends with crumbly couscous, tagine, pastilles and almond sweets. Culinary courses in Marrakech are many and there are plenty to choose from. For example, Riad Enija, La Maison Arabe. First you will go to the market and learn how to choose the freshest products, and then you will visit the owner of the maison, where they will show you all the tricks of cooking national dishes. The price is about 50 euros per day. It includes your lunch, drinks and a few hours of unforgettable cooking class. If you choose a one-week course, you can open a Moroccan restaurant at home :)
Admiring the Diamond Beauty's Palace - Bahia
You do not want to
tour in Morocco without visiting the Bahia Palace, it doesn't really look like a palace. But it is an example of Eastern philosophy, when all personal wealth should be hidden from the eyes of others. When it was built, attention was paid to the interior decoration so as not to cause unnecessary envy. The Palais de la Bahía has 150 rooms - halls, bedrooms and other rooms, shining with gilding, carved ornaments made of expensive wood, wonderful Moorish mosaics and inlaid ceilings. The rooms, which are one after the other, are like a fancy box. In them the Grand Vizier of Marrakech planned to settle his four wives and twenty-four concubines. The central square is lined with marble and decorated with a fountain. The palace has elegant courtyards, shady alleys, and several beautiful gardens with banana, orange, and jasmine trees. On a hot day you can have a great time here.
Making wishes at the Qutubiyah Mosque during the full moon
The ancient Al Koutoubia Mosque, so beautifully illuminated at night, is a shrine not only in Marrakech but also in Morocco. While in many mosques the call to prayer is recorded, here the azan is sung by a live muezzin five times a day. The minaret tower stands 77 meters high and is decorated with four gilded orbs. Did you see them? That means Jemaa el-Fna is nearby. The truest landmark. There is a legend that one of the Sultan's wives during Ramadan ate four grapes. As a sign of remorse, she gave all her jewelry to be melted down so that golden orbs could be cast from them and placed on the top of the minaret. If you stand under the minaret facing east at the full moon, you can make a wish that will surely come true.
Rolling the dice at the legendary La Mamounia hotel casino
"La Mamounia is Marrakech's golden age. A living legend in the Moorish Art Deco style, with three hundred-year-old gardens on 17 hectares. When they bloom - words can't describe it! Winston Churchill loved to rest here. One of the rooms and the Piano Bar are named after him. Presidents, sheikhs, heirs to the throne and movie stars have left notes in the hotel guest book. Nowadays this chic hotel decorated with works of art is often visited by the royal family. To visit La Mamunia, you do not have to book a suite with a view of the Coutubia. The bars and restaurants are open to the public. Not to mention Le Grand Casino de Mamounia, which has seen the best players from all over the world. If you like to play poker, roll the dice or spin the reel of the one-armed bandit, you should definitely do so here. Bets are accepted in the local currency - dirhams.
Giving ourselves to the hammam - forget everything in the world and be born again
If you go to the spa, even in the most luxurious hotel, you will not get a real Moroccan hammam. The European version is the gentlest, adapted for tourists. Every quarter of the old medina has a mosque, a fountain and a real, authentic hammam, which men and women visit at different times. Want something truly extraordinary? This is where you come in, to Purgatory. It seems here, along with all the dirt, dust and tan, and wash your skin, and scalp, and all of your past life, smeared with something heretofore unseen, but the final feeling, I swear, incredible! Asking for mercy in English is useless, only French will be understood. Once you come out into the white light, you will be surprised by a completely new, pure experience of Marrakech.
Let's rock out at the biggest nightclub in Africa - Le Pacha!
The nightlife in Marrakech is as vibrant and restless as the daytime! The city never sleeps. That's why many party-goers love it. Themed parties, fancy dancers and singers, famous DJs - every night there is a new reason for excitement for the guests of entertainment venues. Among the best clubs in Marrakech is, of course, Le Pacha. Yes, yes, the famous Ibiza club is open in Morocco. It has stunning interiors, great sound, and the wildest parties. Although Theatro does not seem to be inferior to it. It is located in a former theater building, with original decorations. Nikki Beach is a complex of restaurant, club and bar. By day, guests relax at the cocktail bar floating in the pool. At night, wealthy young Moroccans go on a break. Where I invite you too ;-)
P.S. There's not much room left to tell about the other exciting things to do in Marrakech :( Go skiing or hiking in the Atlas Mountains. Check out art galleries and cultural centers, boutiques, and museums. Take a hundred colorful pictures in the tanneries on the outskirts of Medina. The Ali bin Youssef Madrasah, a philosophical and religious educational institution, is one of the rare religious sites for non-Muslims to visit. It's very beautiful! You can also go from Marrakech to Agadir or Essaouira...
Ooooh! Have a magical vacation in Morocco!
