Marrakech

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Quick Facts

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Coordinates

• Latitude: 31.63917
• Longitude: -8.00477

On Travellerspoint

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Introduction

The Medina, Marrakech

© All Rights Reserved Mikey B

Marrakech (Marrakesh in English) is a popular travel destination in Morocco. Famous for ochre stucco buildings, the city is surrounded by the Atlas mountains, making for a spectacular setting. Capital of the south and known as the "red city", the atmosphere is decidedly more African than that of Fez, Rabat and Meknes, other Imperial cities. It's primarily this unique atmosphere which makes Marrakech the most visited Imperial city and nowhere is this better experienced than in the alleyways and souks (markets) of Medina, the Old City. Indeed, such is the change that you think yourself on a movie set as you wander through it.

In the very heart of the Medina is Djemaa el Fna, the busiest square in Africa. Tourists are drawn by day to witness the square's acrobats, dancers, story-tellers, water sellers and musicians. By night tourists are just as plentiful, enjoying the transformation of the square into a huge open-air restaurant as the food stalls kick into gear. Unlike so many other locations, tourism has not taken away from the atmosphere, but only seems to be adding to it.

Adjacent to Djemaa el Fna is Le Souk, the largest traditional market in Morocco and famous for its winding streets and stalls selling everything from traditional handicrafts, clothes, leather crafted goods and carpets to spices and marinated olives.

Neighbourhoods

Djemma el Fna

© All Rights Reserved bowlerpaul

• Medina (Old/Historical city)
• New city including the two principal districts of Gueliz and Hivernage

Sights and Activities

• The Medina and souqs
• Djemaa el-Fna, the showpiece of action in Marrakech, a Unesco World Heritage Site
• The Koutoubia
• Ali ben Youssef Medersa
• Bahia Palace
• Saadian Tombs
• Dar Si Said
• Musée de Marrakech
• Badi Palace
• Dar Bellarj
• Mellah
• Maison Tiskiwin
• Koubba Ba'adiyn
• Mouassine Fountain
• Fondouqs
• Gardens like Menara Gardens and Jardin Majorelle
• Museum of Islamic Art
• Galleries

Events and Festivals

• Marrakech Popular Arts Festival - Berber music and dance, usually in July.
• International Film Festival - held in September or October, with Arab and African cinema mainly.

Weather

Spring is a particularly good time to visit when it is mostly dry and sunny. Summers are very hot but low humidity makes things at least a bit bearable. Winters are not particurly cold, but nights are rather chilly.

Getting There

By Plane

Menara International Airport (IATA: RAK, ICAO: GMMX) has a growing number of flights from southern and western Europe, for example with low budget airline Ryanair to Alicante, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, East Midlands, Girona, Frankfurt-Hahn, London-Luton, Marseille, Pisa, Reus (Barcelona), Seville and Weeze (Düsseldorf). Atlas Blue, a Moroccan budget airline fliest to Barcelona, Bordeaux, Brussels, Geneva, Lille, London-Gatwick, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Milan-Malpensa, Nantes, Nice, Paris-Orly and Toulouse.
Some domestic services exist as well, for example to and from Casablanca. Regional Air Lines has many domestic services.

By Train

Trains connect Marrakech and Tangier via Casablanca and Rabat. For more information you can check the ONCF website.

By Car

Marrakech is the central focus of the south of Morocco and is well connected by road to a number of cities. Roads going north lead to Fes, Meknes and Casablanca, west towards Essaouira and Agadir and east across the Atlas Mountains towards Ouarzazate and the Sahara desert.

By Bus

CTM runs many buses to main cities and towns in Morocco.

Getting Around

By Car

Navigating the streets of Marrakech can be nervous activity and you don't need a car anyway in Marrakech.

By Public Transport

The main bus station is on Bab Doukkala, just outside the Medina walls. This is where most buses depart from and where you will find the main booking office for CTM. You can get a local bus ( No. 3 or 10) here from Place de Foucauld which is near Djemma el - Fna.
Grande taxis congregate just to the north of the bus station and ordinary taxis can be found accross the road from the local bus stop.

By Foot

In central Medina, this is the only way to get around the narrow little streets, unless you have access to a donkey! You can also take a leisurely ride on a caleche, the horsedrawn carts.

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Alcohol is not easy to come by in Marrakech and limited to the more touristy hotels. A good place though to cool off with a cold beer or a cocktail is Cafe Arabe at the northern end of the souk. Take a seat on the terrace and revel in the cool mist spray which eminates from the overhead pipes.

If you are happy to have your vitamin C neat, then you wont be disappointed in Djemma el-Fna. Scores of juice bars line up to offer you six oranges in a glass for a few pence.
Without exception, all cafes and bars will have on offer the traditional mint tea or 'Whisky Berbere' as it is affectionately called. Made and served properly, which is quite an art, it is absolutely delicious.

Sleep

Marrakech literally has thousands of choices to spend the night. There are an estimated 1100 Riads alone! The Riads (and Dars) are usually in the older parts of Marrakech, like the medina. There are also many regular hotels, which are located in the newer parts of Marrakech and some luxurious hotels a bit further away from the main drag. Although riads are quite expensive, they are a great way to spend the night as close to the action as possible. They usually only have several rooms, more than 10 is already unusual, and come with breakfast.
The luxurious hotels are great to combine some relaxing days at the pool with some days exploring Marrakech and its surroundings.

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post

The main post office is on the southern side of Djemma el-Fna, just round the corner from the Pharmacie de Garde. Stamps can also be bought at 'Tabacs' and there are several post boxes dotted around the city.