Sign in with Facebook"All aboard the Marrakech Express!" Marrakesh by mafi_moya
Marrakesh Travel Guide: 2,159 reviews and 5,867 photos
Marrakech! The name alone fills my brain with images of the exotic and the mysterious. A stronghold of the ancient Islamic empires; an Arabian Nights concoction of late night bazaars and hectic souks; or a drug-hazed rock'n'roll stop on the sixties hippy trail - it's one of the great cities of Africa.
I know it’s a bit of a clichéd description but Marrakech really is a tale of two cities. On the one hand there’s the Ville Nouvelle, the new city with its wide tree-lined avenues, spotlessly clean streets, cosmopolitan urbanites and fashionable restaurants and ice cream parlours. Just a few blocks away it feels like you step back hundreds of years, deep into mediaeval times and the dark, labyrinthine alleyways of the Medina – the sound of blacksmiths and tanneries, the smell of carcasses hanging on hooks above the gutter, and narrow, uneven roads where horse and carts have right of way over cars.
It’s naturally to the Medina, with its exotic chaos, that most tourists are drawn, before retreating to the hotels of the more refined Ville Nouvelle. It’s one of the few traditional Islamic Medina remaining and despite all those tourists it's an eye-opening experience. Djemaa el-Fna, the Place of the Dead, is an incredible sight – as night falls, food stalls set up and the huge square is filled with smoke and smells, storytellers, jugglers, snake handlers and thousands of people.
Like most Moroccan cities Marrakech has it’s own colour scheme – in this case everything is painted red. Shades of houses range from pastel pink to fierce deep crimson and it makes an incredible sight just before sunset.
I loved the Medina’s vibrant attack on the senses, but I also enjoyed the Ville Nouvelle’s laid-back cosmopolitan charm, even if I did feel a bit out of place in the more fashionable parts! But the thing I loved most about Marrakech was the amazing old Islamic North African architecture – the mosques, the religious schools, the museums, art galleries and old palaces. Somehow these buildings link the two cities and the centuries between them – combining the history and tradition of the Medina with the space and prestige of the Ville Nouvelle. When I'm old and rich this is how I'm going to build my dream house!
- Pros:Amazing architecture and history
- Cons:The people - money, money, money!
Reviews (24)
The Old Medina
Things to Do
(17)
The Medina is like a step back hundreds of years, to narrow alleys ringing with the sounds of blacksmiths and clucking... more travel advice
Riad Omar
Hotels
(4)
Slightly more expensive than the Riad Maria and not quite as nice either, this riad is found right on the main street of... more travel advice
Cafe Argana
Restaurants
(2)
The Argana restaurant is one of the best known of the many that surround Djemaa el-Fna. It's not as high up as some of... more travel advice
Venezia ice cream parlour
Restaurants
(2)
There are a few good ice cream shops in Marrakech, particularly in the Ville Nouvelle. This one is directly opposite the... more travel advice
-
Been to Marrakesh?
Share your travels with the world!
mafi_moya's Related Pages
-
Merzouga
-
Sidi Ifni
-
Ait Ben Haddou
-
Tinerhir
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Ouarzazate
-
Al Ubayyid
-
Dilling
-
Atbara
-
Khartoum
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Omdurman
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Jabal al Awliya'
-
Kuraymah
-
Wilayat al Jazirah
-
Barkal
-
Meroe
-
Sudan
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Morocco
-
Ramallah
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Hebron
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Jayyus
Marrakesh Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "Winter and Summer in Marrakesh"
- "Magical Marrakech"
- "Marrakech - Incredible but exhausting!"
- "Red City of Marrakech"
- "A “break” in Marrakesh"
- "Magical Marrakesh"
- "Marrakech - the Pink City"
- See All...
mafi_moya
“"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito" - African Proverb”
- Member Rank:
- 0 0 3 4 2
- 482 Reviews
- 942 Photos
- Add Friend
- Follow
- Send Message
Badges & Stats in Marrakesh
- 24 Reviews
- 54 Photos
- 0 Forum posts
- 11 Comments
- 11,771PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (15)
Have you been to Marrakesh?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Marrakesh
- Posted in Travel Sudan Forum "RE: Credits Cards Acceptability"
- Wrote a Review The Old Medina about Souks in Marrakesh Things to Do
- Uploaded a Photo to "The Old Medina"
- created a Marrakesh Travelogue "More Marrakesh pics"
Top 10 Pages
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Sudan
Intro, 52 reviews, 74 photos, 4 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Sri Lanka
Intro, 49 reviews, 51 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Marrakesh
Intro, 24 reviews, 54 photos, 4 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Colombo
Intro, 38 reviews, 38 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Beijing
Intro, 25 reviews, 47 photos, 3 travelogues
-
Morocco
Intro, 21 reviews, 39 photos, 2 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Khartoum
Intro, 28 reviews, 31 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Jerusalem
Intro, 11 reviews, 42 photos, 4 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Ramallah
Intro, 14 reviews, 37 photos, 3 travelogues
-
Vietnam
Intro, 6 reviews, 39 photos, 4 travelogues
Latest Marrakesh hotel reviews
- La Mamounia Hotel
- 263 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2013 - Tichka Salam Marrakech
- 164 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 24, 2013 - Palm Plaza Hotel & Spa Marrakech
- 45 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 30, 2013 - Le Tikida Garden Hotel
- 688 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2013 - Las Palmeras Hotel
- 61 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 23, 2013 - Residence Amina
- 13 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Feb 16, 2013 - Hotel La Renaissance
- 81 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 5, 2013 - Angsana Riad Bab Firdaus
- 62 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2013 - Diwane Hotel
- 189 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2013 - Riad Kniza
- 723 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2013 - Ibis Moussafir Marrakech Hotel
- 139 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 15, 2013 - Hotel Amine
- 258 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 10, 2013 - Palmeraie Village Hotel
- 53 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 29, 2013 - Royal Mirage Marrakech
- 333 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 12, 2013 - Riad et Palais des Princesses
- 49 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 19, 2013
Comments (10)
Fantastic tips and amazing photos. Very useful for my upcoming trip to Marrakech. Thanks for sharing.
Just read your Marrakesh intro... great description, now to devour all of your tips! You make me extremely excited about my upcoming trip... :-) Thanks for sharing.
Really nice tips and pictures. Marrakesh will definitely go onto our list of places to see! Best wishes, Ash & Eve
Your tales and pictures are so alive - felt being transported there myself. Thanks!
Superb photos and tips. I have both recognised the Maeeakesh I love and found new places to visit. I had heard of the Majorelle Gardens but did not visit. I will next time. Thank you for sharing !
Stayed in the same hotel (Afriquia) last summer but didn't associate it then with Dali.... Very interesting comments (what a work to do !!!) Will check out your other pages
Fantastic photos and the tips are great, they really bring the place alive. Marrakech is on my must-see list
Very nice pics and info! I am going to Morocco in sept! best reg. Per
Thanks for sharing with good info and great pictures. I hope to be to Morocco in a year or two. So definitely will see here again to see if you have add something new.
wow, great pics, I have to go there...:)