"Guéliz, hardly worth the trip" Gueliz Tip by vtveen

Guéliz is the modern downtown area of Marrakech, also called Ville Nouvelle (New Town). It was built by the French during their Protectorate and meant to house the Europeans living in the city. It is named after the sandstone mined in local quarries with more or less the same red/pink colour like the walls and houses in the medina.

Avenue Mohammed V is by far the most important (and busiest) road in Guéliz, running from the Koutoubia Mosque and passing Bab Nkob. The road is lined with offices, travel agencies, rental car offices, banks, shops (in side roads also some boutiques), restaurants and sidewalk cafés. In and around the area are also a lot of (western style) hotels. The gift shops offer the same Moroccan/Berber souvenirs as anywhere else in town and contrary to what I had read we had to bargain as well.

The best thing we did in Guéliz was drinking a morning coffee on one of the pavement cafés, watching modern Guéliz life and eating a croissant from a confectionery. But that’s hardly enough to travel all the way to Marrakech. It was just a short visit and we were happy staying in the medina.

Guéliz is easy accessible from the medina by a ‘petit taxi’.

Address: Guéliz
Directions: Downtown area of the Ville Nouvelle (New Town).