Marrakech Travelguide

Marrakech melted my heart from the first minute – the beautiful buildings in a pinkish color with a hint of orange, all the decorative doors and the plants (cacti and palm trees are my absolute favorites!). The people were so friendly and helpful. We took a taxi from the airport to the Medina (it’s the old town of Marrakech). It isn’t allowed to drive by car in the old town, so we had to walk the last 400 meters. Our hotel organized the drive and also a helping hand for our luggage for the last way. (The organization was on point, on both ways in and out we haven’t had to wait one minute.)

It was our first time in Marrakech, but I think we already got a pretty good overview and I would like to share our favorite food spots, must-sees and the hotel with you (maybe for your next trip there – I absolutely recommend it!).

– Hotel/Riad –

Riad Aloes

Three criteria were important for our hotel choice: the location, the price and a cute, moroccan style. We were very lucky because we traveled in the off-season. It is much easier to find a hotel which satisfies all the wishes. We decided to book the Riad Aloes. We were very happy with the choice: It was clean, the staff and owner were very friendly, the location was perfect (we could walk everywhere by foot), the price was good and the look of the Riad was beautiful with the white-blue walls, the pool in the courtyard and a roof terrace.

Marrakech is very famous for the beautiful hotels and Riads. I could spend months there and switch from one Riad to another. Most of them are small and therefore very familiar, they have a beautiful architecture and cute interior and next to the courtyard a roof terrace for sunbathing and a breakfast or afternoon tea in the sunshine. The Medina is the heart of Marrakech and I recommend taking a hotel/Riad there, so you can walk everywhere by foot and all the stores and restaurants are nearby.

– Food –

Before we went to Marrakech, we made a research about food spots. When you stroll through Instagram the most famous restaurants in Marrakech are probably Nomad, Café des Épices andCafé Atay.

Café des Épices

Accidentally we ran into the Café Des Épices at our first walk through the Souks of Marrakech and the old town. After the early morning flight it was time to eat lunch and we took the chance and ate our first vegetable Tajine on the roof terrace with a view over a market with carpet-, basket bag- and spices-dealer.

Shtatto

The restaurants I listed before can be put in the category #Instagramhotspots. There are lot of people who take photos for their Instagram accounts and so you will see the same places over and over again when you search for food spots in Marrakech. Therefore, we tried to find ‘new’ Cafés and restaurants which could be the new hype. 😉 We found some really nice ones which are definitely worth a visit.

Before the trip we collected some interviews and articles from woman who are living in Marrakech and their personal advices. The first one was Shtatto. It’s a rooftop bar with a wonderful view over the houses of the old town. When you go there you have to try one of the fresh juices and watch the sunset – it was breathtaking! First, we only wanted to enjoy the sunset with a juice without eating dinner, but it was magical and we couldn’t go away. The interior was very modern but still in a moroccan way and the music and atmosphere were cool (the people were young and stylish). So, we decided to stay and eat our diner there – I had a fresh avocado, beetroot salad (yummy!).

Kui-Zin

Another evening, another roof terrace – We strolled through the small streets of Marrakech and found the restaurant Kui-Zinwith a Moroccan cuisine. As a vegetarian/vegan most of the time you have two choices as a main course: vegetable Tajine or couscous with fresh, seasonal vegetables. Let me tell you: For a short trip like ours the two choices are enough because both of them are tasting so good! They know how to handle spices and make vegetable taste like the best thing on earth! 😉 In the restaurant Kui-ZinI took the couscous with vegetables and loved it. We were just in time for a beautiful sunset.

Le Petit Cornichon

Last but not least a tip for restaurant in the new town: After visiting the Jardin Majorelle and YSL museum (see below) we strolled through the new part of the town. In one of the articles I mentioned before we read about Le Petit Cornichon. The menu outside showed the lunch menu. Unfortunately, it wasn’t vegetarian/vegan but nevertheless I went inside and just asked the staff if they have any vegan friendly options. He was very obliging, and the cook made a vegan menu just for the two of us. I was so happy – normally in Germany I’m used to restaurants which aren’t this flexible and friendly relating to vegan options.

You can see the food on the pictures below and without exaggerate the food was the best I had in years, every bit was so delicious – ohh I want to go back and eat it again! It was a very modern restaurant with a great interior and sense of creativity and style.

– Must Sees –

Le Jardin Majorelle & YSL Museum

One day we visited the new town from Marrakech. You can take a taxi, but we decided to walk (to tell the truth you can walk everywhere in Marrakech, it’s a small city and also to the new town we walked for a maximum of 30 minutes). The Jardin Majorelle is definitely worth a visit. The garden and blue-yellow buildings are just so beautiful to watch and take pictures.

We took a combination ticket and also visited the YSL Museum. The architecture of the museum is very nice. The museum itself isn’t big and when you don’t read the descriptions you are finished in less than 5 minutes haha. As you know I’m very interested in fashion and fashion designer, so I enjoyed reading about the changes and story of Yves Saint Laurent and watching some of his designs.

La Mamounia

La Mamounia is a famous luxury hotel in Marrakech. Of course, it is very expensive and when you don’t want to spend so much money for one night (like us). Anyway you can go there and visit the garden which is as big as a park and with a café outside. It’s very beautiful and calming to drink a fresh mint tea there.

Btw fresh mint tea is the best thing in Marrakech! You can have it everywhere and it’s so charming and tasty.

Souks

You can’t visit Marrakech without strolling through the Souks (bazaar) in the Medina. You can get everything there from typical babouches, garments, spices, carpets, lamps, dishes, clothing fabrics, sweets, … . Don’t forget to bargain! We bought a carpet, pouf, two lamps for the garden, soap, a basket bag and one pair of babouche – very successful for us! 😀

Le Jardin Secret

Le Jardin Secret is a garden in the old town. We went there in the morning when it’s calm and empty. You can read a book or just enjoy the silence in the middle of the Medina. A look-out enable a view above Marrakech and you can also see the Atlas Mountains.

Palais de la Bahia

The Palais de la Bahia is nice to visit when you like elaborated walls and courtyard. You can hide the sunshine and walk around through the different rooms and courtyards.

Medina

Next to the Must-Sees listed above, the Medina in general is the biggest attraction. The small streets which are full of people who walk around by foot or locals who drive around by mopeds. It’s very charming and it’s a lot of fun to discover the city by your own and go by the flow. Along the way you will find a lot of beautiful architecture with decorative doors.

Last but not least: When you are about to travel – Have the best time and I’m sure you will love it as much as I do! 🙂