marrakech sights, attractions and itinerary

Welcome to the Drink in the Sights Marrakech itinerary. Here you'll find information on all the best Marrakech sights and attractions along with lots of pictures and a bit of information on surviving the Red City.

Mosques, Medina's, Mountains and Mayhem

The red walled city of Marrakech is unlike anything you'll discover in Europe. It's a land of markets, mosques, madness and mayhem. It's easy to think a holiday is about ticking off the major sights, taking some nice pictures, and sampling the local food and drink. But that's not what holidays are about when you're there. They are about the experience, and Marrakech is most definitely an experience. This isn't to say there isn't plenty for your Marrakech itinerary, just that it's the Marrakech experience not the Marrakech attractions that matter most.

At the point of writing this is my only trip outside of Europe, and it's certainly an interesting place to start venturing outside your comfort zone. I guess the first thing to say is if you want to see cool Moroccan stuff, without any hassle, just go to Seville or Cordoba in Spain. They are both nice and warm, and you don't feel harassed. If you want to experience utter chaos, and another way of life, go to Marrakech. This place isn't for the fainthearted, and as soon as you leave the extremely pretty airport people will be trying to rip you off.

Before we talk about the Marrakech attractions we need to get you there. You can usually get cheap flights to Marrakech from London, Manchester or Liverpool, so getting to the airport i easy bit. For us the trip started badly, our hotel transfer didn't show up so we had to get a taxi. Which meant we had to start bartering very quickly. The taxi driver wanted 150 Dirham, we offered 100, and sure enough we ended up paying 150. Bartering is clearly something I need to work on. We were later told it should never cost more than 100 Dirham, but that's life. Clearly the better option would be the 30 Dirham bus. If you do decide to book a transfer book through ShuttleDirect they've always turned up and you wont have to barter. Now we've got you there lets drink in the Marrakech sights.

Learn the word 'La'

​Every Marrakech travel guide should tell you about 'la.' La means no, and trust me you'll need to use the word a lot. As soon as you enter the city center you'll be confronted by people telling you they're official guides. They'll start talking to you about the local mosque, or offering to show you where a nice restaurant is. They always seem friendly enough, but after a few minutes will start asking for money. The best thing to do is remember what your parents always told you about talking to strangers. Just say la. Our first experience of this came within about six seconds of stepping out of the hotel shuttle bus, in the center of the Medina.

We decided to head to the main Mosque, which we weren't allowed in, only Muslims are. But as we walked passed a 'guide' said he could get us in one round the corner. We engaged in conversation, when we should have just said La. The 'Mosque' he showed us had been knocked down centuries ago, so what we were shown was foundations. It wasn't exciting. And then off we went to his mates shop, where they tried their best to sell us some spices. Eventually we managed to leave 150 dirham lighter. Right now let me be your guide to the Marrakech sights. It wont cost you a single dirham.

Marrakech Sights

Bahia Palace

When it comes to Moroccan architecture this 19th century palace is about as good as it gets. Built by Mousa Ba Ahmed and named after Bahia, who I can only assume was his favourite wife. This beautiful building is very much the crown of Marrakech's palaces. At 70 dirham to get in it's not cheap, and due to the lack of furnishings it appears quite bare. But nevertheless it's worth the money, and is a lovely escape from the crowds. This really is one of the top Marrakech Sights.

The Medina

​No Marrakech itinerary could avoid talking about the Medina. This is the Marrakech Old Town, and I want to start by saying if you enjoy crowds, bartering and chaos, this place is for you. Also while I'm going to start this with some negatives it gets better, so just bare with me. In the daytime this place is just full of people trying to be tour guides, and demanding money for taking you places you don't want to go, before getting angry when you say no. 'Don't go that way, there's nothing there, you're crazy,' is a line I must have heard 100 times, before finding what I was looking for, in the direction I was going.

There's also the selection of people with monkeys in football kits and nappies, snake charmers and so on, trying their best to get money out of you. But let me tell you this isn't the worst thing about The Medina. The worst thing is the motor bikes, they are everywhere. Down the tinniest of alley ways, pushing through people, revving to move you out the way, and generally completely decimating any sense of a nice atmosphere one might otherwise have discovered. I gather some people enjoy visiting here during the day, but for me it's hell. At night on the other hand, it's amazing...

I'd heard good and bad. Some say it's beautiful, engaging, try all the food, the people are great. Others say it's horrible, crowded, you feel harassed, threatened, and the food will kill you. We didn't eat so I can't comment on the latter, but we didn't feel threatened once. All the tourist places had closed, so no-one could offer to take you anywhere in exchange for money, and most importantly something feels different at night...

We eventually realised what the difference was. In amongst the amazing lit up lantern stalls, and general market chaos, a sound was missing. There were no motor bikes, the pedestrians were in such vast numbers that they had truly reclaimed the streets, and it made such a difference. We walked around for ages, stopped off for some mint tea, bought some fresh orange juice from a stall for next to nothing, and really enjoyed the whole experience. It couldn't have been more different from during the day. Night time is Marrakech time, experience it, enjoy it, and drink in the Marrakech sights, it's a bit special, and certainly one of the top Marrakech attractions.

Saadian Tombs

These 16th century tombs were restored to their former glory about 100 years ago. And for me they are more impressive than the Bahia Palace in terms of finery, which more than makes up for the lack of scale. The detail of the tombs is stunning, and make for a truly a fitting burial ground for a sultan and his family. As this is quite a small exhibit it can get pretty busy. Try to get there early so you aren't having to fight the crowds to see the main tombs. At only 10 Dirham, which is about 1 euro, this is fantastic value for everyone, and one of the must see Marrakech attractions.

Marrakech Attractions

Jardin Majorelle

If there's one thing Moroccans know how to do, other than barter, it's create a wonderful tranquil oasis, and this is the best of the lot. At 70 dirham to get in (unless you're Moroccan) it's relatively expensive, but really 7 euros for this kind of peace after a day in the Medina feels cheap at twice the price. We stayed ages just strolling around enjoying the views, and generally just relaxing. It's well worth a visit and one of the top Marrakech sihgts.

Medersa Ben Youssef

This old Islamic college in the middle of The Medina is a bit of a nightmare to find, but well worth the effort, or at least half of it is. The upstairs is incredibly dull, as it's just some empty rooms. But the downstairs is gorgeous, and the courtyard in particular is absolutely beautiful, probably more so than some of the palaces. The marble and mosaics are a wonder to behold, so make sure this is on your itinerary, even if you do have to use Google Maps to locate it. This is one of my favourite Marrakech attractions.

Marrakech Itinerary Extra

The Atlas Mountains Tour

To book this great value tour click here

​We did this as a tour from Marrakech. At less than £20 it's probably the best value tour I've ever been on, and I can't recommend it enough. For the price you get picked up at your hotel, driven into the mountains, and introduced to your guide, who will be with you the whole day. Don't be put off when the guide tells you it's a 2 hours 15 mins upward hike. This includes sitting time, drinking tea time, and gazing at waterfalls time, so it's really not that scary.

Needless to say the scenery is absolutely stunning, with little towns interspersed in the glorious mountain range. You get to visit Burber (barbarian but not like Conan) villages, meet the locals for whom mule is the highest level of horse power, and see some incredible scenery. The locals are unassuming, friendly people, who at no point demanded money from us. All the kids wave and say hello, or bonjour, and just seem excited to see people.  

The Atlas Mountains couldn't be more different to the city of Marrakech. This is a land of greenery and waterfalls, a land where people seem to have very little, but want for nothing. It's almost a throwback to a different period of Moroccan history. I can't speak highly enough of the guide, or the location, it's just a whole different world, and I loved it. Honestly please go to the mountains if you go to Marrakech, they are beyond comparison.

On the way back to the city you'll stop off for a camel ride, which I was dreading. I'd heard horror stories about how they were treated, how they spit at you, how uncomfy they are, and none of this turned out to be true. Mine was an absolute treat. This really should be top of anyone's list of things to do in Marrakech.

To book your Atlas Mountains Tour click here. The Atlas mountains are an incredible sight.

If you want to see all of the Morocco without any hassle have a look at Travelsphere.co.uk. They have an excellent 10 day Morocco Tour including Marrakesh, Casablanca, Fes, Scoura and much more . Travelsphere will sort out the transfers, the flights, the hotels, two or three meals a day and the tours for you while you just sit back and enjoy the trip. Check it out here.

Thanks for taking the time to read my Marrakech itinerary. That's all the top Marrakech sights and attractions done so lets book your Marrakech trip using the Expedia search below. if you want anymore help or advice with a Marrakech holiday just message me via Facebook or on my Free Trip Planning Service page.