Exotic, yet accessible, Marrakech has it all: boutique riads, maze-like bazaars and some of North Africa’s tastiest food. One minute you can be exploring medieval alleys packed with scooters, traders and the scents of Africa. The next, you are getting a massage at a bougie spa.
Far from a complete list, we’ve narrowed it down to 10 interesting things to do around Marrakech to get your adventure started.
Get lost, explore. Choose your own adventure and find something new.
Get “lost” in the souks
The souks in Marrakech are an “a-maze-ing” experience.
Wander into the souks through Jena el Fna Square & find yourself surrounded by all kinds of aromatic spices, handmade leather items, artistic lamps, and local Moroccan tchotchkes. The scent of the spices still lingers in my memory.
Travelers tip: the shop owners will often approach you to view their goods, but are usually receptive to a simple “no, thank you”. Part of the experience is bartering prices with the shop owners. Don’t pay the first price you are told on the item, because it is expected that you will settle on a different price.
Enjoy some local cuisine
Part of the Moroccan experience is dining on tajine. It is cooked in a clay cone shaped device. The meal usually consists of a meat & veggies, with the most incredible blend of spices.
My personal favorite was a restaurant in the Jemaa el Fna Square called Zeitoun Cafe as they had gluten free options (I have celiac disease). My favorite dishes included the oven cooked camel tagine (game-y but delicious) and the tagine with beef balls and peas.
We ate there multiple times over our trip & I’m still dreaming about the camel tagine.
Visit Le Jardin Secret
Le Jardin Secret is a beautiful and lush, green oasis among the dry desert climate. It is rich in history of Marrekech.
Its beauty is not limited to just the foliage, as it has stunning and colorful architecture to enjoy as well.
Stroll through Jemaa el-Fnaa
Jemaa el Fnaa is a historic square in Marrakech. The stalls sell juices, fresh meals, and other goods. There is also many entertainers, including snake charmers, henna artists, & monkey “trainers”. Avoid them. They will draw you in and expect payment for their show.
We were there during Ramadan, and it was such a unique experience. The Square came to life at sundown and had such a lively & vibrant energy.
Take a Sahara desert tour!
Our trip to the Sahara is documented in its own post here.
We opted for the 3 day Sahara desert tour as we were limited on time.
We booked this tour with Get Your Guide that took us to the Sahara broken up into 3 days.
The drive to the Sahara was divided over two days, with many unique side trips along the way. Day two, we stayed at the Luxury Desert Camp, and the experience was incredible. Our trip home was a long 10 hour ride back, which was well worth it to visit the Sahara desert. We bonded with our tour group throughout the tour, which made our experience so much richer.
Henna
A fun thing to do is visit the Henna Art Cafe for henna from talented local women. Henna Art Cafe is also a restaurant. The food was great, and they had gluten free options for me!
Visit Essaouira
A short 3 hour drive from Marrakech is the seaside town of Essaouria overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There is a beautiful beach to hang out at. You can also walk through the town & find places to shop and dine.
We booked this tour with Get Your Guide.
Be sure to visit the fish market for a local experience. Meander around this area and visit the picturesque blue boats.
See goats in trees
See the goats in trees on the Essaouria tour. We made two stops along the way, to a local argon oil producer, and a stop along the road where a little goat was up in a tree feasting on the argan tree
Visit a Hammam for a scrub and massage
Our last stop before we headed out of Marrakesh to the airport was to a hammam. A hammam, or Turkish bath, is a traditional experience in which a person will scrub your entire body with an exfoliating scrub.
You can find a variety of hammams, from the traditional, aggressive scrub to a more luxury scrub, which is what we opted for.
We put on disposable underwear and then laid on a warm stone-like bench and the women poured warm water over us and scrubbed every flake of dead skin off of us that our bodies ever produced.
Following that, they washed our hair. This was so incredibly relaxing after a very action-packed trip.
We also opted to get a massage afterward, which was done with argon oil. We went to the airport in a state of relaxed, moisturized bliss.
Admire all the kitties throughout Morocco
Cats are everywhere. Embrace it! There were cats every step of the way across the country, from coastal Essaouria to our Sahara Desert camp in Erg Chebbi.
The kitties joined us for dinner throughout the country, and could be found in every alleyway throughout the souks, usually napping.
They were friendly and non-aggressive, quite used to the hustle and bustle of Marrekech. If you are a cat person like me, you will love Morocco.
