Weekend in Marrakech: top 10 plans

Weekend in Marrakech: top 10 plans

Weekend in Marrakech: top 10 plans , If you want to know the best things to do in Marrakech in a weekend take note of these useful tips and travel recommendations. Undoubtedly, there is a lot to see in 2 or 3 days in this magical Moroccan city.

In a weekend in Marrakech you can enjoy the Medina, or stroll through the souks and boutiques of the city in Al Souk. Do not miss the food stalls and snake charmers in Djemma el Fna. And don’t miss a visit to a hammam, one of the most authentic and eye-catching Moroccan plans.

Marrakech is surely the best option to spend a weekend in Morocco. A mixture of the smells of the souks (Marrakech has the largest souk in Morocco), the flavors of spicy food and the call of the muezzin who proclaims prayers from the minarets. Satisfaction during your trip is assured. Morocco Tours 8 days

How to get to Marrakech

Getting to Marrakech is quite easy and cheap. Its airport is Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK). There are many flights and it is a brand new airport decorated in Arabic style with typical tiles and designs.

From almost any European destination you can get to Marrakech for less than 100 euros round trip. Check out the flight offers, there are many companies operating cheaply.

Weekend in Marrakech

Day 1 in Marrakech: Hammam, Djemma el Fna and Souk

When you land at Menara airport, the best option is to take a cab to your accommodation. You also have the option of going by bus, line number 19 also reaches the Jemaa El Fna square, very central.

1. Visit a Moroccan Hammam

The hammam, similar to a Turkish bath, is one of the most authentic in Morocco. It is the place where Moroccans usually go on weekends, with a steam bath followed by a massage. It is not your typical spa, as the atmosphere and style is very particular.

Once there, you are washed and scrubbed and completely exfoliated. It is a once in a lifetime experience. If you are spending a weekend in Marrakech and you don’t visit a Hammam, you are crazy.

The most luxurious hammams are in the La Mamounia or Royal Mansour hotels. Their spas are magnificent, however, they are extremely expensive compared to the traditional Hammams in Marrakech. A day at the hammam at La Mamounia is about 50 euros, not including any treatments. Viajes a Marrakech

2. Experience Jemaa el Fna

The heart of the city is the immense and colorful Jemaa El Fna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a large pedestrian area, a meeting place and entertainment at all hours, day and night, with stalls selling dried fruits and cheap juices.

In the morning the square is full of snake charmers, magicians, storytellers, musicians and acrobats during the day. Also women decorating their hands with henna, monkey trainers and Gnawa, characters dressed in special and funny costumes, who bounce to the rhythm of their metal masks to attract tourists to take pictures.

In the evening, from 18h, as if by magic, the square changes its face: they begin to set up food stalls, all identified with a number, where you can dine enjoying typical dishes. Around the square there are many panoramic terraces, full of stalls illuminated by gas lanterns, and the magical sunset.

North of the square is the Souk district, which will be the next plan I recommend, a place full of stores with spices, fragrant essences, leather goods and handicrafts.

3. Discover the Souk market

After dinner, you can take a stroll to the Souk, a short walk from the Jemaa El Fna square. They usually close around 8pm-9pm, so you’ll have to have dinner early, or reverse the order of visit.

Even if you’re not planning to buy anything, wandering the busy streets of the souk market is an experience in itself. Here you’ll find stalls and stores selling a multitude of aromatic spices. If you like antiques, there are Moroccan lamps, Berber carpets and much more. And don’t forget to bargain!

Each souk specializes in one material, and the multitude of small stores display the wares. There are hand-sewn shoes and sandals, belts, argan oil products, carpets, pottery, spices and much more.

Day 2 in Marrakech: visit the mosques, Ben Youssef Madrasa and the Saadi Tombs.

4. Mosques in Marrakech

Unlike other countries, the many mosques scattered around the city are not accessible to non-Muslims, so you can walk in the vicinity to observe the inlays exclusively from the outside.

The most famous is the Koutoubia mosque, which with its minaret over 70 meters high is the religious landmark of the city and is considered one of the most beautiful monuments of the Maghreb. Another of the most beautiful mosques in the city is the Kasba Mosque, with a frieze of white and green ceramic. Tours en Marruecos

5. Visit the imposing and beautiful Madrasa of Ben Youssef

The imposing and beautiful Madrasa of Ben Youssef, is the most impressive ancient medieval Koranic school in Morocco. It is one of the few religious sites where non-Muslims can enter. The center of the building is a courtyard, with a rectangular basin of Carrara marble and rich stucco decorations.

The Ben Youssef Madrasa is a place you’ve probably seen in Instagram photos countless times, a true masterpiece of Moroccan art. Alcylic tiles, intricate stucco and finely carved cedar wood, you’ll be impressed.

The inscriptions are quotations from the Koran, the most common being its opening invocation: “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful”. I recommend going before 2 pm, as it gets very crowded in the afternoon and you may have to queue to get in.

6. The Saadid Tombs

The tombs of the Saadi dynasty, who ruled Morocco from 1554 to 1669, is another must-see in Marrakech if you go for a weekend. The mausoleum of the dynasty of the same name, is an evocative and sumptuous necropolis, among marble, gold and inlaid.

A small oasis in the medina, silent and a little mystical. I recommend visiting it with a guide to get the most out of the history and architecture of the place. I went without a guide and didn’t find it that exciting until I read about it after my trip to Marrakech.

Day 3 in Marrakech: Majorelle Garden, balloon tour, El Badi Palace and other activities.

7. Majorelle Garden

Outside the medina, in the new part of the city, it is worth visiting the new district of Gueliz and, in particular, the Majorelle Gardens, a colorful and relaxing oasis that collects a variety of tropical plants. The gardens were the refuge of the painter Jacques Majorelle, who had bought the land and built his oasis there in the 1920s-30s.

When he died in the 1960s, the gardens were abandoned but after about twenty years were bought and restored by Pierre Bergè and designer Yves Saint Laurent. In the garden, among paths, bridges and wooden walkways in yellow and blue, there are small ponds, fish ponds, aquatic and tropical plants.

There is also a mausoleum in memory of Yves Saint Laurent. In the same neighborhood, walking around, you will find shopping malls, luxury stores, and the most modern and western Marrakech.

8. Panoramic view of the city by hot-air balloon

Depending on the time you have available, if your weekend is long and your flight leaves on Sunday evening or Monday morning, another activity that will leave you with a fantastic memory is a hot air balloon ride over the Atlas Mountains.

If you don’t mind spending some money, I recommend exploring the city of Marrakech from the air. It is totally worth it and after the visit, a Berber breakfast is served followed by a camel ride in the desert.

9. Bahia Palace and El Badi Palace

If you are short on time, I recommend focusing your attention on just one palace in Marrakech. The Bahia Palace is a beautiful palace in the Arab-Andalusian style. The structure contains virtually no furniture, but the decoration, mosaics and painted and carved wooden ceilings in the various rooms are a marvel.

The garden is filled with flowers and plants, and contains some of the best painted ceilings in the city. South of the large courtyard is the grand riad with fragrant fruit trees and the epiphany of Arabic architecture. It has a majestic appearance.

The El Badi Palace, though in ruins, is impressive. It is less touristy and costs less. If you pay only 10 dirhams extra, you can also see the original Cordovan pulpit of the Koutoubia Mosque.

10. Other activities

The truth is that there is a lot to see in Marrakech, and in a weekend, I don’t know if you will have time to explore these other activities…but I don’t want to leave the post without mentioning some fantastic additional plans to do in this Moroccan city. For example:

– A stop at the Qubba Almoravide, an ablution basin, the only evidence of Almoravid art in the city, built in the year 1000, also worth a visit if you have time during your weekend in Marrakech.

– One of the entrances to the ancient city walls, a huge gate richly decorated with geometric designs, dating from the 12th century (Bab aguenaou).

Two nights and three days are ideal to get to know Marrakech, and to let yourself be overwhelmed by the Moroccan atmosphere. In addition to the many things to see, the noises, smells and flavors will allow you to live an evocative emotional experience.The lively (and chaotic) Jemaa El Fna is a place you have to visit at least once in your life!

Enjoy Marrakech and Morocco!