FIVE Sights in Marrakech worth seeing!

So you’re in Morocco and you want to see a million different things.  After spending a few weeks there, including about a week in Marrakech, time in Fez, Chefchaouen, Rabat, and Casablanca, I was able to check out most of the top sights in this beautiful North African country.  Out of all the cities, I believe Marrakech offers the most sights, and is the only one worth spending more then 2 days in.  After taking part in about 20 of the top Tripadvisor suggestions, I’ve listed the top attractions in Marrakech below and tell you why you should visit them!  Keep in mind that many of these sights are incredibly close to each other and you can actually visit the Medina, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, Jemaa Al Fnaa, and Le Jardin Secret all in one full day.

1. The Medina: Every city with a history has an old walled city center, cobble-stone walkways, skinny corridors, and the smells/sights/sounds of locals going about their day.   The Medina in Marrakech is the same way, and walking through the Medina makes you feel as if you were spun back in time to 1000 years AD.  This is a place you can spend quite a few hours in, wandering and checking out the various wares and tasting local cuisine.  This is also close the a few major sights which I have as must-do’s listed below.

   

    

2. Jemaa Al Fnaa: This is the square of the Medina, and if you haven’t seen enough in the Souk’s of the Medina you’ll also spend some time here, this is also where the famous snake shows are along with numerous other vendors selling almost anything you can think of that’s local to Morocco.  You won’t need much time here, but it’s worth looking at.  In the summer’s I’d recommend coming here at night because during the day time it is ridiculously hot and not many vendors will be around.

   

3. Ben Youssef Madrasa: This was one of the first Islamic College’s constructed over 1000 years ago.  It’s an interesting place to visit as architecturally everything is built geometrically symmetrical, and the ornate work done by the builders is evident as the place looks as pristine as if it were built yesterday.  This is right next to the Medina and doesn’t take more than 10-15 minutes to look at so I wouldn’t allocate too much time but I would certainly drop by.

   

    

4. Le Jardin Secret: This garden is similar to Jardin Majorelle, but in my opinion is a better visit because it’s less crowded and has a really cool belltower that is worth going to the top of to get a view of the Medina and surrounding neighborhood.  The garden is composed of two large courtyards lined with beautiful foliage and a few spaces with artwork and other rotating exhibits.

   

5. La Mamounia Spa: This is the famous spa and hotel that everyone in Morocco takes pictures at when they’re visiting Marrakech.  I got spa services for myself, and can’t say they were really that great, but the spa and property boast some really intricate moorish interior design and architecture.  You can pay for a cheap day pass here to use the pools (indoor and outdoor), and I highly recommend it.