We had a 5 day visit to Marrakech in January a few years back and it was fantastic. We stayed at
Riad Dar Najat which was absolutely fabulous. The food there was just delightful. We mooched around the old town, visited the old madrassa (university) to see the spectacular tiles, had coffee and dates at a local coffee shop near the Koutubia Mosque (you can't go inside unless you're Muslim, I think) and then wandered the back streets near there, got lost in the Medina, visited the souk and ate dinner each night at the stalls in the Jemaa al F'na where the food was also amazing. Beware of a bit of hawker pressure to get you to go into their stall, but if you just firmly say no and keep walking, you'll be fine.
The Ben Yussef Madrassa was spectacular.
Scenes from the souk - quite chaotic and an amazing place to wander and buy souvenirs. Don't forget to haggle!
Coffee and dates opposite the mosque (at a fairly grotty looking local place, but worth it for the experience. I ordered mint tea. They sent a young boy running off to the shops to buy a swatch of fresh mint to make my tea - delightful.)
We also booked a driver/guide for 2 day trips out of Marrakech - one to the traditional Berber markets, where we were the only visible tourists, and we ate a make your own tagine - you shop for the ingredients you want, and then take it to a tagine operator who cooks it for you while you finish your other shopping, and then you go back and eat it with bread supplied. What a highlight! Our driver arranged it all for us. We also took a day in the High Atlas and enjoyed lunch, a hike, some coffee and dates, water views, visiting a widows' argan oil collective (yes I bought some soap as gifts for people) and generally taking in the culture. We arranged the driver at the Riad, and I cannot now recall the cost but it was very affordable.
Somewhere in the High Atlas
It was quite cool there at that time of the year. I wore an overcoat/puffer jacket and scarf that I could use to cover my hair if needed, especially for the high Atlas (for reference I'm from Canberra, so used to cold weather).
People there were very friendly and willing to interact with tourists, especially if you have a bit of French. English was quite widely spoken too, but more by younger people than older. It felt quite safe too, even when things were very crowded at night in Jemaa Al F'na. I just put up my head scarf and people gve me that little buffer afforded to Muslim women for modesty. Literally no one jostled me in the crowds.
Jemaa Al F'na by day - treat yourself to a fresh orange juice and do not get sucked into henna tattoos, photos with monkeys or snakes!
And the same square by night - the place was jumping! The bright lights are the eating stall areas. The crowd was just out for a good time. it's worth going at different times of the day to see this contrast! This was when I put my scarf up into a head scarf, and as I walked around, the crowd just parted for me. I must say, I felt a bit apprehesive about walking around as a woman at night in this sort of crowd. Mr Seat 0A was with me, but I was worried about getting separated. I certainly did not need to worry at all. It's one of the best crowd experiences I'v had on my travels. I think ti helos that no one in the crowd was drunk.
It was such a great mini-break. We will definitely be visiting Morocco again. And we will go much further afield when we have more time for the next visit.
