Vibrant Marrakech
As a solo woman traveller, Morocco's big cities can first seem pretty intimidating, especially if you stay in the medina (which I recommend because you can simply walk everywhere - no cabs needed). A medina is pretty much a huge labyrinth of narrow streets with no visible names, local shops everywhere, and a ton of people walking at different paces. Marrakech's medina is colourful and has a lot to offer!
Here's the top 5 activities I did during my stay in that city:
Place Jemaa el-Fna
This is the main square of Marrakech. If you book any excursion, and you're staying in the medina, your tour will likely depart from Jemaa el-Fna. There are a few rooftop terrasses there where you can admire the view. The first photo was taken at Café de France. Place Jemaa el-Fna is very famous due to its animation. Indeed there are snake charmers, sellers, dancers, henna tattooers, and a bunch of other activities. From there you can distinctly see Koutoubia mosque, the biggest in Marrakech.
Shopping in the Souks
During your stay in Marrakech, you absolutely need to go get lost in the souks, it's probably where you'll have your biggest cultural shock. A souk literally means a market - it's where people go shopping. It's really pretty to see the mix of objects and colours, you will find some pretty cool stuff at a cheap price!
A few tips: don't be afraid to say no, always negotiate prices, never accept if someone wants to walk you somewhere (they will ask for money later), Google Maps is your best friend but don't show off your phone too much, always keep your right side!
Treating myself at the Royal Mansour
Marrakech is full of very fancy hotels - most of them are located in Hivernage district, and the others are further away from the city center in La Palmeraie. The most famous ones are La Mamounia, Es Saadi Palace, Sofitel Marrakech, Royal Palm, Beldi Country Club, etc. Staying at these luxurious resorts can quickly become super expensive, but luckily most of them have a day-pass offer. This means you can get a full day access to their pool / spa + have lunch there at a reasonable price. Most of the time you can also book a spa treatment or any other beauty treatment. When I first read about Royal Mansour Palace, I was already in awe. Their spa was voted the best spa in the world by CN Traveler readers. I thus decided to book a traditional hamman (local spa treatment to clear dead skin) there.
Yves St-Laurent's Universe
Just up North of the medina you will find Majorelle gardens & Yves St-Laurent museum. Even though I think it's definitely worth visiting, these two places were my biggest disappointment. It's too small, not that extraordinary, more expansive than anywhere else, and it is way too crowded. For a better experience, I would suggest visiting very early in the morning. I don't know how I managed to capture a few shots with zero people on them, but the place would be so much nicer with less tourists :(
A Cultural Day in the Kasbah
I spent my last day in Marrakech exploring old palaces and tombs. Luckily my second little hotel was located in La Kasbah so I was able to visit El Badi Palace, Bahia Palace & the Saadian Tombs within the same day. I definitely recommend visiting these three places - they're all very different, and will put you in a dreamy atmosphere. Just leave room to your imagination to try and see how things were centuries ago.
