Overview

I spent 5 days with my husband exploring Marrakech in 2023. We didn’t have much time during this little break so decided to focus on Marrakech specifically. Below are my recommendations from Marrakech and some amalgamated recommendations from others about a couple other areas of Morocco. I’m about a 5/10 on the luxury needs scale (I like a good meal occasionally but typically won’t seek out something very fancy, I don’t mind being dirty and wet for a few days but I also love some good clean sheets) and I’m probably 8/10 on the adventuresome scale (I know my limits, but I like pushing them).

This was overall a quite luxurious feeling trip - lots of walking around, relaxing, delicious meals. Prose summary of my experience here.

Overall Notes:

• We only had 5 days when we went to Morocco so we ended up only visiting Marrakech. I have heard fairly negative things overall about Casablanca and most people say it isn't worth spending a lot of time there. I have heard really good things about Essaouira if you wanted to spend a few days on the beach, but I don't have any personal recommendations.
• If you can't fly into Marrakech (most flights go through Casablanca) there is a train that goes directly from the Casablanca airport to Marrakech. Depending on layover times etc, it is probably easier and more fun to take the train instead of a short connecting flight, as you get to see more of the country along the way.
• It's very easy to get around as a tourist and it felt very safe everywhere, but it is clearly a Muslim country and you should pack accordingly - I felt more comfortable wearing light, long pants or a long skirt rather than shorts, and I typically either wore something that covered my shoulders or brought an extra linen button down or shawl with me that I could put on if I needed

Marrakech Activities:

• Make sure to stay in one of the Riads while you are there. The level of hospitality in general in Morocco is incredible, but the riads really up the ante. They are beautiful Moroccan houses surrounding an indoor courtyard or garden - you can just search booking.com or similar for the word Riad and a lot of them will pop up. We stayed at Riad El Hara which was beautiful but probably a ~20 min ish walk from the Medina (main area where you'll go for most activities). Friends have stayed at Riad Alaka and Riad Safina. Alaka was fancier (and they got a great dinner on their rooftop), but they liked Safina's neighborhood better. Breakfast was well worth it at both places.
• Tons of beautiful buildings/architecture to see all around Marrakech. Personally, I'd prioritize Ben Youssef Madrasa, Le Jardin Secret, Dar El Bacha museum, and I really liked the YSL museum. The Jardin Marjorelle was ok but not amazing for me (just super packed and touristy). Didn't make it to Saadien's Tombs, El Badi Palace Ruins, and Palácio da Bahia, but have heard all are great.
• Visit a hammam! We went to Alphais spa which was lovely but am sure a lot of them are great and similarly priced. This is super relaxing after a big day walking around the city and a very Moroccan experience. Apparently hammams are still a big social meeting place and many people still go once per week.
• Shop in the souks. This was a big one for us because we really wanted to buy some rugs while we were there. If you did want rugs, the place to go is Chateau des Souks. It's a co-op that partners with Berber women across the country to produce super high quality rugs and they will ship them back home for you. You need to bargain for everything in the souks, and shouldn't pay more than 2/3 the price they offer you. Getting 1/2-2/3 the offered price means that you've done a good job bargaining, though obviously you can sometimes even do better than 1/2.

Marrakech Food:

• One of our favorite things we did in Marrakech was took this food tour. Not only did we get to taste a ton of delicious food but the guide was great and ended up explaining a lot of cool aspects of culture in Morocco. Couldn't recommend it more!
• If you want a special (albeit a bit expensive) activity, we went for tea at the Royal Mansour which is the fanciest hotel in Marrakech. They have a formal tea which was delicious and a lovely place to just relax in their back gardens.
• Other good restaurants were Cafe des Epices (lunch or short break), Nomad, and Sahbi Sahbi (all female team and a more modern Moroccan take).

Recommendations from other friends:

• Sahara trip. They took a three-day trip to the Sahara from Marrakech. If you're also going to Casablanca, there may not be enough time for that, but I think the tour operator also offers day trips closer to Marrakech. Their experience was top notch from start to finish.
• A friend really enjoyed this cooking class in Marrakech
• A really cool luxury desert camp some friends also loved