Must-see attractions in Marrakesh

  • Top Choice
    Jardin Majorelle

    French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé bought Jardin Majorelle in 1980 to preserve the vision of its original owner,…

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    Djemaa El Fna

    Roll up, roll up for the greatest show on earth. Everywhere you look in Djemaa El Fna, Marrakesh’s main square (pronounced "jema" – the "d" is silent),…

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    Musée Yves Saint Laurent

    This captivating museum, opened in 2017, showcases finely selected collections of haute couture clothing and accessories that span 40 years of creative…

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    Bahia Palace

    La Bahia (The Beautiful) is an 8000-sq-metre, floor-to-ceiling extravagance of intricate marquetry, plasterwork and zouak (painted wood), and certainly…

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    Koutoubia Mosque

    Five times a day, one voice rises above the din of Djemaa El Fna as the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer from the Koutoubia Mosque. The mosque's…

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    Saadian Tombs

    Saadian Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour Ed Dahbi was just as extravagant in death as he was in life. After the "golden king" built Badia Palace in the 16th…

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    Badia Palace

    As 16th-century Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour (r 1578-1603) was paving the Badia Palace with gold, turquoise and crystal, his court jester wisecracked, ‘It’ll…

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    Le Jardin Secret

    The foundations of this historic riad are more than 400 years old, and it was once owned by powerful qaid (local chief) U-Bihi. Here, though, it's not the…

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    Musée de Marrakech

    The Musée de Marrakech exhibits a collection of Moroccan art forms within the decadent salons of the Mnebhi Palace. The central internal courtyard, with…

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    Maison de la Photographie

    When Parisian Patrick Menac’h and Marrakshi Hamid Mergani realised they were both collecting vintage Moroccan photography, they decided to open a…

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    Musée de la Palmeraie

    There's no comprehensive archive of modern Moroccan art in central Marrakesh: it's out here, hidden in the Palmeraie, and it's well worth travelling for…

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    Comptoir des Mines

    Once the home of a mining corporation, this 1932 building now houses Marrakech Art Fair founder Hicham Daoudi’s latest project: a contemporary gallery…

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    Dar Si Said

    Si Said, the original owner of this 19th-century medina mansion, a monument to Moroccan mâalem (master artisans), was brother to Grand Vizier Bou Ahmed,…

  • Bab Debbagh Tanneries

    Leather working is one of Morocco's medieval trades, and the tanneries around Bab Debbagh – ideally situated next to the river from where they draw water…

  • Cactus Thiemann

    If you think a cacti garden isn't worth travelling across the bumpy lunar pistes of outer Marrakesh for, think again. Cactus Thiemann is one of North…

  • MACMA

    In 2019 MACMA's painting archive was moved to its sister venue, the Orientalist Museum, and this modern gallery shifted its focus to photography,…

  • Musée Tiskiwin

    Travel to Timbuktu and back again via Dutch anthropologist Bert Flint’s art collection, crammed inside this ornate medina riad. Each room represents a…

  • Musée Boucharouite

    Berber boucharouites (rag rugs made from recycled cloth) may be a poor cousin to the famous jewel-toned Moroccan carpets, but this beautifully collated…

  • Orientalist Museum

    Opened in 2019 as a sister museum to MACMA in Gueliz, this small private gallery beautifully displays the big guns of Orientalist painting inside a 17th…

  • Musée de Mouassine

    While house-hunting in the medina, Parisian Patrick Menac'h stumbled across a historic treasure of great cultural significance. Beneath the layers of…