Maps and tips for getting your bearings in the Medina of Marrakech

Marrakech has two large districts, the old town (Medina) and the new town Guéliz, 2 totally different worlds whose meeting point is the Koutoubia. The large avenues of Gueliz lead to the koutoubia which is also located at the bottom of the Jema Efna square.

Here are some tips for getting your bearings in Marrakech:

• Try asking directions at a stationary store, preferably an older salesperson. He knows that you are going to come back and will prefer to see you come back with a smile. Young people will take you to the tanners' festival or the Berber festival, or even to a carpet store.

• When you are looking for a place, always specify the name of the place (Rabah Qedima, Ferblantiers, Moukef, Ben Youssef etc…) because for the Marrakchi, The Place is Jema Efna.

• If you can't find the place you are looking for, go to a coffee, take a mint tea and with the wifi connect you to the internet to find yourself in the medina. The server will be happy to show you the way. Also note that there are e-sims that allow you to have internet packages only (Whats app call possible but no such local) for several days to take in France and which will only be activated once you arrive in Morocco . No more having to buy a 2nd sim card.

• In all circumstances, keep calm and smile, insistence is a national sport. So if no is not enough, say: no (là in arabic) ! and if necessary several times. the broken record method works here too.

   

For the very sporty and thrill-seekers, Marrakech is full of release solutions: Hot air balloon, Side car, canyoning, paddle, mountain biking, camel, buggy, walks in the Agafay desert (or just a lunch, everything is possible, etc. ...

We can contact for us a local agency, some are right next to the riad.

Find your bearings in the neighborhood: Around the Riad

Leaving the Derb Tizougarine, you will find:In the derb, a bakery on your right (do not hesitate to come in and ask for bread, it will be hot and at an unbeatable price) and the mosque just the door in front.

At the corner as a landmark at Medhi, excellent pita breads and salads. Stop there at least once.

Going right towards the taxi stand:

 - Several antique shops, do not hesitate to enter, some hide treasures and surfaces that you cannot imagine from the street

- The Dar Donab palace whose bar/restaurant and swimming pool are open to the public. Inquire at reception

- 150 m on your left, the magnificent Musée des Confluences (or Dar el Bacha museum) in which the very popular Bacha Coffee is located.

Just before on your right, the Hammam de la Rose, quality hammam with massages, hammam, beauty and hairdressing salon. Over reservation.

Going to the right, you enter in the medina:

At the arch, you are at a crossroads:

- on the right, you will go towards Mouassine and the Jema Efna square (route 2) and the Mellah district (route 1)

- on the left, you will go to the Medersa Ben Youssef, the House of Photography, the Museum of Marrakech, the Perfume Museum. (route 3)

- opposite the central souks which lead to Rabah Qedima, (route 4)

We offer 6 circuits with plans that we hope are as accurate as possible:

1) Mellah district or the casbah in the south of Marrakech

2) Mouassine district and the central souks

3) Medersa ben youssef district and the north of the medina

4) Perfume Museum

5 ) Guéliz and the Majorelle garden

6 ) Cycling tourIn order not to use too much paper we do not print them voluntarily. These courses can be downloaded with the link below.

Route 1: The Mellah district from the Riad - Allow half a day or even a day depending on the number of visits made. Another similar route can also be done by bike.

You can leave the riad following the start of route 1 (mouassine) or leave from Jema Efna square or take a taxi to dar el bacha and be dropped off at jema fna.

Go along the Café de France (1) and at the corner (2) take the street of Banques (where you will pass the canteen of the gazelles, nice restaurant, you can come back one evening, alcohol allowed) then riad Zeitoun el Jedid. Pretty street in the medina with many riads and hotels.Be careful in front of a car park, a small sign (on the left wall so behind you!) under an arch indicates Dar si Saïd (3), you will have to turn left into rue de la Bahia passing in front of the small Tiskiwin museum which is at 8 rue de la Bahia (museum created by a Dutchman, very different from other museums. To do if you have time) and take the 1st left.

Many riads and pretty doors (including the riad dar si saïd ….not to be confused) but you have to go to the end of the alley to see the Palace Dar si Saïd (3) which now houses the carpet museum and whose the ceilings and the different rooms are magnificent.

Then retrace your steps to street riad Zeitoun el Jedid and continue south, on your left. You will pass in front of the Museum of Culinary Art (4) where you can go back to book a cooking class for another day (500dh per class). Then 50 m on your left, you will find the entrance to the Bahia Palace which is really worth the detour. 8000 m2 150 rooms, only one part can be visited, the rest still being used by the King to receive his distinguished guests. If you want to enjoy the visit, it is better to visit Bahia in the morning.

After visiting Bahia, continue along the road that takes you to Place of Ferblantiers (6) in reference to those who worked metals (tinplate). Take the time to have a mint tea or eat on the terrace (very pretty in the evening also at sunset - the Kosybar with alcohol, the Earth café).Cross the square and go under the arch towards the El Badi Palace (7) where the Marrakech du rire takes place. To visit if you have time even if only the ruins of the old palace remain.

Then leaving el Badi, take a direct left along the back of Place of Ferblantiers (you will notice that many shops are opening on both sides) and take to the left towards the Kasbah Mosque (10) which has a false air of Koutoubia. Just after the mosque heading south opposite the Kasbah Café, you will find the entrance to the Saadian Tombs (11), the mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed el Mansour, all in stucco and marble.When you leave, please go up to the terrace of the Kasbah café (12) to admire the view of the mosque and the swans' nests while sipping a fresh fruit juice or one of their delicious dishes.

Then retrace your steps to Place des Ferblantiers and take the other rue Riad Zeitoun but el Kedim to go up to Place Jema Efna. At the beginning of this street, the Kaftan Queen store, a nice shop where you can buy gifts

Route 2: Mouassine district and the central souks: (itinerary to be done only after having found your first landmarks in the medina)

Coming from the Riad and leaving the derb tizougarine turn left towards the medina. At the 1st intersection under the arch, turn right towards the Secret Garden (2), to visit. If you plan to eat at the Café Arabe, take the time to book at the reception downstairs and specify a reservation on the upper terrace where the sunset is magnificent.Visit the Secret Garden (there is now a cafe inside where you can drink a cold beer so rare in Marrakech).Leaving the Secret Garden, turn right to go to Jema Efna Square. At the next crossing, you will arrive at the Mouassine Mosque (3).

Turn left, you will pass near the Music Museum or Mouassine Museum (this museum organizes music evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 p.m. by reservation only: www.museedelamusique.ma / + 212632199263) and along the mosque, at the café the bougainvilleas (4) in front of a fruit juice seller, turn left on Derb Mouassine otherwise you go back to Jema Efna square by doing the grand tour. Continue on your way to the Fnaque Berbère (5) where you will turn left just before reaching street Senmarrine (6) and place Rabah Qedima. (7).

If you miss the Fnaque Berbère crossing and continue to Place Bab Fteuh, its pharmacy and its bank, follow the dotted route, turning left and returning to Senmarrine to go up to Rabah Qedima. You will find many shops from Herboristerie to the chic Conceptstore as well as many terraces and restaurants. (Coffee of spices, Nomad, Ayaso…). For basket weaving lovers, in the middle of the square you will find stairs leading up to a whole series of stalls, go to the far left and you will find everything you are looking for and if they don't have it they will. find !On Rabah Qedima, at the main carpet souk sign on this street, there is a carpet auction several times a week. Then head back to the kissaria (8), with many fabric and slipper shops. At the end of rue Nejarine, head towards the souk des ironworkers (you will see signs if you look up) where you will find craftsmen selling their production directly.Then go to the Ben Youssef Mosque and the Kouba where you can find plenty of small kebab and grill restaurants (10) (Chez Rachid in particular).

Coming back from the Ben Youssef mosque on the left (in the extension of the Marrakech Museum), you will arrive at the vegetable market (11) and turn right towards the center of the souks to return to Rabah Qedima .In principle, you should have gotten lost several times…..If you are not, try to return to the Café de France along Rabah Qedima and arriving at Derb Dabbachi Street to catch up with Jema Efna Square and have a tea on the terrace.After taking a turn on Jema Efna, return to the Riad passing in front of Café Argana and Bab Fteu and go up following 4, 3 and 2 passing in front of Fnaque Berbère, turn at Café Bougainvilliers, turn at Mouassine on the left, pass in front of the secret garden and under the arch take a left towards Dar el Bacha; Arrived there, you will have deserved a massage at the Hammam de la Rose that you will have reserved the day before. :-)

If you have gotten lost enough, take a taxi next to the horse-drawn carriages and ask for Dar el Bacha to quickly find the Riad.

Photos de ce circuit

Route 3: Circuit Medersa Ben Youssef - 2 hours or more depending on the visits chosen. (see marks on the plan)

Leaving the Derb Tizougarine, turn left towards the medina and under the arch turn left (1) and at the 1st intersection with pretty renovated shops turn right (2), you will pass in front of the Kui-Zin café restaurant (very nice roof top and cooking class) and 14, very beautiful. .Take the time just after Kui Zin to enter the cooperative and craftsmen training center opposite on your left. Products at the price without negotiation. The following intersection is the crucial point (3) not to be missed. On the left Bab Tagzout and the perfume museum, opposite towards the house of photography, on the right back in the souks.Beware of this crossing, many people will try to offer you their service. Keep smiling and go straight towards the Maison de la Photographie (it's marked on the arch).

You will pass in front of a square with a fountain on the back of the Dar Belarj palace, carpet shops and at the end you will come to a crossroads (4), on the right towards the Medersa (you see a prohibited direction) on the left towards the Place du Moukef and the House of Photography.First turn left, you will come back here later.After the 1st bend, take the time to enter the herbalism of friends, and continue to the Maison de la Photographie. 2 very good restaurants on your way, the foudouq a safe bet and the hole on the wall.At the Maison de la Photographie, very pretty terrace where you can have a tea with a view of the medina. Know that with the same ticket you can come back several times in the same week, especially for tea on the terrace.

Then retrace your steps, go back in front of Zouzou (the herbalist) and take the forbidden direction towards the Dar belarj 6 foundation (the swans) sometimes the door is open at the corner of the street and the entrance is free, just before the Medersa Ben Youssef under the arch on your left.(7) "You who walk through my door, may your greatest hopes be exceeded" is the inscription that still welcomes visitors for more than 600 years.The oldest Koranic school in Morocco, it housed up to 900 students. Recently renovated, it is in perfect condition and beautiful.On leaving the Medersa Ben Youssef, turn left again and after a few luxury antique shops you will find the Museum of Marrakech (8) . To visit.

You can complete the visit by the Kouba Almoravide (9), the only vestige of the construction of Marrakech.Leaving the kouba, return to Dar el Bacha either by the same path, or by trying the inner adventure :-)

Route 4: The Perfume Museum: 10 min from the riadThe Perfume Museum experience is unique.

If the museum itself, created by the perfumer Abderazzak Ben Chaabane, is quickly visited, its main attraction lies in the possibility of smelling many fragrances and especially of creating your own perfume.Amina's talents combined with the essences you love will allow you to create your own perfume. It will remain an unforgettable experience in Marrakech. It is best to book in advance by calling the perfume museum at +212 -661095352

How to get there ? Leaving our derb, at the Dar el Bacha intersection, turn right towards the north of the medina (1). You walk along a number of renovated shops, the restaurant la table de la médina, a store selling African items until you pass the arch and turn right uphill as if to go towards the Maison de la Photographie (2) .At the intersection (3), while opposite you find the sign for the Maison de la Photographie, you take a sharp left, pass in front of shops, baker's stalls and you continue to the right until you pass the fountain of the rue Assouel then turn left (4) under the white arch on rue Dyour Saboun then you will see the sign for the Perfume Museum appear at the start of rue Derb Chérif on the left (5).

If you have time, say hello to the real estate agent on the corner, he is very nice.For a custom perfume, provide cash, no credit card.

Route 5: Gueliz and the Majorelle garden - 3 or 4 hours of walking

Warning : tickets for the Majorelle Garden are saled online only :https://www.jardinmajorelle.com

Start the journey by visiting the Majorelle garden which is 2km from the Riad but a complicated path.

Take a taxi from Dar el Bacha to the Jardin de Majorelle and the Berber museum (1) In high season, plan to go there as soon as it opens to avoid the crowds and especially the hot hours when the foggers are not enough to refresh.

Also do and using the combined ticket the Yves St Laurent Museum (2), eternal lover of Marrakech. Tickets to book online at jardinmarjorelle.comAfter these two visits, take a taxi or a horse-drawn carriage and be dropped off at Abdel Moumen ben ali square or crossroads of 3 cafes (3). This square is surrounded by eco-arts buildings including the Café Atlas with its liner facade where you can have a coffee since the 1940s.After the coffee, go up to Place du 16 Novembre (in the direction of Koutoubia) and observe the Hotel Nassim (4) at 115, where on the 1st floor a Chesterfield pub seems to date from the 1930s.Then at 127, gallery 127 (5) is, after climbing a staircase, an art deco apartment exhibiting contemporary African photos. Don't speak too loudly, you might wake up the guard.

Then take the street of freedom (6) to reach the street of Yougoslavie to find the Comptoir des Mines Galerie at 62, an art deco building from the 1930's now devoted to contemporary African art, a building located at the corner from the street of freedom and the street of Yugoslavia (7).

If you have time before heading back to Place of 16th November, go back to the street of Yougoslavie as far as MACMA (7bis).

Then return to Place du 16 Novembre by rue el Mansour Eddhabi and enter the Some Slow concept Store which offers Moroccan crafts in a villa from the 1930s.

Then come back to Place of 16th of November to have a drink or eat at the famous Grand Café de la Poste, which opened in 1925.

Leaving the Café de la Poste, go up Avenue Mohamed V passing in front of the Cyber ​​parc 9 (free wifi access) and opposite enter the craft complex (10) which, even if you can always negotiate, will give you a idea of ​​tariffs, so as to be better armed in the medina. Return to the riad via Jema Efna or taking Bab Laksour (11) to come back to Mouassine and the Café Bougainvilliers which you can now easily spot.If you want to stay in the neighborhood for the evening, go have an aperitif at the 68 wine bar, at Kechmarra, and eat either at El Fassi, an excellent traditional Moroccan restaurant, or at one of the many good restaurants in Gueliz (Kechmarra, also very Good). Pizza lovers, go to Catanzaro. For those who want French cuisine, the Petit gherkin etc... and in the evening to return, have the taxi drop you off at Dar el Bacha.

Route: loop by bike - Tour of the Melah district - 1 to 2 hours - 5 km

Leave Koutoubia (1) and descend towards the Melah district by taking Sidi Mimoun street. Pass in front of the Kasbah mosque (2) which looks a lot like the Koutoubia. Visit the Saadian Tombs (3) if you have not already done so, then go down the rue de la Casbah. Stop at Café O Clock, (4) very nice. Then head back east and walk along the Royal Palace (5). You can even take a ride in the Agdal Gardens (6) by leaving your bikes at the entrance for a few sesterces.Then go up Berima street, to Place des Ferblantiers and go up Riad Zeitoun el Jedid street. If too sporty in the medina, return to Place des Ferblantiers and go up Avenue Houmane el fetouaki, which is more suitable for bicycles.