Visit the Palmeraie Palmeraie is the green lung of Marrakech. It is a real oasis on the outskirts of the city. La Palmeraie covers 13,000ha and has about 150,000 palm trees and some hotels. It is the perfect place to take a nomadic space of a few hours during a camel ride. During the course of your 20km journey you can admire the palm trees, beautiful villas and with a little luck a international star resort in Marrakech ! Lesamateurs for thrills, Quad prefer to camels.
The square of Djemaa El-Fna is the highlight of any Marrakech night. Musicians, dancers, and story tellers pack this square at the heart of the medina, filling it with a cacophony of drum beats and excited shouts. Scores of stalls sell a wide array of Moroccan fare (some overcharging heavily; see the Eat section) and you will almost certainly be accosted by women wanting to give you a henna tattoo. Enjoy the shows, but be prepared to give some dirhams to watch. By day it is largely filled with snake charmers and people with monkeys, as well as some of the more common stalls. Ignore anyone who offers you something that you do not want or move away: They will be asking you shortly for (too much) money. If you don’t want to pay dearly for that henna or the photo of yourself with a monkey on your shoulder, politely decline when his owner approaches.
The Souks (suuqs), or markets of Marrakech, just adjacent to Place Djemaa El-Fna, are where you can buy almost anything. From spices to shoes, jellabas to kaftans, tea pots to tagines and much, much more. Undoubtedly, being a foreigner means you will end up paying higher prices than a native would, but bargain nonetheless. If you happen to run out of dirhams, you’ll find plenty of people in the souks who will eagerly exchange your dollars or euros (though a fair rate here is less likely than at an official exchange). All that said, the sellers are much less aggressive than, say, Egypt or Turkey, so have fun!
Tanneries
Visiting the Tanneries can be an interesting experience. Even if some people tell you the area is only for locals, it is possible to visit the Tanneries without paying a youngster. After finding a Tannery, ask one of the workers if you can visit it and take pictures. The tanneries are at the east end of Avenue Bab El Dabbagh. That ‘main’ tannery, Dar Dbagh, where they seem to channel all the tourists is near the Bab Debbagh gate.
Koutoubia Mosque, right besides Djemaa El-Fna, is named after the booksellers market that used to be here. It is said that the minaret of the Koutoubia mosque is to Marrakech as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. The minaret is visible from Gueliz which is connected to the Medina by Avenue Mohammed V. At night, the mosque is beautifully lit. As with most mosques in Morocco, non-Muslims are not allowed inside.
Saadian Tombs were not discovered until the beginning of the 20th century. They have been preserved just like they were during the glory days of the Saadian rulers. Unlike the El Badi Palace, they were not destroyed, probably for superstitious reasons.
The entrance was blocked so they remained untouched for hundreds of years. Inside you will find an overload of Zelij (Morrocan tiles) and some beautiful decoration. Once inside, you can expect to wait in line for about 45 minutes to see the most impressive tomb.
While here, look for the tombs of Jews and Christians; they are noted by their different markings and direction of the tomb.
