Welcome to another Moroccan travel post! During my week long trip in October we certainly packed a lot in and to be honest, Marrakesh was the city I was least excited about. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman stole my heart in Casablanca when I watched it in high school so I was thrilled to visit that costal city and camping in the Sahara dessert sound incredible but I did not think our middle stop would be much to write home about. While Westerners spell it Marrakesh locals use the French spelling Marrakech and according to some sources the Marrakesh Medina is the number one Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Morocco and after spending two days there, I can see why.
The Marrakesh Medina literally just means the old part of the city but starting in the Jemaa el-Fna central square and emanating outwards this massive car free market which explodes onto dozens of tiny, winding streets is definitely something you need to experience. From the large public square the Koutoubia Mosque dominates the skyline to the West and if you pay a few dirhams you can enjoy a sugary tea or soda on the second floor of a local establishment and watch the market come to life as the sun goes down.
After taking this in, be armed with plenty of cash and preferably in small denominations for purchasing just about anything your heart could want – from hot food and dried nuts to lamps, pottery, clothing, and souvenirs.
And probably the attraction people get the most excited about is the snake charmers. There were at least half a dozen sets of snake charmers in the main square of Jemaa El Fnaa but beware, taking a picture will cost you a pretty penny – I saw some gentlemen hustling tourists for as much as $20 for taking a picture. These photos below i got from a rooftop where they could not come after me for taking snaps:
And the Marrakesh Medina at dusk is not something to miss!
Would you want to visit the Marrakesh Medina?
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Lori says
The colors of all those spices were incredible. I wonder what they all were? YES and YES I would very much like to go to that market and marvel at all the wears and especially the awesome people watching.
Looks like you had the trip of a lifetime…
Leslie says
Lanterns…OMG, I would have had a hard time not to buy all of them and somehow fit them all in my suitcase.
I just moved into a new place and these would have been such the conversation pieces. Great market Kelly.
Aimee says
This is so beautiful that it doesn’t even look real. It looks like a movie set with all the colors and different wares.
So jealous, wish I was with you to shop and just soak in the market!