Lonely Planet Pocket Marrakesh: top sights, local life, made easy (Travel Guide)

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Along with Mouassine, Kâat Ben Nahid is the core of the old medina, with scrawls of close-knit alleyways hiding sumptuous 17th-century riads. On its western edge is the Mnebhi Palace, now the Musée de Marrakech. This is also where you'll find Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, a clutch of excellent museums and, to the east, one of the medina's poorest districts, home to the malodorous Bab Debbagh tanneries. If you're specifically interested in shopping for large items, culinary tours and/or getting to know more about historic sights, it may be worth investing in a city guide. They can help make sense of experiences, save you money on shopping and add value with their local knowledge. Costs are around Dh350 per adult in a private group; reputable hotels can make guide recommendations. Be smart about car rental Bus No 12 from Bab Doukkala heads past Jardin Majorelle. If you want to walk, it's a 10-minute stroll from Bab Doukkala. Head up Avenue Moulay Abdullah and then turn right onto Ave Yacoub El Mansour. Temperatures, particularly at nighttime, tend to increase from early March, marking the return of pleasant evenings spent dining on rooftop terraces and orange blossoms scenting courtyards. In May, while exploring the art galleries and architecture of Gueliz, keep an eye out for jacaranda trees that provide a pop of color along the main avenues. But then you hit Mouassine – a showcase of the medina’s changing face, where a fresh breed of boutiques, Mediterranean-inspired rooftop restaurants and lounge-style cafes are making their mark.

Marrakesh is an entertaining city for kids of all ages, and families can soak up its atmosphere in its many markets, or by taking a local cooking course or meeting Marrakshis at the park. These are the best activities in Marrakesh for kids. Go shopping in the souqs Total average daily cost for 3 meals, accommodation, and a small budget for activities is around Dh600 per person.If you want to eat alongside Marrakshis, come to Gueliz. This is where office workers chow down at the city's best no-frills grills, Moroccan families gather for pizza, and couples share platters of fried fish and calamari. Most of Marrakesh's high-end, contemporary restaurants can be found in this neighborhood. Ville Nouvelle's nightlife is thriving; it's far easier to get a drink outside the medina. Despite the vast area on show, only a portion of the palace’s eight hectares and 150 rooms is open to the public. Its grand spaces sometimes play host to important cultural events. History

During May and October, you can travel comfortably to Morocco’s portion of the Sahara Desert, avoiding the intense heat of summer and the cold nights of winter. If you come in summer, expect to find most desert camps closed from June to August due to the excessive heat, which soars over 100°F . Conversely, days are shorter during the winter months from December to February and the nights and early mornings can be freezing, particularly when sleeping under canvas.

The range of lanterns available is spectacular, so the below is for a small lantern:

Not one for the fainthearted (there are disembodied sheep heads, dear reader), Mechoui Alley in the medina (the old walled city) behind the olive market is where those in the know head to dine on fragrant slow-roasted lamb. Each shop has a pit in the ground, into which lamb is lowered to slow roast on wood fires until it falls off the bone. The hole-in-the-wall food stands are staffed by white-robed men and run by generations of the same families. The menu is limited: tanjia (slow-cooked stew), mechoui and roasted sheep’s head, but it's worth spending a lunchtime on a seat behind the counter, where you can dine on the delicious cumin-scented meat, drink mint tea and watch the world go by. Marrakesh’s Warhol Considered shoulder season, these months are typically when Marrakesh experiences its largest rainfall, which can hamper plans to explore the city. But the rain usually only lasts a day or two, making for ideal opportunities to head to the hammam to warm up and scrub down.

Whether you come for the sun, the surf, the wind sports, the outdoors, local festivals or the rich culture, here's a guide to the best times to travel to Morocco. While there may be less typical tourists in June to August, Marrakesh welcomes another type of traveler – Moroccans residing abroad (known locally as MRE) as they return home for the summer holidays. Wedding celebrations are also popular during this time. On the northwestern side of the Koutoubia Mosque minaret are the ruins of the original prayer hall. One story goes that it collapsed during the massive 1755 Lisbon earthquake, killing hundreds of people as it crumbled. Research suggests this could be plausible. To the north of the Koutoubia minaret, the original doorway still stands. On the far wall of the ruins the remains of the arches that would have held up the ceiling are visible. The stumps on the floor are the hall's columns, and they stay in situ as a memorial. The residence itself is larger than the studio and more Oriental in design, mixing Marrakesh’s signature terracotta red with Majorelle’s electric blue and Islamic green on its facade and tiled pyramid roof. The bamboo groves of the main garden give way to giant succulents, cacti and mature palms. There’s also a succession of calm-inducing water features filled with koi carp, noisy frogs and lily pads, the largest of which pools around a white-pillared pavilion. Head up to the mountain village of Oukaimeden from January to February for a chance to ski or snowboard down snow-covered peaks. It's not something that every tourist to Morocco gets to brag about, and there are seven ski runs covering all levels of experience, with seven ski lifts.

For a single large Safi plate:

Just west of the pavilion, a highlight is the room housing the Koutoubia minbar (prayer pulpit). Once the minbar of the Koutoubia Mosque, its cedar-wood steps with gold and silver calligraphy were the work of 12th-century Cordoban artisans headed by a man named Aziz – the Metropolitan Museum of Art restoration surfaced his signature. Alsa bus 19 is the cheapest option, costing about Dh30 round trip; bring some money with you as you'll pay cash on the bus, which runs every 20 minutes and makes several stops in the city. Detour: Stay atop the hill overlooking Plage Sfiha at Casa Paca, a friendly bed-and-breakfast run by the half-Spanish, half-Moroccan owner, Joaquin, and his wife, Nabila. Dinners here are delicious. Open June to October. 6. M’Diq Bou Ahmed died in 1900, and in 1908 the palace's beguiling charms attracted warlord Pasha Glaoui, who claimed it as a suitable venue to entertain French guests. They, in turn, were so impressed that they booted out their host in 1912, installing the protectorate’s resident-general in his place. Inside the gardens, the former servants' quarters house Café Majorelle, a lovely, leafy spot for tea or cake. Just outside the entrance of Jardin Majorelle, MyKawa serves salads, sandwiches and Moroccan breakfasts with a dash of Mediterranean style. How to get to Jardin Majorelle