Marrakesh is royal blue, gold and full of hustle and bustle. There is no wall that isn’t adorned with incredible hand drawn and crafted detail, sculpted and intensely painted in vibrant colours. Amongst the chaos that is the medina, Marrakesh offers not only dates, snake charmers, and high-quality leather, this country holds out its hand to the modern world and invites you to take a step back in time, to a place of pure and natural beauty.
Less than a four hour flight from Liverpool Airport, Marrakesh offers heat, culture, and beauty in abundance. We employed the help of local tour guide Siad Amraoui to help us explore this incredible city.
Siad Amraoui, born and raised in the Sahara desert, provides tourists with a hotel pick up full day tour, which can be tailored to meet your every need. We highly recommend booking the Berber tour, which includes a 4 wheel drive, air conditioned tour around Marrakesh old town and then you will be driven out to a traditional Morrocan Berber home by Siad, where you will be greeted warmly and able to take part in a traditional Tagine cooking class. Sip homemade and homegrown Moroccan mint tea and bask in the beauty of this traditional home.
Optional: Drive up towards the breathtaking Atlas Mountains and take a 30-minute camel trek while looking down over the city.
Take a look at the website for more information.
Experiencing the traditional way to bathe is not to be missed. Find one of the many traditional hammams dotted around the old town and prepare yourself for a black olive soap exfoliation like you have never had before. Recommended to experience before you spend time basking in the 40 degree heat, as this treatment will remove the upper layers of skin to reveal a fresh and glowing complexion all over. Trying to navigate around the souks of the medina, we stumbled across this particular hammam, only a stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of the traders on the streets. A traditional Royal Hammam will set you back only 400 dirhams, which is approximately £28 per person. You will be given robes and slippers and enjoy a foot massage after the hammam and after several minutes of deep relaxation, you will be woken up with a hot sweet glass of mint tea. Bathe in the golden tiled pool and wash away your cares and worries.
This oasis in the middle of Marrakesh is exactly how I imagined Marrakesh to look, thanks to the many Instagram snaps of the decadent blue house and water feature that is the heart of this beautiful tourist attraction.
Restored to its current beauty by designer Yves Saint-Laurent, the garden is the perfect place to escape the heat, take some incredible pictures and also try a delicious date and avocado milkshake.
Marrakesh Traveller Tips
- Visit the medina and souks in the morning as you will be able to barter with the traders more and you will avoid being heckled by the countless street entertainers asking for tips for photographs.
- Do not allow henna women to grab your wrist in the medina, as they will begin to paint your hand with henna without your permission and ask for over 400 dirhams for the privilege. If this happens, don’t worry, simply refuse to pay more than 20 dirhams and walk away.
- Find the cafe near to the fruit juice stalls and enjoy a mint tea whilst overlooking the whole medina from their roof top restaurant.
- Anyone offering to point you in the right direction if you happen to get lost will be hoping to be tipped at least 20 dirhams. Ask the shop owners instead for help or fellow travellers.
- Book tours in advance to tailor make your tour to suit your needs and requirements. You can also discuss prices online and negotiate a good price for both you and the tour guide before you arrive.
I would highly recommend traveling from Liverpool to Marrakesh to explore beautiful places on foot and experiencing different cultures, food and people.
For more weekend breaks from Liverpool and travel ideas check out our travel page.
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