The second we landed in Morocco, Brad and I both said to each other, “this is my kind of travel.” We could tell the culture was totally different than anything we are used to at all. We stayed in a Riad in the middle of the old town, which is inside the city walls. Our driver told us inside the walls, you experience the “real Morocco.” In there, cars are rarely spotted, but are replaced by donkeys pulling carts, there are no large stores, only small markets, and it was very hard to find a shop that sold cold water bottles – that was a struggle for me lol.
Highlights of the city, for me, were the amazing tiles and and beautifully designed mosques. Also, all the doors here are stunning! Brad will tell more about the details of places we stayed and things we did at the end of the post!
This is at the Bahia Palace!
The Bahia Palace is huge! All the photos so far have been from there, including this one.
We took a tour to the Atlas Mountains and a Berber village – it was a small village on the side of the mountain!
If you ever need a good rug for a great price, go to Morocco! They have thousands of them 🙂
We went to a Berber village on the skirts of the Atlas Mountains and learned how to make Moroccan Oil. That’s right ladies, that stuff you by for 60 a bottle!
Atlas Mountains! What we thought was a little hike turned into an 6 mile hike, which we did in flip flops and Sperrys!
I went chasing waterfalls.. but only for the guy underneath it!
This was our Riad, which is a traditional Moroccan hotel. They all have these pools in the center for cooling off!
Hot air balloon over the desert!!!
Jardin Majorelle gardens which are outside the city walls!
Amazing doors!!
Koutoubia Mosque!
After walking 30+ miles in my J. Crew flip flops I finally got a nasty blister on one foot! Since we still had a lot to see and were not close to our riad, Brad switched me shoes for the time being lol!!
This is at the La Mamounia hotel which is an amazing 5 star hotel in Marrkech! We didn’t stay here, but did go visit!
I could live in this room!!
These are the Souks which are the small markets.
Tiny baby turtles!!
These are all in Jemaa el-Fnaa, which is the name of the square!
Museum of Marrakech
Brad’s Take
Marrakech is awesome! We loved it! If you go visit, here are a few tips:
- Download the Marrakech Riads app — it has a list of things to see, recommended day trips, and, most importantly, a map that updates on iPhones even if you’re on airplane mode! It’s tricky to find your way around the walled city, so this is super helpful!
- Stay within the walled city! That’s the “real Morocco” and is what you want to experience! It’s pretty crazy in there, so be prepared!
- Watch out for scammers — people will try to rip you off all the time there. Most people are nice, but if anyone wants to give you directions, just tell them “no” and walk away. They will try to charge you for it. Also, make sure to have taxi drivers use their meters. They will try to rip you off also! But if you go into bargaining / transactions with skepticism, you’ll do just fine!
- Drink some fresh orange juice! Marrakech is famous for that and it’s really good! The local food is also really delicious. It’s unlike anything else we’ve ever had and is really great.
- The airport is tiny and the city really isn’t that big. It’s really easy to get from the airport to wherever via taxi, and, as long as you make sure they use the meter, it’s really, really cheap. This is definitely a great place to go on a budget! All the museums are like $2-3 a person, meals are similarly cheaply priced, and taxis will cost you like $2 for a ride that would cost $20 in the US or Europe. Riads are also pretty cheap too. Enjoy!!!!!
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