Marrakech Itinerary

Located in the Northern African country of Morocco, Marrakech is a city that is fascinating for its blend of the old and new, local and cosmopolitan. It even has two parts to its city, each representing the old and new respectively. Medina is the older, ancient part of the city, recognizable by its historical Arabian palaces, monuments, and traditional street markets. Gueliz, the French-built part of the city, is more worldly and modern.

This unique combination of the old and the new is exactly what attracts tourists from around the world to Marrakech. In Medina, they can see ancient wonders such as the Saadian Tombs, beautiful tombs characterized by artistic gardens and mosaics, built by Sultan Ahmed el Mansour in the 16th century. Ancient Moroccan markets known as souks line the streets of Medina, where venders sell a wide range of goods that include fresh food, traditional handmade items such as rugs, and natural souvenirs from the Sahara desert. Other ancient monuments that are worth seeing are the Koutoubia Mosque of the 12th century, a splendid work of Arabian architecture widely recognized as one of the region’s most significant Islamic shrines, and the Palais de la Bahia, a royal palace notable for its Grand Vizier’s harem. Perhaps the most well-known attraction in Marrakech is the Djemma El Fna. A enormous outdoor square, it brims with activity. A variety of people - both tourists and local residents - come there to mix, watch exotic, eye-catching performances such as magic tricks, dancing, and snake charming, and to listen to songs played by the street musicians.

Marrakech’s geographical location provides it with a generally hot climate that is more dry than humid. It is warm and sunny there throughout the year, although the winters can be rainy and colder at night. Nevertheless, the city’s climate and exotic landscape continues to attract tourists who are looking to spend a warm vacation seeing some of the geographical wonders the region has to offer. The Sahara desert – largest in the world – is wonderful to visit during the cooler morning hours or at night, when the stars shine brightly and the air is peaceful and silent. Jeep trips are available for tourist exploration, venturing into areas far from the noise of modern civilization, where camel-riding nomads can often be spotted. The snow-topped High Atlas Mountains, viewable from Marrakech, provide a rich contrast to the vast beauty of the Sahara. Marrakech’s currency consists of the Moroccan Dirham (DH), which divides into 100 centimes; the notes that are used appear in 200 DH, 100 DH, 50 DH and 20 DH. Most major credit cards are accepted, and visitors can use travelers’ checks in tourist areas, but the Dirham cannot be imported or exported.