Day one
MORNING
Start by discovering the city’s history at the 16th-century Saadian Tombs (Rue de La Kasbah), where Sultan al-Mansour spared no expense decorating his mausoleum with imported Italian Carrara marble and a gilded honeycomb muqarnas ceiling that still dazzles those who look upon it. The entrance to the tombs is unmarked and hard to spot. You’ll find it at the southern end of the Kasbah Mosque, opposite the Kasbah Café. Note you should arrive when it opens to see it at its most peaceful.
Move on to al-Mansour’s once magnificent Badi Palace(Ksibat Nhass), now a monumental ruin with vast reflecting pools and impressive views of the city from its ramparts. Don’t scrimp on your ticket here as the additional MAD 10 (80p) to view the Koutoubia’s original minbar (prayer pulpit) is worth every cent.
From here it’s a short hop to the beautiful Bahia Palace (Avenue Imam El Ghazali), a vast, gorgeously decorated palace once owned by slave-turned-vizier Abu ‘Bou’ Ahmed. Allow plenty of time to enjoy the different spaces, the most impressive of which are the quarters of Bou Ahmed’s favourite concubine, Lalla Zineb.
The Badi Palace is a monumental ruin with vast reflecting pools and impressive views of the city and towards the Atlas Mountains CREDIT: APROTT/APROTT
AFTERNOON
Lunch on exotic salads and vegetarian tarts in the shady patio of La Famille (34 Derb Jdid; 00 212 524 385 295), before heading northwest across the Djemaa el-Fna and picking up Rue Mouassine, which is lined with some of the souk’s chicest shops. Just past the landmark mosque and Mouassine fountain, you can slip into Le Jardin Secret (121 Rue Mouassine; 00 212 524 390 040), one of the Medina’s largest and most important gardens set out in the shell of a 19th-century palace. Divided into two distinct areas, the gardens are a triumph of Islamic design.
The first area faithfully recreates a Persian ‘paradise’ garden, featuring tufty grasses and traditional fruit trees such as olive, pomegranate, fig and date; while the second, smaller garden nurtures exotic plants in a fourfold layout. Just as interesting is the elaborate irrigation system that weaves through the gardens, part of an ancient network that once distributed water from artesian wells (fed by the ring of mountains around Marrakech) throughout the city.Le Jardin Secret is one of the Medina’s largest and most important gardens set out in the shell of a 19th-century palace
LATE
Dining in the Medina is an adventure wherever you choose to eat. Like a magnet, everyone is drawn to the Djemaa el-Fna where smoke rises from hundreds of barbecues and storytellers, Gnawa musicians, acrobats and fortune-tellers attract throngs of Marrakshi’s out for their evening constitutional. You can eat here on long trestle tables, but regardless you should come for the show. Carry a handful of coins so you can tip the performers (a few dirhams is appropriate). If you do decide to eat in the square, stick to your own bottled water and use your bread instead of rinsed utensils.
Afterwards, you can head to the famous Pâtisserie des Princes (32 Rue Bab Agnaou) for ice cream and sweet treats. For a more refined Moroccan dining experience, hunt down Le Trou au Mur (39 Derb el Farnatchi; 00 212 524 384 900), where you can sample traditional dishes in a beautifully renovated traditional house; or, for something more contemporary, head to the rooftop restaurant of Riad El Fenn (2 Derb Moulay Abdullah Ben Hezzian; 00 212 524 441 210), where Fouad Ajili serves an inventive modern Moroccan menu. The rooftop restaurant of Riad El Fenn serves an inventive modern Moroccan menu• The best restaurants in Marrakech
Day two
MORNING
When fashion icon Yves St Laurent first arrived in Marrakech in 1964 he was overwhelmed by the city’s vivacity. The experience changed the way he saw the world and he ditched his previously rigorous monochromatic look in favour of an outrageously bold palette of Fauvist colours. It comes as no surprise then that Jardin Majorelle (Rue Yves St Laurent; 00 212 524 313 047), the home where he lived with his partner Pierre Bergé, is painted an intense shade of ultramarine blue. Arrive early to enjoy the extraordinary desert garden filled with giant cacti, palms and bamboo groves.
Then tour the gorgeously curated Berber Museum, which is filled with St Laurent’s personal collection of indigenous jewellery and fashion from which he drew much of his subsequent inspiration. Stay in the garden and enjoy a salad at Café Majorelle or, if its busy, pop across the road to 16 Kawa (00 212 524 310 016) for a plate of crunchy briouat (pastried stuffed with spinach and cheese, or meat) and a smoothie.The villa at Jardin Majorelle, where Yves St Laurent once lived, is painted an intense shade of ultramarine blue
AFTERNOON
Continue following St Laurent’s development in the Musée Yves St Laurent (00 212 524 298 686) next door. Christophe Martin’s stunning choreography presents the clothes in a dramatic all-black hall where dresses stand like paintings and echo the outrageous silhouettes and embellishments of the garments you’ve just seen in the Berber Museum. Suddenly, you can see that the strikingly bold jewellery, shapely clothes and extravagant accessories do just as well at New York dinner parties as Berber weddings.
After such inspiration, it only makes sense to go shopping in Gueliz, where young Moroccan designers like Artsi Ifrach (96 Rue Mohammed el Beqal; 00 212 524 430 124) are now attracting international attention. Other makers to look out for are Lalla (35 Boulevard el Mansour Eddahbi; 00 212 524 447 223) who does a chic line of slouchy bags, Atika (34 Rue de la Liberté; 00 524 439 576) for beautifully made leather shoes in rainbow colours, and Moor (Rue des Vieux Marrakchis) for chic homewares.The Musée Yves St Laurent, right next door to the Jardins Majorelle, has proved a hit since opening
LATE
As the sun sets follow the crowd to the terrace of the Grand Café de la Poste (Avenue Imam Malik; 00 212 524 433 038) for a glass of rosé on its chic, secluded terrace or beneath the slow-moving fans in its beautiful bistro-style interior.
Then push on to Chez Mado (22 Rue Moulay Ali; 00 212 524 421 494) for Oualidia oysters and towering seafood platters, or Al Fassia (55 Boulevard Mohamed Zerktouni; 00 212 524 434 060) for a high-brow Fez-style feast in one of Marrakech’s most highly respected Moroccan restaurants. Afterwards, pop in to Le 68 (68 Rue de la Liberté; 00 212 524 449 742) for late-night drinks and an arty intellectual vibe.
