Spices and tea spill from baskets. Motorized scooters, bicycles and the occassional donkey rush past within inches, weaving expertly through tourists and locals. Cats dart between stalls, and the call to prayer rises faintly in the background.
Every great girls’ trip needs a backdrop worthy of the conversations. Ours was Marrakech: a maze of alleys, tiled courtyards, rooftop terraces and the constant hum of something happening just around the bend.
While Morocco has long been on the travel radar, it is still a destination that takes you to the unknown. It’s a country that still feels like it expands your perspective with a more immersive, all-senses experience than a classic European city break.
Strolling the streets assaults your nose and other senses. Aromas of food mix with the smell of street grime. The distant sound of calls to prayer is interrupted by beeping scooters wanting to pass. Crossing a busy street is like a leap of faith as lanes of cars seem to both slow down and speed up as they see you crossing.
There’s a constant juxtaposition: chaotic medina streets outside, serene riad courtyards within. One moment you’re shoulder-to-shoulder in a night market; the next you’re sipping mint tea beside a tiled fountain with all the street noises gone.
But for anyone who hasn’t been to Morocco before, Marrakech is a soft landing. Compared to other cities, it feels calmer, and hassling tourists is very minimal.
My girlfriends and I spent four blissful days wandering the souks, eating at every opportunity and soaking up winter sun. The city carried on around us while we talked and laughed. We adjusted to the noise and movement, only pausing our conversations to shout “Scooter!” for a brief moment.
So what makes Marrakech work so well for a girls’ trip?
A calmer, safer feel
Marrakech is not as in-your-face as other places in Morocco. The medina (the old part of the city within walls) is busy, but it’s not aggressive, and people don’t hassle you.
No one approached us to “show us around” their neighborhood. No one hounded us to have them as a guide around the city. It was calmer, less confrontational than my previous trip to Tangier. We could wander without bracing ourselves.
Streets were well-lit at night, even small alleyways. In the neighborhood of our riad, a local man was in charge of keeping watch.
In talking with our riad owner, he said that Marrakech has cracked down on this behavior by having plain-clothed policing in the medina. Tourism is THE economy in Marrakech, and it seems like the city is doing a lot to make sure it stays that way.
Shopping
If you don’t like shopping, Marrakech (and most girls trips) probably aren’t for you. From trinkets, shoes and clothes to lamps, rugs and antique doors, everyone is guaranteed to find something they love in Marrakech. Modern stores mix with market stalls where you’ll find everything from Moroccan delights to straight-from-faraway-factory items. We wandered through the souks (markets), making turns by whim until we had to pull out our phones to find out where we needed to be.
I won’t make any recommendations for areas to shop because that’s the magic … discovering them on your own.
We walked through many areas of the medina, including Kasbah, and while also venturing out of the more strictly touristy areas.
Although overly commercial, the neighborhood of Gueliz, outside the medina walls, is an interesting stop to see another side of the city, away from the mobs of tourists. We avoided the modern shopping mall (although that’s almost impossible given its size) and stopped in at some of the local boutiques and the Ghizlane Agzenaï gallery to soak up the art of the Moroccan-born street artist with her bold, colorful works.
Architecture and tilework
The beauty is in the details in Marrakech. Stunning ceilings and tiles exist side by side with crumbling facades and archways. Rooftop restaurants and serene courtyards offer places to relax, and any crumbling or faded look just adds to its authenticity.
After roaming the streets and shopping, we took a break from the bustling city at Jardin Majorelle where we explored the lush garden and electric Majorelle Blue walls and features. We chose a combination ticket for the gardens, Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum.
Another option is to take in the architecture at Bahia Palace.
Food for every level of adventure
We ate our way through the city, choosing to always order a variety of appetizers and plates for the table and sharing them all so we could try everything. We sampled the staples, like Moroccan harira soup (lentils, chickpeas and lots of spices) and tagines. My favorite was the chicken pastillas — thin, flaky pastry layers filled with chicken, spices, almonds and cinnamon.
But don’t let it fool you, eating in Marrakech is not cheap. Charming rooftop and courtyard restaurants abound, but restaurants like the upscale Les Jardins Du Lotus — although delicious — will set you back a few, especially if you order alcoholic drinks.
Les Jardins Du Lotus was only one of the two places we had alcoholic drinks, and we walked out of there having spent €90 per person, which included a cocktail, food, a bottle of wine to share, dessert and tip. However, all the other nights, dinner was usually between €25 and €50 per person. Much better, but still not cheap.
The city has food for everyone, on all scales of taste and adventurousness. You’ll get sweet pastries and cookies in the markets and fresh juices sold by vendors in Jemaa el-Fnaa square. In the same square, you can eat escargot and sheep’s head.
And then there’s amalou — almond paste blended with argan oil and honey. Nutty, silky and very addictive. If our suitcase space allowed, we would have packed more than just a few jars of it for home. (But you always need reasons to come back…)
Relaxation
Although probably nothing I mentioned until now seems very relaxing, the slow pace gave the trip a relaxing feel. Plus, mix in massages and a luxury spa, and relaxation is what you get. We showed up to our appointments at Spa Les Bains de Marrakech completely ready. Booking is necessary, and our taxi driver even checked that we had them before taking us there. We had booked a three-hour experience — hammam, mud treatment and massage. And although it was expensive, it was a fraction of the price of a session like that in Europe (€155 per person in total for 3+ hours).
The whole spa radiates serenity, and of course, checking our phones in a locker (mandatory) adds to the experience. We were led from treatment to treatment, and in between, we relaxed in white fluffy robes and drank warm, lightly sweet mint tea. We were able to have the hammam with all three of us together in the same room, but then split off for the mud treatments and massages.
Be aware, you’ll check your modesty at the door! All you’ll get to wear for each treatment is a pair of disposable paper underwear that is really a thong. But there’s nothing like being scrubbed, washed down, slathered in ointment and wrapped in plastic while all being together in a steam room to get closer to your girlfriends, or other loved ones.
Marrakech isn’t polished, like a weekend trip to Paris or Prague. It’s still a dusty, somewhat dirty city that overwhelms the senses, yet still offers some quiet moments, like mint tea on a riad rooftop during the sunset on our last day.
Markets by day. Rooftops at dusk. Laughter over our newfound level of closeness in a hammam. For a girls’ trip, Marrakech delivers contrast, color and just enough unpredictability that will make our stories last long after our suitcases are unpacked (and our amalou is gone).
***
Some more helpful tips for Marrakech:
- Don’t expect taxis to take you from place to place while you’re staying in the medina. From the airport, usually a taxi arranges a cart to haul your luggage to your riad/hotel, but get ready for walking while in the heart of the city.
- Download offline maps for the city area so you can find your way through the small streets and avoid dead ends.
- Get an eSim, otherwise you’ll go broke paying for data.
- If you are an adventurous eater, consider doing a night street food tour to take in the culinary history while trying a bunch of dishes. There are many options, but this is one that gets good reviews.
- Buy your ticket for the Jardin Majorelle in advance and be on time.
- Make dinner reservations, especially if you want to go to specific restaurants or rooftops.
–––––––––––
Read more about Morocco here in Dispatches’ archives.
See more from Lane here.
Lane Henry is an accidental long-term expat. She is an American who came to the Netherlands for two years—or so she thought. She has now lived in the Netherlands and explored Europe for over a decade.
