Marrakech Destination Guide
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Marrakech Destination Guide Contents Contents 2 Quick Facts 3 About Marrakech 4 Events & Nightlife 5 Top Destinations 9 Tours & Activities 13 Food & Dining Out 15 Shopping 18 Best Time To Visit 20 Travel Tips 21 Quick Facts Flying Time: 3 hours 40 minutes Currency: Moroccan Dirham Language: Arabic Time Zone: GMT+0 Visit For: Culture, Arts, Architecture, Nightlife, Shopping, Trekking 3 About Marrakech Imagine a city where you can sip cocktails at sunset on a rooftop terrace as a smouldering sun sinks over distant mountains; where labyrinthine alleys lead you happily astray and where past and present collide to create a rich tapestry of life. This is Marrakech, a potent, intoxicating city of souks, spices, snake charmers and hidden palaces, all of which rub shoulders with fashionable art galleries, achingly hip hotels and steaming hammams. Marrakech brings the most outlandish travellers' tales to life. The pink city has waylaid desert caravans since the 11th century, as visitors succumb to the charms of its bluesy Gnaoua trance music, hypnotic calls to prayer and multi-course feasts. Marrakech delivers an exotic and exciting taste of Africa and yet is only a few hours away from Europe by plane. Visitors often disappear down a maze of winding alleys and emerge days later, relaxed and refreshed from their stays in spectacular riads. These traditional courtyard guesthouses range from opulent, palatial oases to smaller, more intimate affairs but they all promise a snapshot of traditional life. Adventure awaits in the medina (old city), with its fondouks (artisans' workshops) and seven zaouias (saints' shrines). Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, the medina and its souks (markets) have an enduring appeal. Here, donkey carts jostle for space and men dressed in floor-length djallebahs and veiled women go about their daily chores. One of the most arresting experiences in the medina is visiting the pungent-smelling tanneries, where the centuries-old tradition of turning animal hides into leather continues to this day. Marrakech’s much-celebrated square, Jemaa el Fna, is also a must-see. Thronging with crowds every evening, it is filled with a dazzling, unforgettable spectacle: more than 100 makeshift stalls selling adventurous concoctions from vast cauldrons - steaming bowls of snails, sheep's head soup, fried aubergines, ubiquitous mint tea and spicy cakes. Meanwhile, musicians, fortune-tellers, dancing cobras, colourful water sellers, storytellers and acrobats are among those who enthral tourists long into the night. Towering over the scene is the stately Koutoubia minaret, a template for Hispano-Mauresque architecture and a reminder of the importance of Islam to the lives of the city's residents. Other key attractions include palaces and elegant gardens but really the essence of capturing Marrakech is to experience it, rather than simply see it. Visiting a local hammam, or public steam bath, is an eye-opening experience and not one of the faint-hearted or shy. Certainly, the city that lured hedonists and idealists in the 20th century now attracts fashionistas and trendy couples in search of luxury spas, chic bars and clubs. A fluourishing arts and music scene is also firmly stamping Marrakech on the cultural map. Those who want to explore further afield should visit the bohemian, white-washed coastal resort of Essaouira or take a trip into the Atlas Mountains, home to Berber villages and an increasing plethora of soft adventure activities such as white water rafting and hiking. 4 Events & Nightlife See the list of exciting Events taking place in Marrakech, as well as the varied Nightlife on offer Events Festival International du Film de Marrakech From: 30-11-2014 To: 08-12-2014 Varies. A week-long extravaganza showcases African and Arab film, with Hollywood glitterati upstaged by the ever-popular open-air Bollywood screenings. Venue Name: Various venues. Marathon de Marrakech From: 27-01-2015 To: 27-01-2015 Free to spectate. Runners dash to the Palmeraie and back from the Jemaa el Fna. Venue Name: Begins and ends in Jemaa el Fna. Dakka Marrakchia Festival From: 01-02-2015 To: 28-02-2015 Free. A celebration of the country's traditional music that has been passed down through generations and has survived for over 1,000 years, this festival pays tribute to local saints. The music features a combination of drums and chants, as well as other traditional instruments, and blends together to make a lively, foot-stomping beat. Venue Name: Various neighbourhoods. Festival National des Arts Populaires From: 01-07-2015 To: 31-07-2015 Free. Berber music, folk dance and street performers pour into Marrakech from around the country to entertain the masses for free. Venue Name: Marrakech. Setti Fatma Moussem 5 From: 01-08-2015 To: 31-08-2015 Free. Each region in Morocco has its own 'moussem'â?? a festival which can take any shape. There is usually a souk or market, an agricultural fair, feasting, games and other entertainment as well as a religious element. One of the country's most famous is at Setti Fatma in the cool freshness of the stunning Ourika Valley. Famous for its seven waterfalls, Setti Fatma is a lovely place to visit at any time of year but the moussem in August gives an added incentive. Venue Name: Setti Fatma. Nightlife Marrakech has something of a reputation for its nightlife, which covers groovy Ibiza-style discos to belly-dancing. Music is at the heart of cultural life in Marrakech, as it is throughout Morocco. Marrakech is almost certainly the best place to enjoy the fusion of Moroccan music, as the city has been the host to Andalucian, Arab, Berber and African influences for up to 10 centuries. The medina provides traditional evening entertainment in the form of cafés, food stalls and street entertainment, with everything revolving around Jemaa el Fna, where many of the best performers are often to be found. For happening bars and clubs, head for Guéliz and Hivernage. Clustered along Avenue Mohammed V, particularly around place Abdel Moumen ben Ali, are most of the city's bars, as well as a wide variety of restaurants, bistros and sidewalk cafés. The city's best nightclubs are located in Hivernage hotels or in venues just outside town. Although Morocco is an Islamic country, there is a laid-back attitude towards alcohol, with bars in most tourist areas staying open late. In the medina, law and etiquette dictate that alcohol should not be consumed openly within view of a mosque, so drink discreetly indoors or on roof terraces. Théâtre Royal More formal cultural events take the form of festivals, although there are some performances of opera and dance in the open-air amphitheatre of the Théâtre Royal in Guéliz. 40 Avenue Mohammed VI Marrakesh 05244 31516. Café Arabe In the medina, the choice is somewhat limited. The serpentine sofas on the roof terrace of the Café Arabe inspire nights on cocktails, mint teas or aperitifs overlooking the mountains. It's an elegant space and a world away from the noisy streets below. 184 rue Mouassine Marrakesh 05244 29728. Café-Bar de l'Escale 6 Guéliz has a much greater range of bars, though there's a fine line between characterful and outright seedy. The Café-Bar de l'Escale is the rare relaxed place where beers can be taken out to the pavement tables. Rue Mauretania, Avenue Mohammed V Marrakesh Le Bar Churchill All the big hotels also have bars. One of the most glamorous in the city is undoubtedly Le Bar Churchill, at La Mamounia Hotel, which has a sumptuous Moorish and art deco interior and a strict dress code. It is named after the hotel's most famous guest and is the perfect place for an aperitif in jazzy 1930s style. La Mamounia, Avenue Bab Jedid Marrakesh (0524) 388 600. Diamant Noir Although Marrakech has a reputation within Morocco for nightlife, clubs are an expensive extravagance where behaviour doesn't conform to strictest Moroccan codes of propriety. Music tends to be a mixture of Western pop music, Moroccan hits and funky DJ mashups. The slightly camp Diamant Noir has an easy-going party atmosphere and a dance floor where straight and gay mix easily. Place de la Liberté Marrakesh 05244 34351. Pacha Marrakech Pacha Marrakech is the nightclub with the magnetic pull to attract DJs away from New York and Amsterdam and playboys and partiers from Casablanca and Ibiza, so on the right night you won't begrudge the taxi ride from town. The place has a capacity for 3,000 but during the week it echoes. At weekends you'll be lucky to squeeze in, even in your best club attire. It houses two restaurants, a swimming pool and a chill-out lounge. Avenue Mohammed VI Marrakesh 05243 88400. Le Salama This is one of the hottest places in Marrakech, attracting diners, drinkers and dancers. Housed in a period colonial building, this sumptuous club offers Moroccan lanterns, dark floors, mirrored walls, ornamental woodwork and views of the Atlas Mountains. 40 Rue des Banque Marrakech 05243 91300. Jemaa el Fna Anyone with even a passing interest in music should head straight for Jemaa el Fna. The best time to go for music is in the mid- to late evening, as the square gradually empties and the dedicated street musicians take over, playing their repetitive, rhythmic melodies on a mixture of banjos, lutes, guitars, flutes, drums and makeshift violins. The most enchanting of the styles on offer is Gnaoua trance music, best exemplified by the internationally-renowned band Nass Marrakech, which formed in the city. This music, a blend of African styles that derived from freed slaves' songs, combines repetitive rhythms and choric voices to create a trance-like awareness of the present moment in the listener.