Day 6 was arguably the biggest and certainly the longest day of the entire holiday—the long-awaited trip to Marrakech, specifically the old Medina.
Joshua wasn't initially particularly keen on this excursion. He's not exactly a fan of extreme heat and, if we're being honest, historical sites and sightseeing aren't really his thing either. However, we eventually managed to persuade him to come along on the basis that we'd be out from around 6am until midnight. While I completely trust him to spend a day on his own, I just didn't think it was fair for him to spend an entire day of his holiday sitting around the hotel by himself. So, Marrakech it was!
The 6am start was necessary because the journey from Agadir to Marrakech takes a good three to four hours by coach. Thankfully, it's a very straightforward journey, with most of it spent travelling along a single motorway. The scenery certainly helped pass the time, with spectacular views of the Atlas Mountains appearing on either side of us.
We stopped for a short break at a service station about an hour outside Marrakech, where Brandon somehow managed to find entertainment in the form of a stray cat attempting to climb onto the top shelf and squeeze itself behind a row of Pringles tubes. I'm not sure what the cat's ultimate plan was, but it seemed determined to get itself some snacks!
Once we arrived, our city tour got underway, starting with the Bahia Palace. This stunning 19th-century palace is filled with intricate tilework, beautifully painted wooden ceilings and peaceful courtyards, giving us our first real taste of the incredible architecture and craftsmanship Marrakech is famous for.
From there, we headed towards Jemaa el-Fnaa, the enormous central square in the heart of the Medina. During the daytime it was relatively quiet, but we knew from what we'd been told that it transforms completely once the sun goes down.
We then headed into the Souks, which were on a completely different scale to anything we'd seen in Agadir. The markets are essentially a giant maze of narrow alleyways, with different areas traditionally dedicated to different trades. There were spices, leather goods, lanterns, carpets, clothing and pretty much anything else you could imagine.
Next up was Ben Youssef Madrasa, a former Islamic college renowned for its incredible carved cedar wood, intricate stucco work and beautiful zellige tile designs. The level of craftsmanship throughout the building was genuinely impressive and gave us a real appreciation of the history behind the old Medina.
And then came the pharmacy.
Having been caught out by the Moroccan pharmacy experience in Agadir the previous day, we were considerably wiser this time around. We were "guided" into another traditional pharmacy, which was clearly another opportunity to separate tourists from their money. This time, however, we were having none of it and managed to escape without purchasing a suitcase full of mysterious powders, potions and creams.
We didn't complain too much about the visit, though, because there was one very important feature that made this pharmacy worth visiting...
Air conditioning!
After yesterday's experience, we had developed a much greater appreciation for anything that produced cold air.
We were then given some free time to explore the Souks, and these made the markets we'd seen in Agadir look tiny. The Marrakech Souks are enormous—a seemingly endless maze of more than 1,700 stalls stretching off in every direction. It was incredibly easy to lose your bearings, and I'm pretty sure we walked about five times further than we actually needed to!
Eventually, we found our way back to the central square at around 4pm, just in time to experience the full force of the Marrakech heat.
And when I say heat, I mean HEAT.
Temperatures were reaching around 42°C and, as we turned the corner into Jemaa el-Fnaa, it literally felt like someone had opened an industrial hairdryer directly into our faces. We'd already done a ridiculous amount of walking, so despite having around an hour and a half of free time before dinner, we had just one objective:
Find somewhere with air conditioning.
Thankfully, our tour guide pointed us towards a rather nice ice cream parlour called Argana, right on the edge of Jemaa el-Fnaa. We quickly found a table, ordered a round of absolutely delicious ice creams and some very cold drinks, and spent the next hour or so doing very little other than cooling down and recovering from the heat.
It was absolute bliss.
We did, however, discover something rather interesting after returning home. Apparently, this very same restaurant and café was the target of a terrorist bombing in 2011, which tragically killed 15 people.
Had our tour guide told us that before sending us there, I'm not entirely sure we'd have been quite so keen to seek refuge there! We might have decided that 42°C was actually a perfectly acceptable temperature after all. 😳
Eventually, it was time to head to our evening meal at Dar Essalam, a famous Marrakech restaurant with quite a bit of Hollywood history. It was used by Alfred Hitchcock for a notable scene in his 1956 thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much.
The restaurant itself was beautiful, with traditional Moroccan architecture and live entertainment, including belly dancers. Unfortunately, the food didn't quite live up to the surroundings. The choice was fairly limited and there didn't seem to be much in the way of protein.
Luckily, the table we were sharing happened to include two vegetarians, because there was absolutely no way the amount of chicken on the main dish was going to stretch across everyone otherwise!
So, while the venue and entertainment were excellent, the food was a little disappointing. To make matters worse, the staff became quite aggressive when asking for tips at the end of the meal, which I found particularly rude and left a bit of a sour taste after what had otherwise been an enjoyable evening.
Once we'd finished eating, we headed back out into Jemaa el-Fnaa—and what a transformation!
It was almost unrecognisable compared with what we'd seen earlier in the day. The extreme heat had kept activity to a minimum during the morning, with just a handful of stalls and the odd snake charmer operating. Now, as the temperature started to drop, the entire square had come alive.
Outdoor restaurants were packed, fruit and spice stalls were everywhere, and there were monkeys, cobras, musicians and all sorts of other sights and sounds competing for your attention. It really was a completely different place after dark and gave us a much better appreciation of what makes Marrakech so famous.
Our final stop before heading back to the coach was the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest mosque in Marrakech, with its famous 77-metre-high minaret dominating the city's skyline.
It was actually the perfect way to finish the day. We arrived as the sun was beginning to set and managed to capture some absolutely stunning photographs with the mosque and surrounding skyline bathed in the evening light.
And then it was time for the long journey home.
By this point, the combination of the 42°C heat, miles of walking and a very long day had completely drained us. I think at some point during the journey back we all managed to fall asleep, which probably made the three-hour journey feel considerably shorter!
Marrakech was an absolutely amazing experience, and I'm genuinely glad we did it. I would have hated to come all the way to Morocco and not visit one of its most famous and historic cities.
That said, I'm also very glad we only booked the one-day excursion. There was so much to see and experience, but by the time we got back to the hotel, we'd definitely had enough.
Marrakech—amazing place, unforgettable experience, but one day was definitely enough!
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| Early rise and waiting outside our hotel for the pick-up to Marrakech. |
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| Some nice fountains and palm trees outside the Rui. |
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| Stepping off the coach in Medina to some serious heat. |
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| The motorbikes are insane in Marrakech and even drive through the market streets. |
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| No-one wanted to stand around for a photo with this sign as it was so hot. |
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| These are all spices..........if you could smell a picture. |
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| Such effort put in to a simple spice display. |
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| First stop.......... |
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| ...........Bahia Palace. |
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| Nice little garden area in the palace to seek some shade. |
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| The intricate decor and tiling is amazing. |
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| I was so hoping this fountain had some water to splash my face. |
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| My gang exploring the palace. |
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