Morocco: Marrakech and beyond

Morocco is incredibly versatile, thus a country that you can easily explore for a longer period than 5 days. I traveled to Morocco for the first time in 2016 and recently again in June 2023. Both experiences were amazing and quite different from each another. Marrakech in itself is a majestic city which has a lot to offer. Therefore, this is a good starting point and it’s even possible to stay here during the whole trip, like we did. There are many gorgeous Riads in the medina, I stayed in Riad Sofia and spent a night in the Sahara desert during my first trip .

During my most recent trip with TUI (June 2023) we stayed in RIU Tikida Palmeraie, a resort just outside the city where you can come back from a busy day and relax at the pool.

Get lost in the Marrakech medina by bike

“A bike tour in the medina of Marrakech? Is that even possible?” Is what I was wondering before arriving in the city. Well, despite nearly crashing into an old lady and a donkey, we all made it out alive. So it turns out it is certainly possible, and also very fun! We did a bike tour with Pikala Bikes, an initiative of a Dutch young woman who started this project about 8 years ago. Although not a lot of people believed in her project initially, she made it a tremendous succes. Very impressive if you ask me!

At Pikala Bikes the Moroccan youth gets the opportunity to learn everything about bikes, safety and hospitality. They receive trainings to become a real bike tour guide. By bike you discover more unknown spots in the medina and you’ll stop at various interesting places. We, for instance, stopped at a traditional bakery where locals bring their prepared dough for bread and cookies to be baked by a man in a dark room with a big clay oven. A place you’d probably not even notice if you had passed by on foot. Our tour took several hours, so I suggest not planning too much afterwards.

Secret garden & a rooftop

There is a beautiful botanical garden in the middle of the medina, a very unexpected and calm place. No wonder it’s called Le Jardin Secret. They provide information and videos on the history of the area and how the garden was developed. In addition, there is a spacious terrace higher up, overlooking the garden.

Another great spot to forget about the busy life on the streets is on one of the rooftops across the city. Many of them are located around the squares and provide the best view of everything that’s going on. When you’re in the middle of all the hustle and bustle it’s sometimes hard to take everything in and to realise what’s going on around you. Taking a break at a rooftop is the perfect solution. One of the rooftop terraces I really enjoyed was Cafe Arabe. A stunning terrace with several cute seats and an amazing view over the city with the Atlas mountains slightly showing up in the back. Another nice cafe with a rooftop is Cafe Clock. It’s a more artsy and modern cafe with a semi covered rooftop. The views are not spectacular, but the food we tried was really good. The lamb tagine is one of my favourite Moroccan dishes, especially when it’s served with dried fruits like plum and apricot. You’ll have to try it when you’re in Morocco.

Majestic Atlas mountains

Telouet Kasbah

Luckily, there are plenty of options to escape the crowded city of Marrakech. When you’re in Marrakech you can already see the majestic Atlas mountains afar. The most famous mountain pass is the Tizi n’Tichka, which also reaches the highest point of 2260 meters. A route with breathtaking views passing small Berber villages and cafes to stock up on snacks and coffee (or ice-cream in my case). On the way to Ait Ben Haddou we stopped at Telouet Kasbah. This fascinating Kasbah once belonged to Thami El Glaoui, also known as the Lord of the Atlas. Due to the ideal location of the Kasbah, the El Glaoui family played a major role in the trade of saffran, salt and olives.

Ait Ben Haddou

Ait Ben Haddou is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of (if not the) most popular highlights in the Atlas mountains. This fortified village is made out of clay which makes it look very unique, as if it rises from the earth. There are more villages like this in the region, but this one clearly shows the traditional architecture. In addition Ait Ben Haddou has been used as a filmdecor for many movies and series. You may recognise it from the Gladiator or Game of Thrones. Even when we visited they were working on the production of Gladiator 2. As it’s a popular spot among tourists, the pretty alleys leading you to the top are filled with tiny shops making it very colourful.

Essaouira, fish and fresh air

Within 3 hours driving from Marrakech you will reach Essaouira, a city with a completely different look, feel and vibe. Essaouira is a coastal town and also known as the Pearl city of the Atlantic. It has a large port surrounded by a beautiful old city wall, a good place to start your visit. While you walk around the port you’ll see fishermen cleaning their freshly caught fish, while sea gulls are flying around, scanning the place for some leftovers to grab.

Leave the smell of fish behind and continue your stroll towards the Old Fortress. On the way you’ll pass by countless of colourful little shops where they sell leather products, handwoven carpets and the most stunning plates and other ceramics. The main difference between the medina in Marrakech and Essaouira is that is wasn’t as hot and humid. Since Essaouira is located at the coast, there is often a cool breeze. Because of the long stretched beach, Essaouira is also popular among watersport fans and provides great kite-surf conditions.

Float in a hot-air balloon overlooking the Atlas mountains

You can go for a hot-air balloon flight in many different places across the world. However, you’re often depending on the weather and in many of these places they only take-off during a couple of months a year. In Morocco this is not the case! All year round they’re able to fly, except when weather conditions are really bad. We ended this trip with a literal highlight: a hot-air balloon flight with Ciel d’Afrique. Our full group fitted in one basket and we took off once the sun was up. This was actually way better than the sunrise flight as it was grey and cloudy early morning and once we departed the sky cleared up. After a smooth landing a lovely breakfast was waiting for us. Everything was very well organised and it really felt like a very professional organisation.

I’ve been lucky enough to experience a hot-air balloon flight for the third time already and am obviously very grateful for that! Hot-air balloon flights are magical to me, you feel so light and calm when you’re floating above the ground. I even wrote a post about some of the most incredible spots to go for a flight. So if it’s within your budget, I would strongly recommend going for it!

Have you been to Morocco or is it on your bucket list? Let me know if you need more tips/recommendations or if you have any questions!