Coming from Italy to visit Marrakech (and never having been to any country outside of North/South America and Europe before), I kept hearing that Morocco would be an extreme culture shock. I initially thought this was dramatic and I would be completely fine. Well let me just start off by saying that, Marrakech is not for the weak. It is chaotic, unexpected, ugly and beautiful wrapped into one unique city. I have mixed feelings on my experience in Marrakech, especially as a female traveller. It was a lot to handle at times, filled with moments of highs and lows. I decided to go on this trip last minute with my friend Meg, we went for 4 nights and I think we would both agree that this was more than enough time. However, we would love to see more of Morocco’s other cities and the Sahara desert.
My Experience
Marrakech is definitely the craziest city that I have ever been to. We had to constantly be aware of our surroundings. This seems like something silly to complain about, however, it was so real. Aimlessly wandering is less of a viable possibility here. Don’t forget to… be aware that a motorcycle could literally crash into you at any second, watch your step, watch your purse, not dress too revealing, not look too lost and not under any circumstances listen to the Moroccan men giving you directions.
The locals WILL take advantage of how naive Western travellers are. As a Canadian, I am generally quite trusting and choose to see the best in people. In Marrakech, forget all of this and do not trust the locals. As horrible as this may sound, it is the reality. In Marrakech’s main square (Jama El f’na Market) I saw that there were ladies doing henna. Before I even approached them, they were yelling at me to come and see their henna creations. One of the ladies (who was actually quite nice) grabbed my hand and told me she would give me free henna because today was a “special day”. Deep down I knew she was lying, but I let it happen and of course afterwards, her demeanour completely changed and she DEMANDED money from me for her mediocre and rushed henna on my hand. I was annoyed at the situation but reluctantly handed her 100 Dhs (equivalent to approx. 10 euros).
The lady that forced me into the henna 🙂 
My henna
Marrakech is A LOT for a young female traveller. The souks are especially intimidating. I have never experienced so much cat-calling before. As two young “Western looking” females, we could not walk anywhere without being stared at and hearing countless comments from the local men. At first we were a little taken back but just kind of shrugged it off. However, by the end of our 4 days we were absolutely sick of it. This was one of the major aspects that (unfortunately) shaped our experience in Marrakech.
Despite this, I have no regrets, although I probably won’t go back to Marrakech, I genuinely think it is a beautiful and unique city that everybody should experience at least once!
Here’s some of my fave pictures that I think really capture the intricacies of the city:
The “red city” 
Jama El f’na Market at sunset 
Entrance into the souks 
Koutoubia Mosque – only Muslims permitted to enter 
Smokey streets
Top 8 Things to Do in Marrakech
1. Marvel at Jama El f’na Market
This market is the main square of Marrakech filled with food stalls, henna artists and entertainment (snakes and monkeys… don’t get too close to that). Pre-warning: it is chaotic, you will constantly be solicited to come and try a stalls food/drinks, just keep walking and say no thanks! Don’t always trust street food… they don’t always follow safe food practices.
2. Explore the Souks
The souks (a traditional open-air market) are alley ways upon alley ways of little shops selling anything from spices, lamps, plates and bowls, fake designer accessories, typical tourist souvenirs, meats, paintings, etc etc. It’s almost next to impossible to not get lost in the souks. Just make sure that you have some sort of map on you whether it’s an actual physical one or an offline map on your smartphone.
3. Musée Yves Saint Laurent
This museum is dedicated to the work of Yves Saint Laurent (passed away in 2008). While the museum is quite small and there is no photography permitted in the exhibition room, it a must for fashion lovers. The exhibition features an abundance of information on Yves Saint Laurent, dresses and jewelry.
The entrance to the museum – perfect for all the Insta shots 
4. Jardin Majorelle
Conveniently located right beside the Musée Yves Saint Laurent, this beautiful botanical garden is a MUST SEE in Marrakech. Walk around the gardens and you will feel as if you escaped the chaos of the city. The gardens are truly enchanting and you could spend hours taking it all in.
“For many years, the Jardin Majorelle has provided me with an endless source of inspiration, and I have often dreamt of its unique colours.”
Yves Saint Laurent
TIP: if you are a student, bring your student ID and you can see BOTH the Yves Saint Laurent Museum and gardens for only 100 Dhs (approx. 10 euros). Purchase a ticket for both of the museum and gardens combined.
Cacti 
5. Bahia Palace
There is a couple palaces in Marrakech, however, Bahia Palace is the must see and you could certainly tell this by the amount of tourists roaming around the palace grounds. The palace features a bunch of rooms, stained glass windows, sculpted and painted wooden ceilings and a courtyard with a garden. A perfect place to get an Instagram worthy pic… if you can manage to find a spot with no people in the background of your shot😂
Price: 70 Dhs
6. Maison De La Photographie
To escape the craziness of the city, head to this cute little photography museum! Featuring photography in Marrakech from 1870 – 1960. Plus, on the top of museum is a café with great panoramic views of the city.
Price: 50 Dhs
7. Find the best traditional food/drinks
Marrakech’s food is DELICIOUS. From tajine, hummus, couscous and fresh vegetables and fruit, the food of Marrakech does not disappoint. Also, the city is very vegetarian (and sometimes vegan) friendly, there is always a vegetarian option on the menu!
Eggplant, bread and hummus 
Hummus & pumpkin salad 
Veg tajine with a moroccan salad (fresh tomato & cucumber)
8. Go to a Hammam Spa
The hammam in Morocco is an important phenomenon and all the categories of the Moroccan Society attend this public place. It is a hammam with dry heat diffused by the ground and the walls, contrary to the Turkish hammam which is steam bath (Les Bain D’Orient). In the hammam at Les Bain D’Orient, you will be completely pampered from head to toe. The attendant in the hammam will rinse you, scrub you with black soap scrub, put argan oil in your hair and rose oil all over your body. A truly unique experience that is not to be missed in Marrakech!
Thank you for sharing your adventures.
Morocco tourism should be paying you for this
Thank you so much!
Long time supporter, and thought I’d drop a comment.
Your wordpress site is very sleek – hope you don’t mind me
asking what theme you’re using? (and don’t mind if I steal it?
:P)
I just launched my site –also built in wordpress like yours– but the theme slows (!) the
site down quite a bit.
In case you have a minute, you can find it by searching for “royal cbd” on Google (would
appreciate any feedback) – it’s still in the works.
Keep up the good work– and hope you all take care of yourself during the coronavirus scare!
Hi there! Thanks for your support, I appreciate it. The theme I use is at the bottom of the page. The “Royal CBD” website looks fantastic, very professional looking!