Jemaâ-el-Fna Square and the Palaces
The southern part of the medina and the Bab Aylen district to the east are concentrated here. Most of the remains of the dynasties that contributed to Marrakech's prestige (and decadence) can be found here. Bab Aylen is one of the medina's earliest historic quarters. Let yourself be carried through its authentic alleyways to discover the daily life of its inhabitants. The unique Place Jemaâ-el-Fna is also the medina's strategic entry point. You won't hesitate to get lost here, especially as "the square" is never far away and a kind soul will always point you in the right direction. Avenue Mohamed V is the main thoroughfare linking the new town to the old town. It's impossible not to use it, as it arrives at the foot of the 77-metre-high Koutoubia, which serves as a landmark. To the southeast of the square are the enchanting Bahia, Dar Si Said, the Mellah and the lively streets of Riad Ez-Zitoun. Further to the center is the Kasbah, with the el Badi Palace, nicknamed "l'Incomparable", the Royal Palace, Bag Agnou and the Saadian Tombs.
The souks
Another of Marrakech's flagship districts, the picturesque souk of the medina transports us to a world where traditions and the ancient habitat of riads and fondouks (ancient caravanserais) are preserved amid the tumult of mopeds and donkeys, and a bustling commercial, craft and social activity. Leather, wood, fabric, sheet metal and other materials are shaped, chiselled, assembled and dyed by expert hands, right in front of you. You could spend hours, even days, wandering between the stalls, bargaining, comparing products, retracing your steps to make sure you're getting the right deal. You'll also spend a lot of time enjoying the very special atmosphere, watching craftsmen at work or looking for a secret garden or spa behind a back door. The medina is a labyrinth, a veritable living promenade, and you have to live here not to get lost. You'll find handy little overhead signs pointing you in the right direction. You can also find your way with the help of a map, by locating the access gates called bab, which punctuate the ramparts. Right in the heart of Mouassine, incredible addresses await you for lunch, dinner or just a break. This is the medina's bobo zone, with its designer boutiques and new concept stores.
Bab Doukkala
In this district, we really mean all that part of the medina that lies to the north of an imaginary line running from Jemaâ-el-Fna, with the exception of the souks. Here we enter a very popular area, a tangle of narrow streets and crowded derbs that lacks the neatness and inventiveness of other districts and looks more like other medinas in the country. You'll see live chickens ready to be made into tajines, sellers of the pilou pyjamas that Moroccan women love, plastic buckets, pyramids of olives - in short, the actors of everyday life. Although some of the streets have had their facades renovated, the overall condition is not as good as in the area around the square. Most of all, you'll come across the hustle and bustle of life: children on their way to school, an impromptu soccer match where a riad has been deliberately destroyed in order to be rebuilt, or women bringing back bread still steaming from the public oven.
While this may seem disconcerting at first glance, foreigners are less in demand here than in other, more historic areas. So why not go there, to discover another face of the country, more representative of everyday reality, a little off the beaten track..
New city, Guéliz
You can't get to know Marrakech without visiting the New Town. Tourists prefer the medina for a change of scenery. But it's important to understand that the locals don't really frequent the medina, or do so only occasionally. For visitors, it's the historic heart of the city, the attractive place to be; for locals, it's the popular, traditional district, which is nonetheless evolving towards a revitalization with its trendy addresses. To miss out on Guéliz is to miss out on another, more recent page of history. It is part of Marrakech's identity, with art galleries, shopping centers, gardens and parks. And don't forget to try your hand at nightlife, whether it's dancing in a club, taking in a show or discovering new gastronomic horizons.
Created in 1913 by the French during the protectorate, Guéliz extends to the west and north of the medina, to the foot of Jebel Guéliz, the hill that gave the district its name. It was here that the shale sandstone used to build the main monuments was quarried. Today, Guéliz is still residential, with wide avenues, comfortable apartments and opulent villas like those in Assif. To the south, just before the Ménara gardens, the Hivernage was designed from the outset as a resort area, and is home to the main luxury hotels. In the Majorelle district, the marvellous garden is home to the vibrant colors so dear to Jacques Majorelle, who arrived here in 1922 to soak up the sun. The colorist acquired a piece of land in the Bou Safsaf area and set up his studio amidst the pistachio trees, all the while developing a passion for botany. Although the neighborhood has kept his name as a legacy, it was another artist, Yves Saint Laurent, who took over the visual symphony.
Palmeraie
The Palmeraie is just a few kilometers from the center. Far less lush than it once was, this area of several thousand hectares is now home to a majority of villas, luxury guesthouses, trendy bars and golf courses springing up like mushrooms. The discrepancy between the low human density of these resorts and the hustle and bustle of the city center may come as a surprise, but the Palmeraie provides an ideal setting for getting away from it all while remaining close to the city. There's nothing like a horse-drawn carriage ride to discover the expanses of date palms and farming villages.
