Marrakech: A Sensory Survival Guide
The Red City assaults every sense at once. Here's how to surrender to it without being overwhelmed.
Marrakech does not do subtle. From the moment you step into the medina, the labyrinthine old city, it comes at you all at once: cumin and orange blossom and diesel, the call to prayer over the rooftops, motorbikes threading through the crowds, the hiss of a snake charmer's flute. Most first-timers find the opening hour a lot. The secret is to give in rather than resist, while keeping a calm base to retreat to.
Master the Medina
Getting lost in the souks is part of the experience, right up until it isn't. Drop a pin on your riad before you set off, accept that Google Maps will fail you among the covered alleys, and turn down offers of 'help' politely but firmly. The famous square, Jemaa el-Fnaa, is best at dusk, when the food stalls fire up and the whole thing turns into a swirling open-air theatre.
Find the Gardens
For every ounce of medina chaos there's a matching pocket of calm, usually behind an anonymous door. The Majorelle and Secret Gardens, the courtyards of the old palaces, the plunge pool of a quiet riad. Marrakech is a city built around hidden green rooms. Learn to duck into them and the city settles into a rhythm of stimulation and retreat.
Where to Stay
La Mamounia, Churchill's favourite, is a two-century-old garden wrapped in a palace hotel. It's the grandest possible base, close enough to walk into the medina and serene enough to make you forget it's there.
