Marrakesh with kids

Having recently returned from Marrakesh, we have no doubt that Marrakesh with kids is a totally different experience than without.

For Megan it was an instant attack on all her senses. Almost immediately after stepping foot on the streets of the Medina, she decided it was not the place for her.  We all formed entirely different views of our time in Marrakesh, which we will share throughout this post.

Where is Marrakesh?

Marrakesh is deemed by many as the cultural capital of Morocco. It’s located about 300km South of the Capital Rabat and a similar distance away from the largest city Casablanca.

Currency used

The official currency of the country is Moroccan Dirham, although Euro is widely accepted. Currency is closed here, so you can only buy it within the country. The rates offered at the airport aren’t that much different than the rates offered in the exchange places around Marrakesh. We only exchanged money as we needed it to avoid carrying large amounts.

Getting there

We flew direct from Belfast with Easyjet.  Easyjet and Ryanair fly direct to Marrakesh from most cities within the UK.  I would recommend arranging with your accommodation for an airport transfer. We wouldn’t tend to do this, normally preferring to save money by using public transport. However, if staying in the Medina, 20 euro each way seems like a fair price. This will save you the hassles/stress of trying to navigate the never ending streets, and alleyways in search of your accommodation.

Where to stay in Marrakesh with kids

We stayed at Riad Ailen. I would advise anyone visiting Marrakesh or even Morocco for the first time to stay in a Riad.  Riads are traditional homes, they’re welcoming and a nice calming oasis away from the madness outside. Megan was a little put out at first by the lack of pool (only open during high season). However, she loved the feeling of security and the freedom of being able to leave the room door open and roam the balconies of the Riad.

Most Riads offer a simple breakfast of bread and honey in  the morning. Copious amounts of Moroccan mint tea and traditional meals are available on request.

We hold our hands up and say we got the location wrong this time. If travelling with children, we would perhaps recommend staying in a Riad on the edge of the Medina/New Town. This would mean you could dip in and out of both areas and you would get a more relaxed experience. We just felt that our Riad was a little far out, and off the beaten track.  Megan was very nervous trying to navigate the streets with scooters, animals, food stalls and school children. We  tried to avoid having to make the journey more than once a day. This meant we couldn’t (didn’t want to) nip back to the Riad to shelter from the mid-day sun, or rest before a night at the markets.

This is not a reflection on the Riad itself. The Riad was beautiful, clean and the staff were very friendly and attentive to any questions or help we needed.

What to see and do in Marrakesh with kids

The Medina and Souks

The Medina is the main reason why many tourists flock to Marrakesh and I’m sure they don’t leave disappointed.

The centre point is the huge Jemaa el-Fnaa, a UNESCO world heritage site, by day it’s full of street sellers, acrobats performing tricks and the infamous snake and monkey handlers, the latter we 100% do not agree with and avoided at all costs. By night the change is dramatic and it becomes the setting for one big food market.

The maze of Souks is where the action is at, if you’re travelling with kids, I would recommend visiting during the early morning and perhaps around lunch time, the sellers haven’t fully woken up yet and aren’t busting a gut to get you into their store.  Kids will have time to look and admire the wonderful displays of slippers and soft toys without feeling the pressure that night time brings. Do expect the emotional black mail of your children while trying to bargain down the seller all the same, but that’s the whole fun of it….

You will be saying “No Thank You” in your sleep after your first full day in the Souks.

Top tip – Relax and try and enjoy yourself….

The YSL Museum and Jardon Majorelle

Outside the Medina, I would say Jardon Majorelle is one of the most popular attractions in Marrakesh, going by the queues. The garden was originally owned by the french artist Jacques Majorelle, before being purchased by Yves Saint Laurent in the 80’s and lovingly restored.

We loved walking around  the Gardens and taking in the beautiful mixture of blue buildings, water features and tropical gardens, in such a calm environment.

Be prepared to dodge the instagrammers trying to get the perfect look and shot in the gardens, who would have thought leaving a gift shop would be such a photograph-able moment.

The gardens cost 70 Dirham per adult, it’s open from 8 am to 6 pm. We spent around an hour enjoying it.

Next door to the gardens is the wonderful YSL museum, there is a rotating art museum, as well as a permanent exhibition showing YSL’s iconic looks. Information boards are dotted around the exhibition hall, as well as his story being projected onto the walls. Mummy was proud of herself for learning that while in Paris, Yves opted for a very monochrome colour palate for his designs, before coming to Morocco and discovering colour. Megan enjoyed looking at the amazing designs and trying to find which one made her laugh the most. Daddy had no clue, but did start to realise that the YSL logo on some on Mummy’s things meant she hadn’t got them at the local supermarket!

The museum costs 100 Dirham per adult, it’s opened from 10 am to 6 pm. We spent roughly 45 minutes walking around, but could have stayed for much much longer!

New Town – Gueliz

This area is easily walkable from the Medina, 20 mins max should get you there. However, I would say in the warmer months you wouldn’t want to be walking in the heat, as there is little in the way of shade, and would use a taxi instead. This area is more westernised and this is where we seen our first and only McDonald’s of the trip! Megan had to go and she inhaled a kids chicken nuggets and chips. There is also a huge variety of fixed priced shops, restaurants and bars in the area.

Cyber Park

A welcome oasis just outside the Medina. The park is one big botanical gardens. There are touch screens throughout the park giving you a history of telecoms within Morocco. You will notice locals come here to chill out as well, probably due to the internet access being the best in this area. There are also security and police walking around the park so it felt very safe and well looked after.

El Badi Palace

El Badi Palace was built at the end of the sixteenth century, by sultan Ahmed al-Mansour to commemorate the victory against the Portuguese during the Battle of the three kings.

We really enjoyed learning about the history of the Palace as we walked around, and imagining what it was like in its full glory.

Make sure you a pay a visit to the top of the walls as it gives a great view of the city and surrounding area.

The Palace is open 9 am to 5 pm every day and costs 70 Dirham per adult. There are local guides on hand if you want to learn more about the Palace. We spent just under 2 hours exploring the Palace.  Megan would have stayed all day if it meant she didn’t have to go back near the Souks. She loved being able to run around, and explore without having to hold Mummy or Daddy’s hand!

Saadian’s Tombs

Another stunning place created by Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour is Saadian’s tombs. The resting place for the bodies of the former Kings of Morocco and their family members.  This area was sealed up for over 200 years and forgotten about, only to be found by chance when a survey of the area was being completed.

We are glad it was found and enjoyed learning about its history and the persons buried here. Every day is a school day!!

Saadian’s Tombs are open 9 am to 5 pm every day and costs 70 Dirham per adult. We spent around 30 mins exploring the area.

Watch out for the locals outside the tombs who are ready and eager to escort you, willingly or otherwise to spice markets and fixed price markets.  I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, and if you’re looking to buy then by all means speak to them, they are extremely friendly and they will be only to happy to help, but being screamed at and almost forced to walk the quiet back streets with a terrified 6 year old didn’t exactly put us in the mood to go shopping for some Argon oil!

Is Marrakesh safe with kids

Overall yes. We found the locals  loved kids and Megan often got a little pat on the head as she walked along. An example being a street seller showing Megan a wooden snake, the way it moved she thought it was real and near jumped out of her skin, the guy couldn’t have apologised anymore. I’d say he probably changing his sales techniques after that one. The only issue we had was the scooters and donkeys zipping about the tiny streets of Medina. The almost constant sound of horns beeping had her on edge and it’s the only time we felt unsafe. The locals were very helpful and one explained to us, “Stay to the right, keep your daughter inside and they will miss you”.

Individual Thoughts

Daddy – I did and didn’t enjoy the city, as Megan wouldn’t settle, I couldn’t settle myself either. I did enjoy getting outside the walls and exploring other parts of Marrakesh, but the dread of walking in and out from our Riad was a bit much each day. In the future I would go back and explore other areas of Morocco, but I would 100% review the area I’m staying in.

Megan – Megan would say she didn’t enjoy her holiday at all, when asked she told a friend N.O. spells No! It was just too “confident” for her. She calmed down in parks, museums and roof top restaurants, and absolutely loved all the down time spent watching movies and eating Pringles in the Riad. However, as soon as we entered the Medina, she tensed up and held tightly onto one of our hands. For her Marrakesh isn’t a place she would recommend for kids.

Mummy – I absolutely loved Marrakech. I loved the colours, smells and that for the most part it remained untouched by big hotels chains and high raise buildings giving in to tourism like most places end up doing! No Irish pubs selling baked beans here!!! Unlike Michael and Megan I really enjoyed being in the Souks and Medina, trying out my bargaining skills and just taking it all in.  I would have loved to get to the food markets at night, and who knows maybe one day I will return on my own and do just that!

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I think we are in agreement Marrakesh maybe isn’t best for someone in Megan’s age group. I 100% wouldn’t say Marrakesh is off limits for kids. We seen plenty of younger and older kids. However, I think for Megan’s age group it’s just difficult to take in and understand.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read our post about visiting Marrakesh with kids. We hope you do think about travelling as it’s a city where everything is different. You will have your boundaries pushed to the end here.

May I also give a big Thank You to the following people, who gave advice while we were in the city.

Samantha @ SOS Travel

Pip Jones @ Pip and the city

Thanks

The Lewis Family.