Mid-range · 6-hour walk · Marrakech
The palaces and the Majorelle garden in six hours
The Saadian tombs, two ruined and restored palaces, and the cobalt blue garden Yves Saint Laurent saved.
The three-hour route is the medina — the square, the souks, the madrasa. This one is the other Marrakech: the southern kasbah quarter with the tombs and the palaces, and then the Majorelle garden in the Ville Nouvelle, which a French painter planted in the 1920s and a fashion designer bought in 1980 to stop it being demolished. Book Majorelle online or queue for an hour.
The route, stop by stop
-
Saadian Tombs
Sealed up in the 1600s and only rediscovered in 1917 from the air. The Hall of Twelve Columns with its Carrara marble is the room to stand in.
45 min here Walk here → -
El Badi Palace
Built with Portuguese ransom gold in 1578 and stripped to the walls a century later to build Meknes. Vast, ruined, with storks nesting on the ramparts.
50 min here Walk here → -
Bahia Palace
Late 19th century and intact, which El Badi is not. Painted cedar ceilings, a harem courtyard and zellij in every room.
55 min here Walk here → -
Mellah
The Jewish quarter from 1558, with the restored Slat al-Azama synagogue and the spice market at its edge.
35 min here Walk here → -
Jardin Majorelle
Arrive by taxi from the previous stop
Cobalt blue buildings in a bamboo garden, plus the Berber Museum. Yves Saint Laurent's ashes are scattered here and the YSL museum is next door.
70 min here Walk here → -
Le Jardin Secret
Arrive by taxi from the previous stop
Back inside the medina: a riad garden restored in 2016 with its original hydraulic system running again. The tower is the best view over the rooftops.
40 min here Walk here →
More in Marrakech
Every walking route in Marrakech, or the full Marrakech guide for where to stay and what a day costs.