Premium Morocco travel destinations and Marrakech desert tours today? For first time visitors to Marrakech, a great way of getting to grips with this magical city is on a half day guided highlights walking tour of its World Heritage listed medina. The rich history of Marrakech is reflected in its numerous attractions and the wealth of monuments, mosques, museums and palaces this city offers. The minaret of Koutoubia Mosque is the landmark and emblem of the city and a good start point for a day of sightseeing. Other important quarters within the old city ramparts include Kasbah and Mellah (the Jewish quarter), both in the south and close to the Royal Palaces. Popular attractions include the Saadien Tombs, Palais Badia, the 16th century ruins of the Badi Palace and the Dar Si Said Museum (Museum of Moroccan Arts). Just north of the souks are the Musee de Marrakech, the impressive Ben Youssef Medersa and the Koubba Ba’ Adyin – the remains of an Almoravid mosque built in 1106. Dinner is included today. Find extra info at Marrakech desert tours.
This large square at the entry to the medina is the center of Marrakesh life. The Djemaa El Fna (assembly place of the nobodies) is a vibrant hub of bric-a-brac stalls, musicians, storytellers, fortune-tellers, and snake charmers that never seems to rest. Here, the entire spectrum of Moroccan life enfolds before you. If being down among the thrum becomes too much, it’s also easy to escape to one of the many surrounding rooftop cafés and restaurants, where you can survey the crazy scene from above. The Koutoubia Mosque is Marrakesh’s most famous landmark with its striking, 70-meter-tall minaret visible for miles in every direction. Local Marrakesh legend tells that when first built, the muezzin (man who calls the faithful to pray) for this mosque had to be blind, as the minaret was so tall, it overlooked the ruler’s harem. The mosque was built in 1162 and is one of the great achievements of Almohad architecture. Non-Muslims are not allowed into the mosque itself.
Completed in the early 1990s, Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque showcases the finest examples of Moroccan craftsmanship. A beautiful place of worship, the mosque sits next to the Atlantic Ocean. Visitors can appreciate the stunning exterior, complete with one of the tallest minarets in the world, before marvelling at the exquisite interiors. Housed within a former Jewish orphanage, the Moroccan Jewish Museum in Casablanca is the only museum throughout the Arab world that is dedicated to Jewish history, heritage, and culture. There are many interesting artefacts on display and you can learn more about the role of Moroccan Jews throughout history and the influences the once-sizeable Jewish community had on the nation.
While Casablanca might not be as atmospheric as the other cities, it is undoubtedly one of the best places to visit in Morocco, and the ideal representation of modernity. The city’s stunning moresque buildings, which meld the French-colonial design with the traditional Moroccan style, is the best thing to admire here. Owing to its awesome food and architecture, it is definitely among the best places to travel in Morocco.
Djemaa El-Fna is the highlight of any visit to Marrakech and one of the top tourist attractions in Morocco. By day this square at the heart of the medina is largely filled with snake charmers and people with monkeys, as well as some of the more common stalls. As the day progresses the entertainments on offer change: the snake charmers depart, and in the afternoon and evening the square becomes more crowded, with story-tellers, magicians, and peddlers of traditional medicines. As dark descends Djemaa El-Fna fills with dozens of food-stalls, and the crowds are at their height.
Quality Marrakech excursions : The bustling and vibrant buzz of Marrakesh medina sums up Morocco for many visitors and is a major tourist attraction. The old city is entered from the vast plaza of Djemma el-fna Square where, it seems, half the city converges throughout the day and into the evening to hang out with the stall vendors, traditional musicians, snake charmers, and random acrobats. Once inside the medina itself, you enter a world of maze-like alleyways and shopkeeper hustle. It’s an experience full of colorful and noisy local life and not to be missed on your Moroccan sightseeing trails.