I recently visited Marrakech for the first time, enjoying some late summer sunshine and a real sensory experience in what I felt was an incredibly interesting city, with most of its magic tucked away behind unassuming doors. A constantly bustling Medina was made less daunting by a
seamless airport transfer and a private guided walking tour on our first morning - the name of our tour was Marrakech: Secret and Hidden Sides and included entrance to the beautiful Quranic school of Ben Youssef Madrasa, as well as visits to the authentic leather, textile and metal workers
in the souks. Having a knowledgeable private guide was invaluable, from answering your questions, helping you to get your bearings and also guiding you in what goods in the souks are authentic and locally made, and which are mass produced.

Other experiences we enjoyed whilst in the city were a visit to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum and the beautiful Jardin Marjorelle with Berber Museum, which was relatively tranquil considering how close you are to main roads, with the most incredible colours and plants on show. We also took a cooking class, where we were taught how to make 2 types of tagine as well as some delicious starters, enjoyed a food walking tour where we sampled traditional snacks and dishes around the city, and paid a visit to the Dar El Bacha to enjoy its intricate tile-work, but more importantly a
coffee in the iconic and decadent El Bacha coffee house. I would recommend all of these activities, but they must be booked in advance. For El Bacha coffee house, be prepared to wait up to 3 hours for a table if you don’t go first thing in the morning - you cannot leave the museum while you wait and it’s a 10 MAD fee to enter, so I would advise bringing a book to read in the lovely surroundings!

We also spent a day outside of the city, where we travelled south to the village of Imlil to enjoy a guided hike in the Atlas Mountains, as well as lunch in a Berber house. This was really special, and a real change of pace from Marrakech, yet less than a 2-hour drive away: the scenery is beautiful,
with waterfalls and little orange-brick buildings built into the mountainside, so the views are worth the inclines! On the way back down to Imlil, our guide took us into a hotel to enjoy a mint tea on a terrace which afforded quite the panorama in the sunshine. We were also lucky enough to be there in walnut and apple harvesting season, so no need to bring snacks with you - nature will provide. So, if you have enough time in Marrakech and are feeling fit and slightly more adventurous, I’d highly recommend.

On our way to the mountains our guide Karim took us on a short detour, as it was the weekly market day in the village where he grew up (Tahnaout). This would not be for everyone as it’s not like a gentrified London farmer’s market, it’s truly where the locals will have a day off work to go to market and buy their meat produce (choose your chicken / turkey / rabbit / goat like you would a lobster in a tank), visit the witch doctor, buy clothes and bric-a-brac. It was an interesting insight, and I appreciated that our guide asked if we wished to include this on our day out as it fell on the
right day of the week.

The excursion out into the countryside did make me want to explore Morocco further, so I hope to return to experience the other Imperial Cities, the coastal towns and the desert, as I feel I’ve only
scratched the surface!