Jardin Majorelle

The French painter Jacques Majorelle arrived in Marrakech in the early 1920s and spent almost forty years, from 1923, turning a plot on the edge of the new town into a garden. He planted cacti, palms, bamboo and water plants collected from several continents, and painted his studio in the intense blue that is now known as Majorelle blue. After his death the site was threatened with redevelopment until Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought it in the 1980s and restored it.

Today the garden is the most visited sight in Guéliz. Shaded paths lead between pools, fountains and dense plantings, with bursts of yellow and blue paintwork on pots and walls. The former studio now houses the Musée Pierre Bergé des Arts Berbères, opened in 2011, a compact and well-presented collection of Amazigh jewellery, textiles, weapons and household objects from across Morocco. It is one of the better introductions to Berber culture in the city and deserves at least half an hour.

The garden suits almost everyone: photographers, plant lovers, couples and families with children who can manage a busy site. It can feel crowded in the middle of the day, when tour groups arrive, so the first slot after opening at 08:00 or the last hour before closing is the most relaxed. Allow around an hour for the garden and museum together, longer if you want to linger. The garden and museums are accessible to visitors with disabilities.

Tickets are sold only through the official ticketing website, and the garden warns that tickets bought from unauthorised resellers will be refused at the gate, so book before you travel and keep the QR code on your phone. The same system covers the Musée Yves Saint Laurent next door, and the Villa Oasis private garden, which has its own times and is closed on Wednesdays.

The garden is on Rue Yves Saint Laurent in Guéliz, a short taxi ride from Jemaa el-Fnaa or a long walk from the medina walls. Pair it with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent a few steps away, then head into central Guéliz for lunch. If you are short of time, the garden, both museums and a meal in Guéliz fit comfortably into a single morning, leaving the afternoon free for the medina. Wear comfortable shoes, as the paths are gravel in places.