Marrakech, the imperial-city situated at the Atlas Mountain’s feet, is a large crowded city full of fascination and history and is the cultural hub of the country. It’s most popular sights are considered references to peace and tranquility. It’s a good idea to plan and book affordable cheap flights to Marrakech. A famous place to visit is the Majorelle Gardens filled with some rare species of plants, bright and vivid colors and of course peace. The gardens are located at the north west of Marrakech’s Medina (a 30 minute walk). While en-route to the gardens you can visit the market where mountains of dates, grains and nuts are being traded by the local people.
Named after the French painter Jacques Majorelle, the Majorelle Gardens are open to the visitors at 8 AM every day and close for lunch and re-open at about 3 PM. The little café there offers a good place for you to have the breakfast and start the day. As there are a lot of things to see in the city and any new-comer may be surprised and over-whelmed by the variety of places to visit, it’s a good idea to hire a guide that can help you browse the city. You should also have a stay of at least three days if you want to fully appreciate the variety of places the city offers.
Marrakech is basically a hot place to be therefore you should try to avoid visiting in the summer and is recommended to pay a visit in cooler months (Sep-May). However there are some annual events that only take place in summer and attract a lot of visitors. The summer festivals include the Marrakech Popular Arts Festival which takes place in July attracting folk singers, fortune-tellers, dancers, snake-charmers, acting troupes, fire-swallowers and much more other fun activities. The event has become so famous that even people from parts of Asia and Europe come to participate. Apart from the performances, you get a chance to visit a historical place as the event takes place in 16-century Badi Palace’s ruins and Djemma Fna.
Fantasia, a horse riding festival is another of the famous festivals in which hundreds of charged horsemen (women too!) wear traditional clothing and participate in the exciting race. The event also takes place in the month of July at evenings just outside the city-walls (near Bab Jdid). If the above two festivals are not enough for you, you can also enjoy the Imilchil Marriage Feast which is a Berber-marriage festival tying knots of up to forty couples. It takes place in Imilchil in the middle high Atlas Mountains near the city. The actual dates of the event vary according to harvests but usually it takes place in late August to early September.
If you happen to visit the city from January till February you can find enough snowfall in the Atlas Mountains to support skiing. Located at about 50 miles from Marrakech is the Oukaimden Ski Resort offering many ski lifts and even if you don’t get to ski, you can always have a spectacular view of the surroundings.
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