Feeling The Medina of Marrakesh.  Before coming to Marrakesh, people told us, you’ll either love it or hate it.  This wasn’t our first trip to the country, but this particular trip would let us have two weeks in Morocco to explore.  So setting up a base in Marrakesh for a few days made sense on our trip in April 2018.

Our first step into the main square, Djemaa El-Fna, and it just felt so right.  The square was a teeming mass of people, the smells from the nightly food stalls filled the air, and everywhere was the cacophony of noise.  Everywhere.  Horns, music, yelling, screaming, laughing.

But beyond the square and the souks, there’s a cultured influence here.  It’s clear to see this is the one of the world’s great Islamic capitals.

The El Bahia Palace was absolutely remarkable in its architecture and beauty.  There is perhaps no finer royal palace anywhere in the world.  The courtyards and gardens bring a serenity that we didn’t expect to find in Marrakesh.  But the ornate ceilings are the highlight and not to be missed.

When it comes to artwork and Islamic tilework, a visit to the Ben Youssef Madrasa is in order.  It is beautiful!

However, we weren’t prepared to get lost in the medina.  Perhaps we should have been.  We now tell friends visiting that one of our top Moroccan travel tips is to be prepared to get lost – and enjoy it.

Like our friends said, you’ll either love Marrakesh or hate it.  We ended up loving it.