Marrakech is a remarkably green city, full of wonderful gardens waiting to be explored. The Majorelle Garden and Le Jardin Secret are certainly the most famous, but I promise that in every part of this extraordinary city you’ll find gardens worth a visit.
In this article I wanted to share with you and all my readers the gardens I find most enchanting in Marrakech, a city I love deeply and have come to know inside out in my role as a destination expert and cultural mediator.
Let’s take a look together!
Majorelle Garden
Let’s start this virtual tour of Marrakech’s gardens with the Majorelle Garden, probably the most famous garden in the whole city.
After all, it’s hard not to be moved by this colorful botanical garden, with its shady paths, exotic plants and flowers blooming in every corner. It’s named after Jacques Majorelle, a French artist who settled here and designed it in the 1920s. Not even he could have imagined that his Moorish-inspired creation, in blue and yellow, would become one of the city’s symbols.
Le Jardin Secret
Another garden worth visiting on your first trip to Marrakech is definitely Le Jardin Secret, in a central location opposite Café Arabe.
Although it only opened to the public in 2016, after a very long restoration, the secret garden quickly became one of the city’s landmarks again, and rightly so: the work done by the architects and landscape designers who restored the site (which dates back to the 16th century) is truly remarkable.
The garden is divided into two parts belonging to two different riads: the exotic garden and the Islamic garden. There’s also a private hammam, a bookshop and a café with a lovely view. And there’s a water tower you can climb (for a fee) to enjoy a 360° view over the whole city.
Menara Gardens
The Menara gardens date back to the 12th century and are an example of Islamic hydraulic architecture, covering about 100 hectares (roughly 250 acres), mostly planted with olive trees.
The heart of the garden, and its main attraction, is a large rectangular pool measuring 200 x 150 meters (about 660 x 490 feet), which serves both as an irrigation reservoir and as a decorative reflecting pool.
The irrigation system brings water down from the Atlas Mountains through a complex network of underground channels (khettara), a symbol of ancient engineering excellence.
Agdal Gardens
Among the most important gardens in Marrakech we have to include the Agdal Gardens, built in the 12th century by the Almohad dynasty.
Covering more than 400 hectares (about 1,000 acres), they take their name from an Amazigh word meaning enclosed garden, a nod to the dense rows of trees that surround the garden almost like a fence.
The layout of the Agdal Gardens is very pleasant. They’re divided into several rectangular sections with orchards, separated by tree-lined paths. There’s also an irrigation system similar to the one we mentioned at the Menara, with pools and channels distributing water throughout the garden. Not everyone knows that the largest of the Agdal pools, called Sahraj el-Hana (the Pool of Health), measures a full 200 x 150 meters and was used to teach soldiers how to swim.
Koutoubia Gardens
If you only have a little time to spend in a green space in Marrakech but don’t want to miss out, I suggest taking a look at the Koutoubia Gardens, which surround the mosque of the same name, one of the city’s most iconic monuments.
The atmosphere is very relaxed and it’s easy to be won over by such a peaceful setting, a lovely break from the hustle of travel. The gardens are also full of palm trees, orange trees, cypresses and other trees that provide shade even on the hottest days, while the flower beds bring plenty of color and fragrance.
Anima Garden
A little farther out, on the road to the Ourika Valley, is the Anima Garden. Perhaps the least famous of Marrakech’s gardens, but very charming and unusual. Anima is a magical garden where nature and art meet: a place where plants from all over the world blend with sculptures and artworks, ideal for morning walks away from the traffic and the crowds.
Tips for visiting Marrakech’s gardens
Marrakech’s gardens are certainly one of the great attractions of this wonderful city. But are there any tips you should follow to make your visit even more unforgettable?
The first one I’d suggest is don’t rush. Take all the time you want to wander along the paths and tree-lined avenues: the pleasure of strolling slowly through the orchards, or sitting in the shade reading a book or taking in your surroundings, is truly priceless and one of the main reasons to love these gardens.
I also recommend visiting the gardens early in the morning to avoid the crowds, which can be really big, especially at the most famous ones like the Majorelle Garden. A nice alternative is to visit the more open gardens, like the Menara, in the late afternoon, to enjoy the lovely sunset atmosphere.
My last tip is to put comfort first: wear comfortable shoes and clothes, bring some water and wear a hat to protect your head from the sun, especially in the hottest season, when temperatures can get scorching!
Lisa
