A Week In Marrakech With Kids

Hello from Morocco! Our first stop was Marrakech, where we spent a full week. When thinking about Morocco, Marrakech is one of the first places that comes to mind and we are so glad we made it there. The people in Marrakech were definitely some of the friendliest we’ve encountered during our travels, and they love kids there! Our kids got gifts from store keepers, people randomly engaged in play with them, and they always received lots of attention wherever we went. Marrakech might not be a place where high chairs are readily available, but it is definitely a child-friendly place where we felt very welcomed as a family. In fact, we think that traveling as a family enhanced the experience because people were so friendly towards our kids and the street touts didn’t hassle us that much.

Walking through the city, especially through the souks in the medina, is a very sensory experience. The market stalls are very colorful, the calls for prayer come from several mosques at once, the smell of leather, smoke, incense and spices is everywhere, and the constant contact with people (and carts and donkeys and motorcycles) passing by really make you aware of your surroundings and of the fact that you are in a totally different place.

As we’ve been doing all through our travel, we stayed at an Airbnb apartment in Marrakech. Our apartment was located on a third floor in the medina on a quiet street, so even though we were in the hustle and bustle of the medina, we had a peaceful retreat to escape to for nap time and at the end of the day.

The weather was a bit cool during our time in the city, making it quite pleasant to walk around even in the middle of the day (sometimes carrying kids on us!). The cooler temperatures also made it more comfortable to wear more modest clothes for Paola. You can definitely wear whatever you want when visiting Marrakech, but you are better off covering up a bit to avoid drawing attention to yourself.

What we did

A week in Marrakech flew by. As the days went by, we got a better sense for the city and for how things work. For example, Joe got really good at negotiating prices for cab rides and we figured out what were good green spaces to take the kids to. This is what we did during our time in Marrakech:

• We went to the huge Jemaa el-Fnaa square to see the street performers. It is the largest square in northern Africa and is a UNESCO heritage site due to its 1,000+ year tradition of public performances every evening—like singing, dancing, snake-charming, storytelling, acrobatics, amateur boxing, etc.—which continue to this day. Among other things, we saw snake charmers and people with chained monkeys. While the kids were excited by seeing those animals, we tried to explain to them that the animals shouldn’t be there and that they are not happy being kept as entertainment at a square. It’s hard to discuss such topics with kids, but we need to raise awareness about the mistreatment of animals and the abuses that take place in front of our very own eyes.

• We visited the Secret Garden inside the medina. Le Jardin Secret is over 400 years old and it was rebuilt in the mid-1800s and again recently renovated. It is a beautiful little garden tucked away in the medina. This was a fun place to visit because the kids could walk around without worrying about motorbikes or carts (and there were turtles in one of the ponds).

• We visited the Jardin de Majorelle. This garden was designed by someone named Majorelle and Yves Saint Laurent loved it so much he bought the gardens when the city was contemplating turning them into a hotel complex. The Jardin de Majorelle is a beautiful place to visit, but it’s also very popular with tour groups so make sure you arrive early to avoid long lines and uncomfortable crowds.

• We enjoyed a cup of fresh juice from one of the many stands in the Jemaa el-Fnaa square. For about a dollar, you can get a cup of delicious fresh juice of the fruit of your choice. Some of our favorites were the mixed fruit juice, the pomegranate juice (pomegranate is in season right now!), fresh squeezed orange juice, and a mix of mango and orange.

• We visited the Saadian Tombs, which are a set of buildings with beautiful and intricate decorations dating to the early 1600s. The fun fact is that a subsequent dynasty (which didn’t care for the Saadian Dynasty) a few decades later hid the entrance to the tombs and they were completely forgotten (even though they’re right in the city). It wasn’t until 1917 that the tombs were rediscovered through aerial photography!

• We spent several afternoons getting lost in the narrow passages of the souks in the medina. By the end of our time in Marrakech, the kids had learned to walk on the right side and keep an eye out for motorbikes, pushcarts, and donkey carts. They got good at moving out of the way and, on our last stroll through the markets, we even felt comfortable letting them go in front of us while holding each other’s hand. Walking through the alleys of the souk provided endless entertainment in the shape of colorful shoes, men carving wood, sharpening knives, cutting metal, and embellishing leather. Our kids loved stopping to watch people working on their crafts, and the artisans were happy to have such an eager audience!

• We explored the area around the Koutoubia Mosque, the biggest mosque in Marrakech. There is a big park right behind it, which was a great place to relax under the shade of the trees while the kids played in the dirt. (After enough time in the medina, we had to find some green spaces for the kids!)

• We visited the Menara Gardens, strolled through the olive groves, and checked out the lake. Afterwards, we headed across the street from the garden entrance and did a ten-minute camel ride with the kids. We payed US$5 for each ride.

• We ate delicious Moroccan food all over the city. Food in Morocco is very tasty and also very approachable. Dishes like tajines, couscous, and grilled meats are found everywhere. All of these dishes also come as vegetarian options, which is nice when you are craving some veggies.

• One night, we grabbed dinner at one of the vendors at the Jemaa el-Fnaa square. During the day, there are no restaurants on the square but, as the sun starts to go down, dozens of food vendors set up on the square They have makeshift kitchens with grills, pickled veggies, olives, and lots of meats for grilling. We were told that we should go wherever looks busy to ensure the freshness of the food. We found a fun stall, sat down on the picnic table next to two girls, and had a nice feast.

• On our last day in Marrakech, we sprung for a private tour to take us to see the Atlas Mountains and the Agafay Desert. This was a highlight of our time in Morocco and one of the highlights of our entire trip so far. During our tour we rode camels, visited an Argan oil women’s cooperative, drank some delicious mint tea, hiked from one town to another in the Imlil in the Atlas Mountains (with views of Mt. Toubcal, the tallest peak in North Africa), ate a traditional lunch at the home of our tour guide’s sister in Imlil, drove across the the Kik Plateau, and ended our day watching the sunset in the rocky Agafay Desert while sipping on more mint tea and eating cookies. We highly recommend Astara Tours if you are looking for a family-friendly day trip while visiting Marrakech. They had a carseat for Valentina, and both the driver and our tour guide Omar were incredibly nice and friendly to our kids!

Our next stop in Morocco is Fes. Stay tuned!