Marrakech for The Curious Wanderers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
Rose walls, spice smoke and a square that never sits still.
No theme, just the city at its best. The sights that earn their reputation, a workshop or a market, one strange place nobody told you about, and dinner where the food is the point.
Friday: Hammers and rags
- Souk Haddadine
The ironworkers' souk, where lamps and lanterns are hammered out in tiny workshops. Watch the metalworkers at work and buy straight from them.
- Musée Boucharouite
A small museum of rugs woven from rag scraps, in a restored riad. It is quirky and surprising, with a rooftop tea.
- Terrasse des Épices
A rooftop restaurant above Souk Cherifia with salads and grilled meat. A relaxed first dinner.
Saturday: Workshop and tanneries
- La Maison Arabe
A morning cooking workshop in the historic riad, including a market visit. You leave with recipes and a large lunch.
- Tanneries of Bab Debbagh
The hides are dyed in open vats, as they have been for centuries. Accept the sprig of mint to hold at the nose.
- Le Salama
A restaurant in a restored riad with Moroccan dishes and live music, and a good rooftop. A licensed spot.
Sunday: Odd corners
- Riad Yima
A gallery-shop and tea room of the artist Hassan Hajjaj, full of Pop Art and Moroccan graffiti. The tea room is tiny.
- Zeitoun Café
A bright café on the Kasbah's main lane, with cheap lunches and a view of the square. Try the lemon chicken.
- MACAAL
The Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, a quiet private collection. Take a taxi and ask it to wait.
Monday: The old dome
- Almoravid Qubba
The only surviving Almoravid building in the city, a small twelfth-century dome with carved stone. A short, strange stop.
- Dar Cherifa
A literary café in a sixteenth-century riad, with books, shadowed arches and mint tea. Take a table by the fountain.