I am rarely found in clubs or bars so I asked Brenda to share her tips for where to go out in Marrakech. If you’re after clubs, bars or other popular spots for dancing and drinking – she’s sharing her favorites! If you’re looking for budget Marrakech nightlife options, you likely won’t find them, especially where alcohol is involved. Morocco isn’t a dry country and there is a heavy duty on alcohol, something to keep in mind as you compare costs. 

One of my favorite things about Marrakech is its nightlife. While I can get down with hanging out in Djemma El Fna at night from time to time with friends to eat in one of the food stalls or listen to the Gnawa musicians or watch some of the traditional games being played, sometimes I just want to get dressed up and check out a restaurant, bar, or a good ol’ nightclub.

As a New Yorker, I’ll be honest I compare everything to the New York scene but my time in Marrakech has shown me there are some absolutely amazing places here. So I’m going to list some of the must see clubs, restaurants, and lounges (by neighborhood) you can’t miss while you’re in Marrakech. Some of these places I go to all the time and some are my expat friends’ recommendations:

I live in the Medina and honestly there aren’t many places to be able to enjoy a mixed drink or a bottle of wine. But here are some gems I’ve found so if you’re staying in this part of town and want to out go locally you can check out these places:

Le Salama Restaurant and Lounge

This is actually my favorite restaurant and rooftop lounge in the Djemma El Fna area. The food menu is all Moroccan and though my favorite Moroccan food is made in homes, this place ranks pretty high in my book. Meals range from 150-350 dirhams. The ambiance has a romantic blend of traditional Moroccan riad décor and the look and feel of a jazz bar. On the rooftop you can enjoy hookah and cocktails with their daily “Happy Hour” (which is more like regular prices since the special lasts all night) two for the price of one cocktails. So if you like mixed drinks then you can enjoy 2 strawberry mojitos for 150 dirhams while listening to their local DJ’s music mix and their belly dancer performances.

Dar Anika

This beautiful riad is located in Arset La Maach near the Mellah plaza. It’s a great location for a romantic nightcap or day drinking on their rooftop level. The staff is very friendly and if the owner is around he will pass by checking on his guests to make sure they feel attended to and are enjoying the space.

Kosy Bar

Kosy Bar is on the other side of the Mellah Plaza. It has a great rooftop patio that gives you a fantastic view of the Medina at sunset. It’s a bit pricier than other locations in the area but it’s still a great location for dinner and a bottle of wine.

Le Tanjia

A few doors down from Kosy Bar you can check out Le Tanjia. Beautiful décor and a great rooftop patio another location you enjoy dinner and fantastic views.

Café Clock

This is the Kasbah’s gem of restaurants. It plays a modern twist on traditional Moroccan cuisine like their famous camel burger. While they don’t serve alcohol here that doesn’t stop the place from having a great night scene. They regularly have Gnawa musicians performing and most people even up on their feet dancing and clapping by the end of it. Also they offer traditional Moroccan storytelling in English for visitors to learn more about local culture. Its young, fun, and a total Moroccan hipster’s place to chill.

Now let’s move to the new city, Gueliz, where you can forget you’re in Morocco and feel like you’re in Europe instead. This part of town definitely has a larger variety of bar, clubs, and lounges so if you’re a traveler that prefers to city lights and club hopping this part of town is for you.

Café du Livre

This is my go to spot in Gueliz. It’s the ideal place to start or end your night. It’s a restaurant, bar, and library/bookstore all in one. You can enjoy American comfort foods like buffalo wings and burgers like their Rock n’ Roll burger with draft beers starting at 25 dirham. On Mondays, you can participate in their trivia quiz night which brings in a large international crowd. During the week, they offer happy hour drink specials and on Friday & Saturdays they have live music performances. If you’re a sports fan, they also stream major sporting events.

Mama Afrika

If you want to have some sub-Saharan African flavors you need to come here. The décor is funky and the food is great if you want try something besides local cuisine. The scene is young with local musicians making it one of their favorite hang outs.

L’envers

This place is pretty new in Marrakech but between its well-priced drinks and tapas to the modern art you can purchase off the walls, it’s becoming a fast staple in the nightlife scene.

Pointbar

This lounge has a very French-Moroccan style and is a great location to share some drinks and tapas with friends.

Barometre

Another new location that just opened but also becoming quite popular is Barometre. The location has a dark, smoky feel but the design is modern. The cocktails are on the pricey side but they are generous in their drink sizes. Also, you have to try their burgers!

68 Bar a Vin

If the club is less your thing and you’re simply looking for a nice place to have a drink with friends over some good wine this is the place. Wine is by the glass and there is also food available. Smoking is allowed so this might be something you want to be aware of if you’re sensitive to smoke.

I saved the most expensive hotel clubs and a casino for last. The very posh neighborhood of Hivernage features some of the most glamorous and elegant hotels in the city.

Theatro

Theatro is a fantastic nightclub that has amazing performances with dancers, acrobats, and more every weekend. I’ve been there to see international and local DJs spin while Gnawa musicians come out on stage to create a crazy remix with their drums. But there is a price tag. Standard entrance is about 225 dirhams and a table with a bottle of your choice starts at 1000 dirham.

Es Saadi Casino & Epicurien

These two I’m going to put together as they are both in the same building next to Theatro which are all part of the Es Saadi Hotel grounds. If you like slots machines and gambling then you can check out the Casino and test your luck. If you prefer to skip the gambling, you can walk straight to the back and find this restaurant-by-day-nightclub-by-night. They have two in-house DJs and a live band that covers old and new hits in their own style.

La Perle Skybar

La Perle is a lovely rooftop bar with views of La Mamounia hotel. They have a live band that plays salsa music accompanied by dancers so if you want to get some Latin flavor in the city, this is the spot to check out.

SO Lounge

The SO Lounge is a part of the Sofitel hotel. They have food service as well as regularly scheduled live music – singers and bands. It is on the expensive end so if you’re on a budget perhaps opt for dinner elsewhere and come to party later.

A final bit of advice. Many riads don’t offer alcohol but you are welcome to bring your own. You can always pop into a grocery store (like Carrefor) and purchase a bottle of whatever you’d like and enjoy on your riad rooftop. Chances are if they do serve alcohol they won’t be too open to you bringing in drinks. Not sure? Just ask!

 

I love living in Marrakech but if I were to name one thing as the bane of my existence here it would be dealing with taxi drivers. If you’re not familiar with how taxi’s in Morocco work, there are two types of taxis: petite taxis and grand taxis. Petite taxis can only seat 3 people and they are obligated to charge you based on a metered price. Grand taxis can hold 6 or 8 people depending on the car model and you pay a specific rate for your seat and your taxi leaves only when it’s filled or people pay for the remaining seats. Grand taxis usually go out of the main cities to neighboring villages or specific routes within the city but they won’t take you from the Medina to Gueliz for example. A petite taxi can take you to specific locations within city limits.

That’s how it’s suppose to work. That’s not how every taxi driver works, especially when they see foreigners in Marrakech.

This isn’t unique to Marrakech but this city has a certain “fame”around the country as a huge headache for taxi riders. Now I want to make a disclaimer. Not all taxi drivers in Marrakech try to cheat or scam foreigners. But there are many. Knowing as much as possible beforehand will let you know what to look out for.

The Meter is Broken Scam

Whenever you get into petite taxi you need to ask for the meter (or use the French as its more common “compteur”). With the grand taxis, you should ask for the Mul-Taxi or the man in charge of all the grand taxis in the area.  Ask him for the price for your location and the number of seats you need. Usually the biggest lie I hear from taxi drivers here is “The meter doesn’t work” or the seats for a grand taxi being more than 100 dirham per seat (which almost rarely the case).

If you hear that the meter isn’t working and they offer you a fixed rate, don’t take it. It’s illegal for them to charge you without the meter and they’re usually asking for a price way higher than you should be paying. For example, when I worked in an office across town taking the same taxi route every day, I would still get a few drivers who would say, “How much do you pay?” and I would respond, ”What the compteur says.” Eventually when I realized what the average price was for that distance so I wouldn’t even argue if they didn’t put on the meter, I would give them the exact change and leave.

The “No Change” Scam

The next scam goes hand in hand with not using the meter. So let’s say you came to an agreement on a price (or spent 10 minutes arguing for it) and they put on the meter. Yay! But then when you go to pay and you don’t have exact change and use a bigger note…they don’t want to give you proper change! They try to give you less change than what you’re due so they can get closer to the amount they originally wanted. For example, I take a grand taxi that agreed to take me to my village/town for 50 dirham but when I pay with a 100 dirham note the driver tried to only give me 20 or 30 dirham back because they “don’t have change.” How to avoid this? Always have small coins and smaller bills when you plan to take a petite or grand taxi.

The Airport Scam

One of the most common places people are scammed is at the airport. There are both petite and grand taxis operating at the airport. If your hotel or riad offers transportation from the airport – take it. This will save you a big headache. If you need to arrange your own transportation pay attention to the posted price for a taxi. If you are staying in the medina the fixed fare for a petite taxi is 70 dirham. Other destinations have different rates, you should verify with your accommodation ahead of time as they will have the best information about this. DO NOT accept that the price is more than the listed price – it is located right near the taxi stand as well as inside the airport terminal. Take a picture and show them if they continue to badger you. Better yet, ask a police officer for assistance if they continue to price gauge. 

The Duck and Run Scam

This last scam isn’t one I hear often, but it happened to an Airbnb guest I was hosting just a few nights ago. I couldn’t believe this really happened but now I know it’s a real scam that does happen. My guest was a foreign woman with her pre-teen daughter. They were finishing up dinner not too far away from my place but far enough to warrant a taxi ride at night, especially for them since it was their first night in the city. They stopped a petite taxi, showed him the location of my apartment in the Medina from a Whatsapp pin on her phone, and he agreed to take them. The taxi driver begins to  drive and he is very short and rude to them.  When they get to their location he rushed them out of the taxi and picked up a female. It turned out to all our dismay that the driver took them in the completely wrong direction, brought them to a restaurant in Gueliz because he was going to pick up a prostitute that was at the location, and wanted to get some extra cash from these unfamiliar tourists.

Thankfully, my guest managed to call me from a kind local’s phone and I asked the individual to help put them in a taxi straight to my place. I couldn’t believe this driver would scam a mother and daughter like that! As well as leaving them in the completely wrong location late at night! So while this is one of the less common scams my advice is if you plan on taking a taxi and you haven’t been in the direction you plan to go, do a quick map search beforehand and look for some landmarks so you know what to expect on the path there. If you don’t have a phone with access to Google Maps then carry a small map with you to confirm you’re going in the right direction.

While this isn’t the behavior of every taxi driver in Marrakech, I hope these examples are helpful enough for you on your next trip or first trip to Marrakech. Remember if you feel you have been cheated or something is not right, involve the police. Ask them to stop or signal for a traffic cop – the driver will usually change his tune or the officer will take care of things. Stay sharp, be on the defensive, and you’ll have an easier time navigating in or out of the city.

I love history. I always have and I probably always will. I was the kid who at 10 years old would rather have been curled up at the library with a pile of books than outside with friends. Even as a teenager, when I had the choice of going to a concert or going to a museum, I would pick the museum. The time period that I have spent the most time learning about is the decades surrounding the second world war. When I brought together my love of history + Morocco I became a machine. MarocBaba laughs when people ask him questions about Moroccan history and says, “you really should ask Amanda, she knows way more than me!” So, when I was connect with Insider’s Experience in Marrakech I was giddy with excitement. This is certainly something you should know about when you’re planning your travel to Marrakech!

No, they don’t operate time machines but they do have a small fleet of WWII era German sidecar motorcycles. When I took a tour with them I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was in for a treat.

Early one morning I walked down my street to the wait for my ride. It was there I found Felix waiting with a beautiful orange motorcycle. I could tell immediately this would be fun! After saying hello and exchanging pleasantries Felix pulled out a WWII era map of Marrakech to plot our route. This was such a cool touch. Admittedly he had a big task at hand as I’m no stranger to the city and he wanted to show me new things (and he did!) We tooled around Gueliz and jumped out in a few places to explore some older art deco buildings – my favorite! From there we looped around in the kasbah and medina.

With all the narrow streets I wasn’t sure where the motorcycle would be able to fit. The sidecar tends to take up a lot more space than just a bike. It was so fun to see the look on the faces of people that went by. Kids pointing and smiling and especially older men who thought this was really cool.

Although Felix hasn’t been in Marrakech as long as we have it was very clear to me that he has done his homework and learned so much about the city. In two hours we covered a big chunk of the city. He had a big challenge to show me and/or tell me things I didn’t know about Marrakech and Morocco. Plus, we had a great time!

Towards the end of our tour we went to the Palmerie where I felt like a film extra in Indiana Jones, zipping through the “desert” in a sidecar! Plus, I got to take some fun pictures too. It was a really fun morning!

Want to Book It?

Insider’s Experience runs daily tours in Marrakech. Two people can fit on the motorcycle making it a fun couples activity. They will pick you up wherever you are staying (yay!) While they always have a plan in mind, if you share with them some of your interests they can better tailor the tour to your interests.

Things To Pack for Your Experience

• a light jacket or sweater for tours in spring and fall
• a jacket for winter
• your camera
• sunscreen and glasses for your face
• a fun spirit!

I highly recommend this activity when you’re visiting. It was so much fun and really will take you to parts of the city you probably wouldn’t go.