District · Marrakech
Gueliz
French-built new town; wide pavements, cars, a modern grid. 15–25 minutes by taxi from the square.
Key facts
- Suits
- Restaurants, cafés, cash machines, the train
- Sights here
- 1
- Eats here
- 1
What it's like
- Feels:
- French-built boulevards, cafés and restaurants
- Suits:
- Restaurants, cafés, cash machines, the train
- Best time:
- Evenings
- Watch out for:
- Expecting the medina's lanes.
- In short:
- French-built new town; wide pavements, cars, a modern grid. 15–25 minutes by taxi from the square.
About these names
Almost everything a first visit needs is inside the medina walls, about 2 km across, plus Gueliz and the Majorelle garden 2–3 km to the north-west. Petit taxis link the two.
Where exactly
This district is highlighted. Shapes follow this guide's walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Gueliz
eatsleep
French-built new town; wide pavements, cars, a modern grid. 15–25 minutes by taxi from the square.
Suits: Restaurants, cafés, cash machines, the train
On the map: Jardin Majorelle
District guideWalk: Majorelle & Yves Saint Laurent GardenIn the districts table
Off the map: Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) (20–40 min by the usual route).
Not drawn yet (no coordinates in this guide): Hivernage, Palmeraie, Sidi Ghanem. See the table above.
Where’s what, as a list:
- Medina: Mouassine and the souks (المدينة): Everything is a walk from Jemaa el-Fnaa; taxis stop at a gate, then a porter carries the bags. Suits: First visit, 2–4 nights, shopping and courtyards. Price band $$.
- Medina: Kasbah and Riad Zitoun (القصبة): Bahia, El Badi and the Saadian Tombs within 10 minutes on foot; a 15–20 minute walk to the evening square. Suits: Palaces at opening, quieter nights. Price band $$.
- Jemaa el-Fnaa and Koutoubia (جامع الفنا): The square is a meeting point, not a bed: loud, crowded, hustled. Koutoubia gardens are the calm corner. Suits: One evening, orientation.
- Mellah (الملاح): The old Jewish quarter next to Bahia Palace; markets are more local than the tourist souks. Suits: Spice market, cemetery, synagogue.
- Gueliz: French-built new town; wide pavements, cars, a modern grid. 15–25 minutes by taxi from the square. Suits: Restaurants, cafés, cash machines, the train.
- Hivernage: Between the medina and Gueliz; comfort over character, and every outing is a taxi. Suits: Big hotels with pools, casinos, nightclubs.
- Palmeraie: Palm grove 10 km north; car needed for everything.Palm grove 6.2 mi north; car needed for everything. Suits: Resorts and villas with gardens.
- Sidi Ghanem: Industrial zone north-west with furniture, lamps and ceramics at fixed prices; only for a shopping trip. Suits: Design and craft showrooms.
- Sleep area Kasbah — Riad Zitoun (riad): suits Palaces at opening, quieter nights, price band $$.
- Sleep area Medina — Mouassine (riad): suits First visit, 2–4 nights, shopping and courtyards, price band $$.
- Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), 20–40 min by the usual route.
Stay here?
Not a base in this guide
See
Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.
- Jardin MajorelleBook a time
A blue villa and cactus garden: book a timed ticket, go first thing, and allow an hour.
- Hours:
- 08:00–18:008:00 AM–6:00 PM(check)
- Entry:
- about MAD 170–200 (2026 estimate)
Open now in this district
Checking the time in Marrakech…
Eat
What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.
- Al Fassia (Gueliz)
A women-run family restaurant in Gueliz: book a table for lunch or dinner, order a tagine and mechoui, and take a taxi to the door.
Order: Tagine: Lamb with prunes or chicken with lemon and olives.
Price: Local restaurants charge MAD 60–120 for a tagine (2026 estimate).
Drink and nightlife
Lines from the Marrakech drinking guide that name this district.
- Hotel bars and rooftops in the medina and Gueliz · Cocktails, wine, beer · until about 23:00–01:00Licensed venues only; some riads serve alcohol to guests, others do not.
- Gueliz cafés and restaurants · Coffee, juice, wine with dinner · until about 23:00–00:00The most relaxed area for drinking; taxi back to the medina gate.
- Fresh orange juice · Squeezed to order from a cart · until Until late evening · MAD 4–8Jemaa el-Fnaa and Gueliz
- Wine · Moroccan red, rosé and grey wine (vin gris) · until With dinner · MAD 60–120 a glass in a restaurantGueliz restaurants, licensed hotels
Shopping
Markets and shopping streets from the Marrakech buying guide that name this district.
- Gueliz shops and Marché Central · Fixed-price fashion, books, fresh food, olives · About 09:00–20:00About 9:00 AM–8:00 PM · haggling: noMarché Central for olives, cheese and fresh produce at posted prices.
- Argan oil and cosmetic argan · Women's cooperatives and Gueliz pharmacies · Shop hoursCosmetic argan is pale; culinary argan is roasted and darker. Prices below MAD 100 for 250 ml are usually diluted.
- Modern design, fixed price · Gueliz boutiques and Sidi Ghanem · About 10:00–19:00About 10:00 AM–7:00 PMYounger Moroccan designers; prices are on the tag.
Getting there and around
Where to get off
- Rue Yves Saint Laurent, Gueliz; taxi from the medina · for Jardin Majorelle
- Boulevard Mohammed Zerktouni, Gueliz · 2 min walk to Al Fassia (Gueliz)
Walks inside the district
- Jardin Majorelle → Al Fassia (Gueliz): 20–28 min on foot (Walk south-west through Gueliz)
On to the next area
- Petit taxi to the medina: about 20 min to Souks & Mouassine
Minutes are this guide’s typical walking and ride times (p50–p90); traffic and heat stretch them.
Half-day walk
In the day plans: Day 3 — Majorelle first thing, taxi to Menara at 12:00 (Marrakech in 3 days)
Photo and sunset spots
Light: Opening, 08:00–09:00
Blue walls against green cactus; fewer people early.
Streets in this district
Street names that appear in the addresses of this district’s places and eats: useful to type into a map or show a driver.
- Rue Yves Saint Laurent
- Boulevard Mohammed Zerktouni
Safety at night and noise
Gueliz and Majorelleday: oknight: ok
Fake guides at the garden gate; bags on café chairs.
Nearby districts
- Medina: Mouassine and the souksPetit taxi to the medina, about 20 min
- Jemaa el-Fnaa and KoutoubiaAbout 2.2 km away in a straight lineAbout 1.4 mi away in a straight line
- Medina: Kasbah and Riad ZitounAbout 2.9 km away in a straight lineAbout 1.8 mi away in a straight line
- MellahAbout 2.9 km away in a straight lineAbout 1.8 mi away in a straight line
Built from this guide’s Marrakech districts table, place, eat and sleep pages, route graph and city notes. Hours, prices and rules change: anything marked (check) is typical, not verified. checked: 2026-09.