The Gardens of Morocco: From Tangier to Marrakech and the Ourika Valley

A country of gardens

The Moroccan garden comes from the Andalusian and Islamic idea of the garden as a small paradise, with water, shade, fruit trees and scent arranged around a courtyard or a channel. You see it in riad courtyards, in royal orchards, and on a much larger scale in the oases of the south, where palms shade fruit trees and the fruit trees shade vegetables, all fed by irrigation channels that families still share.

Marrakech

• The Majorelle Garden, with its cobalt blue villa, cacti and palms. Go at opening time, before the crowds.
• The Jardin Secret, a restored Islamic garden in the heart of the medina.
• The Menara Gardens, an olive grove around a large basin with the Atlas behind it.
• The Agdal Gardens, royal orchards that open only on certain days.

The story of the Majorelle Garden

The French painter Jacques Majorelle began the garden in 1923 and painted his studio in the intense cobalt now known as Majorelle blue. He opened the garden to the public in 1947. In 1980 Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge bought and saved it, and the Musee Yves Saint Laurent opened next door in 2017. Today it is the most visited garden in Morocco, so I always book the first time slot of the morning.

Older gardens

The Menara and Agdal gardens of Marrakech go back to the Almohads in the 12th century, and both are part of the UNESCO listing of the Marrakech medina. Their huge basins were fed by underground channels, the khettaras, that brought water from the Atlas. The Jardin Secret, in contrast, is a 19th century palace garden that reopened in 2016 after careful restoration, and ANIMA, created by the Austrian artist Andre Heller, opened in the same year.

Near the Ourika Valley

Garden	Time to allow
Jardin du Safran	About two hours, with lunch or tea
ANIMA	About two hours
Nectarome	About one and a half hours

A night in the valley before Marrakech lets you see two or three of them without rushing.

Rabat

The Andalusian Garden in the Kasbah of the Udayas, followed by mint tea at the old cafe above the river, is one of my favourite hours in Morocco. Add the Jardin d Essais Botaniques, the Exotic Gardens of Bouknadel just north of the city, and the ruins of Chellah, where storks nest among the stones in spring.

Fez

Jnan Sbil, next to Bab Bou Jeloud, is a royal garden of ponds, palms and shaded paths, and the perfect pause between two medina walks. The riad courtyards and the madrasas of the old city are gardens of another kind. See how many days in Fez.

Tangier and the north

Tangier has the Mendoubia Gardens with their enormous old trees, and a world of private villa gardens, such as Villa Mabrouka, Villa Josephine and Donabo, as well as Rohuna near Asilah. These are visits by appointment, and I request them as soon as your plan is confirmed.

Planning a garden journey

• Spring, from March to May, is the best season, with roses, orange blossom and wildflowers.
• Private gardens need appointments, so plan and book early.
• Combine gardens with medinas, crafts and the oases, so the trip shows you why the gardens exist.

See our Morocco Gardens and Culture tour, or tell me which gardens you dream of and I will build the route around them.