It could be a song about an old catchy song but nope: I'm highlighting one of the many points of interest you can find in one of Morocco's most famous cities, Marrakesh.
Why the blue reference? Well, here's why:
A short wall from the medina, you'll find a little oasis: the Majorelle Gardens. They were created by a painter called Jacques Majorelle (surprise, surprise!), that apparently was fond of this particular colour - and if I recall correctly, this specific blue tonality was baptized as Majorelle Blue.
This painter chose Marrakesh as his home, creating a garden with plants from all over the world; and all around the plants, you'll find pieces with strong colours, where of course blue predominates; even his home was painted in blue.
This property was bought by a famous stylist (Yves Saint Laurent) after the original owner died, and nowadays, apart from more plants, there's also a museum inside. I haven't checked the museum, but the gardens alone are worth a visit, especially if you visit Marrakesh in the Summer, like I did - all the trees and plantes make for a cooler environment.
You can buy the tickets online, and it's advisable to do so because this is a famous tourist spot, and it gets crowded. As I wrote in the beginning, it's a short walk from the medina, but there are cabs available that will take you there quickly and they're cheap.
The entrance is pretti nice, and you have a recommended path to admire the gardens.
If you like plants and trees (and strong colours...), you're definitely in the right place. The amount of different species is insane! I can't recall exactly how many different species were here, but I'm prettuy sure we're talking about hundreds.
And yes, there is some art to go along with the surrounding nature. 2024 marked the 100th anniversary of the gardens, hence the blocks with the number 100 in several places along the walking path.
The gardens are divided in several areas, in which you'll find different species; and in most of the locations there are decent infographics about what you're seeing.
There are several benches in the path, if you want to relax for a bit and just enjoy the view.
And as if the place wasn't cool enough, there's also a mini lake!
As as I stood there admiring the lake, I realized the tourists weren't the only ones admiring the art pieces!
With all the green and the water, it was no surprise that the Majorelle gardens were also a great place to admire some wildlife! Not only the turtles that were basking at the sun, but also smaller creatures, as well as some representants from the local #featheredfriends.
So of course, seeing the little creatures was enough for me to enjoy the visit. Truly though, although not being exactly what would be considered typical moroccan, the visit is worth it.
The multitude of colours is amazing, in the nature and in the man made parts alike; the striking blue definitely stands out!
If I recall correctly, the plants from the more arid parts are closer to the end of the visit. You can roam around freely though, so you can go back and forth in case you missed something; there are some areas with a lot of crossings and smaller pathways, so it's easy to miss some bits of the place.
I didn't get that much crowds inside, but I visited the country when the temperatures were crazy hot, so I guess that helped a little. As usual, picking the earlier visit hours is likely a good idea, especially in tourism season; and these gardens are a good option for a break from the scorching morrocan heat!
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