Jardin Majorelle

Majorelle Garden is one of the most visited places in Marrakech, in the Guéliz district, a few minutes by taxi from the medina. The orientalist painter Jacques Majorelle bought a palm grove here in 1923 and, around 1931, had an Art Deco studio built. In 1937 he invented the ultramarine blue that now bears his name and colours the walls, pools and planters.

The garden is laid out around a long central pool. You wander between monumental cacti, yuccas, bamboo, palms and water lilies: about 300 plant species on nearly one hectare. Majorelle's studio, repainted in blue, now houses the Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts, and the shop and the Café Majorelle extend the visit.

After the painter's death in 1962 the garden fell into neglect. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought it in 1980 to save it from developers, restored it and settled next door at the Villa Oasis. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech, inaugurated in 2017, is only a few steps away.

Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the garden alone, more if you add the museums. The garden is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. The private garden of the Villa Oasis, the former home of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent, is open every day except Wednesday. Official ticketing is online only, with a time slot to choose: book early, especially in high season.