A visit to the Jardin Majorelle botanical garden is a must in Marrakesh. No matter how short your visit to the city is, the Yves Saint Laurent gardens are a highlight not to be missed.
And with good reason: the lush green of the plants and the unique blue of the buildings stand in fascinating contrast to the dusty red of the rest of the city.
Created in 1923 by French painter Jacques Majorelle, the garden has retained its own special magic for over 100 years. The Jardin Majorelle is now the most visited attraction in Morocco and, with its almost 4,000 square meters, is one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. It regularly appears in the top 10 most beautiful botanical gardens.
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Apart from the lush plants from a variety of continents and the impressive cacti, the main reason for the popularity of the Jardin Majorelle is probably the blue walls of the villa and the pools.
The bright, deep blue was specially developed by Jacques Majorelle and still bears the name Majorelle blue today.
The garden, once located at the gates of the city, is now in the north-eastern new town. From the Riad Selouane it takes just under 20 minutes to walk here or a few minutes by cab. From the Place Jemaa el Fna, you can also take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, which you can also use for the return journey.
After visiting the garden, head to the Yves-Saint-Laurent Museum on the other side of the street. More than 50 dresses by the French fashion designer are on display in a modern building. Among the exhibits is the famous “Mondrian dress”.
Tickets for the Jardin Majorelle, the Berber Museum and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum are only available online since pandemic times! Either directly at www.jardinmajorelle.com (French or English) or conveniently via GetYourGuide* in your language. Please make sure you are on site at the specified time. If you arrive too late, your ticket will expire!
This special tour is also very nice: Majorelle Garden and camel ride*. Both the garden and the Berber Museum will be visited, followed by a camel ride in the Palmeraie.
If you’re short on time and want to see all the city’s main sights in one day, you should take a look at this tour: historical + cultural sightseeing tour*.
However, for all tours that include the Jardin Majorelle, you have to clarify in advance whether the tickets are included or whether you have to organize them yourself. We have often found that when we arrive at the Jardin Majorelle, it turns out that we don’t have any tickets and therefore can’t visit.
If you want to delve deeper into the thousand-year-old cultural history of Marrakech, you will find more inspiration in our article on the 10 best historical sights.
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The refuge of the painter
Jacques Majorelle, born in Nancy in 1886, was a French painter whose work is now classified as Orientalism. From an early age, he was fascinated by the light, colors and shapes of the North African world, which he first got to know in Egypt in 1910 and visited on numerous trips.
In 1919, he settled in Marrakesh and shortly afterwards began building a villa outside the old city walls of the medina. A garden and studio followed over the next few years.
Finally, in 1949, he opened the garden to visitors for the first time.
Majorelle lived in Marrakesh until a year before his death in 1962, during which time he created numerous paintings that are attributed to Orientalism. His works can be seen today in various museums in Nancy, his birthplace in France.
In Marrakesh, by the way, an original by Majorelle hangs in the wonderful restaurant La Table du Palais in the Riad Lamrani in the medina. Other originals can be admired at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent.
The garden narrowly escapes destruction
In 1962, Yves Saint Laurent, the great French fashion designer, came to Marrakesh for the first time with his partner Pierre Bergé and instantly fell in love with the city. He is also captivated by the lively life, the vibrant colors and, above all, the light of Morocco. Marrakesh becomes a source of inspiration for him and he always visits the Jardin Majorelle during his stays.
In 1980, the garden and the empty villa, which had fallen into disrepair, were threatened with destruction by investors. Saint Laurent and Bergé quickly bought the estate and saved the garden from destruction.
Yves Saint Laurent and his love for Marrakesh
What initially seems more like a creative distraction quickly becomes Saint Laurent’s most important retreat from the demands of the fashion industry. In 2002, Yves Saint Laurent retired from the fashion business and spent a lot of time in his Villa Oasis, which adjoined the garden, until his death in 2008.
In 1997, Pierre Bergé founded The Majorelle Trust, which continues to look after the garden and villa to this day. The garden is still open to the public and the foundation opened the Musée Yves Saint Laurent right next door in 2017, which is also well worth a visit. The Villa Oasis, in whose garden the ashes of Yves Saint Laurent were scattered, is unfortunately not open to the public.
The blue villa is simply photogenic
Today, tall palm trees, dense bamboo, large cacti and the element of water dominate visitors’ first impressions of the Jardin Majorelle. Initially hidden and sparsely visible — later dominant and immersive, the Majorelle blue floods the senses and perception, allowing the various shades of green to fade away, taking over the sensual dominance of the experience. Remains in the memory. Defines the photos.
So it’s no wonder that a large number of visitors wander through the garden looking for something. Supplied with snapshots from other travelers, their search is for the perfect spot for a selfie or post on Instagram. They may have enough time for a refreshment in the garden’s cafeteria and then their visit is over.
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The Jardin Majorelle is a magical place
But there are also visitors who are looking for peace and quiet. They get involved in the garden and take their time.
If you dare to experiment and take a seat on one of the many benches and let the place take effect on you, you will experience all the magic of the Jardin Majorelle!
A cool breeze gently caresses the resting viewer, allowing the intense heat outside the walls of the garden to fade into the shade of the trees, refreshing and invigorating the mind.
The cooing of pigeons calling in love for their partner at the top of the palm trees can be heard from time to time. The bamboo grove rustles softly, accompanied by the distant croaking of frogs in the water lily pool. Cheeky and demanding, the gray bulbul warbles its dominant song in the branches of the large trees, accompanied in the background by the song of a house bunting or a cactus wren.
Anyone who takes the time to enjoy the beauty of the Jardin Majorelle will feel the true power of the garden, the inspiration for new ideas, the dreaminess and the joie de vivre. The garden is a constant interplay of light and shadow. Shadows that move with the sun and its dramatic play of light throughout the day, so that no two places look the same.
The garden is a virtuoso interplay of proportions and shapes, in which each trunk of the palm trees and the bamboo grove conveys its own sense of space. And it is a game with surfaces. Smooth and shimmering surfaces of bamboo alternate with the rough trunks of the trees. Fluted and with almost symmetrical surfaces, the palm trunks reach upwards.
In between, the various leaves and palm fronds move almost like dreamy dancers in the interplay of sun and shade, impressively recognizable in the palm garden.
There are benches in many places, all inviting you to take a journey into the hidden beauty of the garden.
Do you need tickets for the Jardin Majorelle?
You can conveniently purchase tickets for the Jardin Majorelle, the Berber Museum and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in advance from our partner GetYourGuide* .
The variety of cacti is indescribable
The shade of the palm trees on one side of the central watercourse is answered by the towering cacti in their raked beds with a clear view of the blue sky and dazzling sun. A small pavilion rests at the end of the watercourse, perfectly positioned in the long visual axis along the water. The water cleverly, almost imperceptibly, separates the palm grove from the cactus garden.
Between the cacti, a shadow play of thousands of spines awaits the eye of the beholder.
Lined up symmetrically, following nature’s unique blueprint, they protect their wearers from unwanted access.
Every now and then a flower attracts insects, promising nectar and glowing in rich, vibrant colors.
The cactus garden is characterized by shapes and rhythmic repetitions that allow the eye to see new patterns everywhere.
The garden as a canvas
If you spend a little time in this place and let your gaze wander, you can quickly understand why it was such an inspiration for Yves Saint Laurent.
Shapes, patterns, structures, color gradations everywhere. As a contrast, the picturesque villa of Jacques Majorelle stands out in blue among this exuberant tropical opulence.
It seems as if the life-giving element of water springs from the Majorelle blue and breathes life into the garden. Framed in Majorelle blue, the symmetrical water basin surrounded by plants attracts the viewer’s gaze.
As if Majorelle had just placed them on the canvas with a brush, water lily blossoms in delicate pink and yellow dance on the water as a splash of color, while the blue tones of the house and sky merge in the reflection. The long fronds of the tall palm trees watch over everything, forming a canopy of leaves flooded with light, providing shade and rustling in the wind with a silvery sound.
A visit in the cool of the morning is mystical, when the first visitors are let in and nature still radiates this fresh, unspent energy from the night.
In the evening, as if an optical stockpile had to be created for the night, the soft light of the setting sun enchants the eye of the beholder. At this time, the blue and the colors of the cacti have a completely different, intense and unforgettable effect. Being one of the last guests to leave the garden is an experience all of its own.
Allow yourself enough time in this wonderful garden to soak up the magic!
You certainly won’t regret it!
Jardin Majorelle Info
Rue Yves Saint Laurent
Marrakech 40090, Maroc
(+212) 524 29 86 86
opening hours 09:00 — 18:00
www.jardinmajorelle.com
For the garden you must buy tickets online with a defined access time*.
There is also a small boutique and a café in the garden.
The blue villa houses a museum with exhibits of Berber culture. You have to pay extra to visit the museum when you buy your ticket.
Directly opposite the garden is the Musée Yves Saint Laurent, which is well worth a visit and has a good cafeteria.
Looking for more information about Marrakesh?
Visit our travel guide to learn more about the sights of Marrakesh and Morocco!