Jardin Majorelle
Half a hectare, and one of the most photographed places in Morocco. The trick isn't the size, it's the blue - and the hour you turn up.
History and context
The garden carries the name of the painter who created it: Jacques Majorelle, who settled in Marrakech in the 1920s.
Around his villa-studio, he composed a botanical garden over the next forty years - cactus, bamboo, palms, water lilies - and painted it in an ultramarine so distinctive he trademarked the shade in his own name: Majorelle blue. After his death, the place fell into disrepair.
In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought it to save it from developers, and restored it. When the couturier died in 2008, his ashes were scattered in the garden, where a column now stands in his memory. The site, today run by their Foundation, is one of the most visited in the city.
‘The Majorelle blue can’t be described; you have to see it at eight in the morning, when the light is still cool and the garden almost empty.’
What to see - the highlights
The blue villa and the Majorelle blue
The cobalt wall, the bright-yellow pots, the mashrabiya screens: the ultramarine the painter trademarked in his own name.
The alley and the great jars
The blue and terracotta jars lined up under palms and bougainvillea: the garden's opening statement.
The basin and the pink villa
At the centre, the basin and its kiosk, mirroring the villa and the palms when the water stills.
The studio and the Berber Museum
The blue-and-yellow studio in the cacti, home to the Berber Museum and its collection of objects from across Morocco.
When to go
Light still soft, paths empty, clean reflections on the basin.
Peak crowds, queues at the gate and the hard light of midday.
Bougainvillea in flower in spring and autumn.
Gallery
The best photo spots
The garden photographs best outdoors, and early - before the paths fill.
The villa and its yellow pots
Cobalt against bright yellow: the garden's signature shot.
The green vault
The shafts of light cutting through the bamboo early in the morning.
The reflected bowl
The still water mirrors the blue and the palms, before the wind picks up.
Le jardin Majorelle
Morocco's most famous blue: half a hectare of cactus, bamboo and Jacques Majorelle's cobalt villa, in the Guéliz.
Tickets & timed entry
Book ahead - useful during peak hours, when the queue can top thirty minutes.
Jardin Majorelle, garden entry
Jardin Majorelle + YSL Museum + Berber Museum
Booking via GetYourGuide, our ticket partner. Indicative prices ; we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Visitor tips
- Book online: at peak times the queue often runs past an hour.
- The garden ticket doesn't include the Berber Museum or the YSL Museum - go for the combo if you want all three.
- The garden is small: an hour is plenty, two if you're photographing.
Location & access
In Guéliz, on Rue Yves Saint Laurent, next door to the YSL Museum. Fifteen minutes by taxi from the medina; come early to dodge both the heat and the crowds.
