The Majorelle Garden

Located close to the Avenue Yacoub el-Mansour in the northern tip of the ancient part of Marrakech's Medina (it is about 850 meters northeast of Bab Doukkala), Majorelle Gardens can be easily accessed either by car or on foot.  

If you decide to walk to Majorelle Gardens, the 20-minute walk from the Medina area starts by walking north to Boulevard Allal Al-Fassi and turning left. This 130–meter street which is at a T-junction with Avenue Yacoub el Mansour leads you south to the entrance of Majorelle Gardens

You can definitely go by bus but don’t forget to get off at Boukar Majorelle Stop or take a taxi to the gardens with an average fare of 70 Moroccan Dirham

Opening Hours:

Majorelle Garden welcomes visitors daily throughout the whole year. From October to April it is available from 8 am to 5:30 pm and from May to September the garden opens at 8 am and closes at 6 pm. During Ramadan, the garden changes its opening and closure timings to be from 9 am to 5 pm.  

You probably won't need to spend all day at Majorelle Gardens. One-hour walk in the grounds of the gardens will be more than perfect to give you a nice break. On the grounds of the garden, you will also find the recently erected Berber Museum or the Islamic Art Museum of Marrakech which is a small museum, exhibiting various Islamic artworks.

To enjoy the serenity of Majorelle Gardens before getting bustled, it is highly recommended visiting the gardens either early in the morning once the garden’s gates first open at 8 am or later in the afternoon towards closing by5:30 pm. It is noteworthy that the Majorelle Gardens are Wheelchair-accessible.

To pay a visit to Majorelle Gardens, adult tourists are only charged 70 Moroccan Dirhams for admission fees (around US$8). Children aged 12 years old and less are free. The admission fee for locals and foreign residents are only 30 Moroccan Dirhams (Around US$3). If you would like to visit the Berber Museum on site, there will be additional entrance fees of  30 Moroccan Dirhams (around US$3).  

Named after its French creator, the Majorelle Gardens was designed in 1924 by the well-known French Artist Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962) who took up residence on “the red soil lands” of Marrakesh from 1919 to 1962. Influenced by the vibrant Moroccan botany, the French painter Jacques Majorelle (the son of the famous cabinet maker Louis Majorelle) managed to astonishingly depict the daily life of Moroccan people, cities, and landscapes in an “impressionistic style” through his paintings.

Having purchased a palm grove in the El Hassania district in Marrakesh to be his private residence in 1924, Jacques Majorelle changed his plans at the suggestions of his close friend Paul Sinoir, a French architect, to build an Art Gallery instead. Designed by Paul Sinoir in 1931, Majorelle opened his art gallery & atelier. A few years later, he transformed the atelier’s surrounding garden into a botanical Garden, showcasing plants and trees from all over the world. In 1947, Majorelle officially announced the inauguration of the Botanical Garden to receive visitors while he was still residing at the site.  

In 1962, Jacques Majorelle died after a serious car accident. After his death, the gardens remained open to the public but they were physically deteriorated and neglected.

“Seduced by this oasis”, these were the words of the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé used to describe Majorelle Garden during their first trip to Morocco in 1966. Being completely enchanted by the charm of the gardens, Laurent and Bergé, who was wondering how such a piece of art would be empty with no visitor, have taken over the gardens and restored them. Majorelle Gardens was a source of inspiration for their new owners who created a new fashion collection using a palette of colors entirely taken from the gardens.

In 2008 Yves Saint Laurent passed away and his ashes were scattered all over the gardens as per the will. In turn, Pierre Bergé donated and handed the gardens to Pierre Bergé -Yves Saint Laurent Foundation (YLS) for management after the death of his partner. Later in 2011, the Foundation opened the Berber Museum in the studio of Jacques Majorelle.

Majorelle Gardens span over an area of 12 acres including the private residence, painted in bold Cobalt called Bleu Majorelle. One of the main features of the gardens is the dark blue color ('Majorelle Blue') which matches very well with the soil, climate and plants.

Imitating the traditional Islamic gardens, all plantings in the gardens such as cacti, palms, bamboo, blooming potted plants, and aquatic plants are interspersed with one another in a picturesque, varied landscape.  

If you surf the net looking for images of The Majorelle Gardens, you will definitely come cross the widely spread photos of water pools lily-filled ponds and fountains in the gardens. These pools centralized within the planted landscape of the garden and painted in Majorelle blue like all the buildings of the garden remarks the entrance of the art gallery and atelier which extends 45 meters towards the southwest.  

As a natural habitat, naturalists can enjoy the views of around 15 species of endemic species of birds, turtles and frogs abound in the ponds