The Majorelle Garden is a small botanical garden in Gueliz, outside the medina walls, built around a cobalt blue villa and studio, planted with cactus, bamboo and palms. It was created by the French painter Jacques Majorelle, and later bought and restored by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum stands next door, in a separate building.
It is the most photographed place in Marrakech, and it is small. Both of those facts matter when you plan the visit.
Jacques Majorelle and the blue
Jacques Majorelle was a French painter who came to Morocco in the early twentieth century and settled in Marrakech. He bought land on the edge of the palm groves in the 1920s and spent decades building a garden there, collecting plants from around the world, with a Cubist inspired villa and an artist’s studio at the center.
The blue is his. He mixed and used an intense cobalt across the walls, pots and structures, and it has been known as Majorelle blue ever since. Set against green cactus, the effect is what everyone photographs.
Majorelle opened the garden to the public in the late 1940s to help fund its upkeep. After his death it fell into neglect and was at risk of being built over.
Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé
Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé first came to Marrakech in the 1960s and later bought the garden in 1980, saving it from development. They restored it, expanded the plant collections, and turned Majorelle’s studio into a museum.
Saint Laurent had a long relationship with Marrakech, and the city recurs in his work. He died in 2008, and his ashes were scattered in the garden, where there is a memorial.
The garden is now run by a foundation, and it funds its own conservation work from visitor admissions.
What is inside the garden
The planting. Several hundred plant species, gathered from many parts of the world. The cactus and succulent collection is the centerpiece, along with bamboo groves, bougainvillea and water lilies in still pools. It is thick, layered and shaded, and noticeably cooler than the street outside.
The blue villa and studio. The building at the center, which is the source of nearly every photograph you have seen of the place.
The Berber Museum. Inside Majorelle’s former studio, a collection devoted to the Amazigh peoples of Morocco: jewelry, textiles, weapons, doors and domestic objects, displayed in dark rooms that make the silver work glow. It is a genuinely good museum and many visitors walk past it without going in, which is a mistake. If you are interested in weaving, it also gives context to our post on how to buy a Berber rug in Marrakech.
A cafe and a bookshop. Both pleasant, both busy.
The Yves Saint Laurent Museum
The museum opened in 2017 in a purpose built building beside the garden, designed by the Studio KO architects, with a facade of brick laid in a pattern intended to evoke woven fabric.
Inside there is a permanent display of Saint Laurent’s work drawn from the foundation’s collection, rotated for conservation reasons, plus temporary exhibition spaces, an auditorium, a research library, a bookshop and a cafe.
You do not need to be interested in fashion to find it worthwhile. It is as much about the design process, the sketches, the toiles and the craft as it is about finished clothes. That said, if fashion holds no interest for anyone in your party, the garden alone is a fine visit.
Practical notes
The garden is in Gueliz, outside the medina walls, a taxi ride from the old city and a long walk in the heat.
Things worth knowing:
- Go early. Queues form, and the garden is compact enough that crowds affect it. Opening time or late afternoon is the answer.
- Ticketing changes. Entry arrangements, combined tickets and timed slots have all changed over the years. Check the official site before your visit rather than trusting a blog, including this one.
- The Berber Museum and the YSL Museum are separate from the garden. Budget time and check what your ticket covers.
- It is small. An hour in the garden is enough for most people. Do not plan a whole morning there and nothing else.
- Photography. Everyone is taking the same photographs of the same blue wall. Go early if that matters to you, and be considerate of people waiting.
- Combine it with Gueliz. You are in the modern city, so make a half day of it with lunch or a coffee at a sidewalk table nearby.
For where this fits in a longer visit, see our three days in Marrakech itinerary, which puts Majorelle on the second afternoon.
How Ben can help
Majorelle is one of the sites on the Personalized Marrakech Tour, which is a private eight hour day for one to five guests with pickup at your hotel or riad, covering the Medersa Ben Youssef, the Marrakech Museum, the Secret Garden, Bahia Palace, Dar El Bacha, Majorelle Garden, Jemaa el-Fnaa and the souks.
The practical value here is timing and transport. Ben knows when the queue is shortest on a given day of the week, and getting between Gueliz and the medina is simpler with a driver than with a taxi negotiation at each end. He will also tell you honestly if, on a particular busy morning, the garden is better left for the following day. Ask about it through custom Marrakech tours or message us. If you would rather spend the time eating, the Taste of the Medina food tour is the alternative afternoon. Our wider list of things to do in Marrakech covers the other gardens, including the quieter ones.
FAQ
Are the Majorelle Garden and the YSL Museum the same ticket?
They are separate buildings with separate entrances, and ticketing arrangements have changed over the years, sometimes with combined options available. Check the official site before you go, or ask Ben close to your dates, since he will know the current arrangement.
How long do you need at the Majorelle Garden?
The garden itself is compact and an hour is usually enough to walk it properly. Add roughly another hour if you are also visiting the Berber museum inside the garden, and another for the YSL Museum next door. Half a day covers all three comfortably.
When is the Majorelle Garden least busy?
Early, at opening, or in the last part of the afternoon. The middle of the day in high season is very crowded, and the garden is small enough that crowding is felt. Queues are common, so arriving before opening is worth the effort.
Is the Majorelle Garden worth visiting?
For most visitors, yes, particularly if you have any interest in plants, color or design. It is small and it is busy, so people expecting a large peaceful park are sometimes disappointed. Going early, or pairing it with the museums, is what makes the difference.
