Majorelle Garden: A Colorful Gem of Marrakech

Of all places in Marrakech, the Majorelle Garden surprises you with its vibrant pop of color and exotic tropical abundance.

^{Last updated: December 5, 2024}

Majorelle Garden Colorful Gem of Marrakech | Roads and Destinations — *The Majorelle Garden, a colorful gem in Marrakech*

The Most Beautiful Garden in Marrakech

We arrived at the Majorelle Garden, a colorful gem in Marrakech, in the late afternoon. Even though the garden was open for just a few more hours, a huge crowd had lined up at its entrance. Just looking at all these people made us want to skip the garden and move on to our next destination.

On top of that, Yomnes, our travel guide, reluctantly announced that we had only 1.5 hours to spend at the garden. That was absolutely impossible, and we didn’t hesitate to share our frustration. In reality, it’d take us 1.5 hours to just get to the admission window and buy tickets.

Popularity of the Majorelle Garden

Big crowds of visitors is not a novelty for the Majorelle Garden or Jardin Majorelle. Arguably one of the most beautiful places in Morocco, the garden welcomes almost a million of guests yearly, which allows it to compete with the world-famous Jemaa El Fna for the first spot of the most visited places in Marrakech category. Moreover, this unique gem of Marrakech never misses a day, never takes a vacation from all its guests, or has less than a crowd of visitors.

A few things explain such popularity. First, the bright colors of the garden stand out against salmon pink gamut, the predominant color of Marrakech. Second, the place was created and preserved by some of the finest French artists of that time.

Majorelle Museum | Roads and Destinations — *The Majorelle Garden is one of the most visited places in the Marrakech*

Visit the Garden

Looking at the huge crowd in front of the Majorelle Garden, we didn’t even bother to get out of the car. Yomness, however, insisted that it was one of the must-see places in the city. Without another word, he left the car and went straight to a ticket taker. A couple of minutes later, he returned with good news. Since we traveled with a baby, we could skip the line and head straight to the admission window. Now we’re talking about perks of traveling with kids!

But here comes another thing we didn’t anticipate. Admission prices to Jardin Majorelle are different for foreigners and Moroccan citizens. While a Moroccan pays 70 Dirham for an adult ticket, the price for a foreigner rises to 170 Moroccan Dirham.

Additional ticket is required to visit the museum at the garden.

Morocco | Roads and Destinations — *Ticket taker at the entrance door to the garden*

History of the Majorelle Garden

Despite its popularity as a colorful treasure of Marrakech, the Majorelle Garden is of French origin. In 1923, a young aspiring French painter Jacques Majorelle purchased a four-acre plot and built a house in the Moroccan style.

Majorelle who traveled across Morocco for a few years prior to that fell in love with the country’s vibrant colors and authenticity. After settling in Marrakech, the young artist threw all of his creativity into his new home. Eventually, he commissioned French architect Paul Sinoir to design a Cubist villa and acquired an additional 10 acres.

The maintenance of Marrakech’s colorful site was not cheap. Furthermore, a divorce and health complications after a serious car accident took a heavy toll on Majorelle’s financial situation. And so, after 40 years of owning the property, the French sold his Majorelle Garden in 1961.

From this time until 1980, the Majorelle Garden lost its fame as the most colorful gem of Marrakech. It almost fell victim to a real estate project and became a hotel complex.

In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge bought the Majorelle Garden and saved its legacy. Both owners worked tirelessly to preserve and enhance the uniqueness of the garden. After Yves Saint Laurent’s death in 2008, Pierre Berge donated the Majorelle Garden to the Foundation Pierre Berge – Yves Saint Laurent.

Colorful jewel or Marrakech | Roads and Destinations — *Pop of color in the Majorelle Garden*

The Majorelle Garden, A Precious Gem of Marrakech

We didn’t know a lot about the Majorelle Garden before our visit. Yet this didn’t prevent us from enjoying this special place full of the colors and cultural treasures of Marrakech. From cobalt blue villa-museum to green benches, beautiful tiles, big colorful jars, and plant pots, the Majorelle Garden entices you with its unique appeal and charm.

As soon as you walk into the garden, you feel like you just entered a completely new place. All of a sudden, the busyness of Marrakech disappears. All you can see is the pure beauty of the fine architecture and the abundance of colors ranging from signature blue, yellow, green, orange, and red. Despite their vibrancy, none of the colors overshadow each other. On the contrary, they create a beautiful harmony with exotic lush greenery of the garden.

Apart from the vibrant colors, this little gem of Marrakech boasts splendid collections of cacti, exotic plants and trees. Small fountains, pools, and streams fill the place with soothing sounds of trickling water.

You really won’t find anything, apart from a big amount of visitors, that can spoil your experience at the Majorelle Garden. It’s a place that truly deserves to be called a colorful gem of Marrakech. You need to visit it to understand what Yves Saint Laurent meant when he said, “We were seduced by this oasis where colors used by Matissee were mixed with those of nature.”