If this morning’s reports from the BBC and other sources have it right, the ban on in-cabin laptops will not be extended to include additional flights from Europe to the U.S.
21.07.2023 - 08:09 / roughguides.com
On a cold winter morning, our small convoy of retro bicycles weaved its way through the labyrinthine alleys of Marrakech’s famous walled medina, the historic heart of the city, amid the cacophony of bartering vendors and an endless sea of scooters and mopeds.
Soukaina, our 23-year-old local guide from Pikala Bikes, led the way, her long black hair flowing in the light breeze. “Yalla! Let’s go!” she shouted effusively at regular intervals, urging us on. My initial nervousness gradually dissipating, I started to pedal faster and somehow we were soon blending seamlessly into the medina’s kaleidoscopic fabric and frenetic motion.
Inside the bustle of the medina © Christopher Clark
After months of lockdown and scant opportunity to travel, I have frequently found myself longing to relive this exhilarating moment from a trip to Marrakech at the end of last year. With Morocco starting to reopen to international tourism since mid-September, this will happily soon become a possibility for visitors again. For anyone who is planning a forthcoming trip and looking to get beneath the surface of this magical city, a bike tour is an essential inclusion on your itinerary.
Colourful towers of aromatic spices are a signature feature of Marrakech's souks © Christopher Clark
The medina comprises a vast maze of souks proffering all manner of artisanal wares, not to mention countless other sights and experiences. A bike enables you to see much more of this in a day’s exploring than you would on foot, while keeping you constantly closer to the action than taking taxis or other public transport between the different highlights.
Bike tours, entirely designed by young local guides like Soukaina, also look to show visitors some of the old city’s lesser-known gems. These include the Sidi Al-Abbas Sufi shrine, named after one of Morocco’s feted Seven Saints. The shrine, which draws a small stream of daily worshippers through its towering arches with their intricate mosaic patterns, provides a moment’s respite from the city beyond.
Street art inside the labyrinthine alleys of the medina © Christopher Clark
On our tour, Soukaina also showed us intimate glimpses of an everyday Marrakech usually invisible to tourists. In a stuffy, soot-blackened room, we watched a perspiring baker shovel hundreds of flatbreads into a vast wood-fired oven. A little further along our route, we ducked inside a nondescript doorway and found ourselves descending into the belly of a local hammam, Morocco’s equivalent of the Roman public bath, where a roaring furnace provided the heat for the bathers above ground.
A young Moroccan is trained as a bike mechanic at Pikala © Christopher Clark
Our tour continued beyond the medina walls into some of the quieter, more
If this morning’s reports from the BBC and other sources have it right, the ban on in-cabin laptops will not be extended to include additional flights from Europe to the U.S.
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I was immediately enveloped by the scents of the spices in the souks, the bustling of the medina, and the relaxation of a hammam when I touched down in Marrakech. Here in this vibrate Moroccan city, it’s easy to find experiences that teach you about the culture and leave you awe-inspired. Maybe it’s learning how to use those ever-present spices at a cooking class, or maybe it’s riding a camel in the desert. There’s simply no shortage of things to do to get a feel for all that Marrakech has to offer — even if you only have a short time in the Red City (a nickname you’ll quickly understand looking out onto the ramparts and buildings).
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