The short answer
Gueliz is Marrakech's new town, laid out under the French Protectorate outside the medina walls. It has wide avenues, Art Deco blocks of the 1930s and 40s, pavement cafés, galleries and the Marché Central, and it is where many Marrakchis work. Jardin Majorelle and the Musée Yves Saint Laurent are on its edge.
In more detail
The name comes from Jbel Gueliz, the rocky hill above the district, where the French built a military post. Avenue Mohammed V is its main spine, running towards the medina and the Koutoubia.
The mood is quite different from the medina: cars, traffic lights, shop windows and terraces rather than lanes and souks. Morning coffee on a terrace and the early evening, when the offices empty and the cafés fill, are the best times to see it.
Food here leans towards pâtisseries, pavement cafés and modern Moroccan restaurants. It is also a practical base for visitors who want easy taxi access and wide pavements, with the medina a short taxi ride away.
Good to know
- Have breakfast or coffee on an Avenue Mohammed V terrace.
- Look for the Art Deco facades along the main avenues.
- Visit Majorelle and then walk into Gueliz for lunch.
- Visit the Marché Central for a look at a modern market.
- Take a petit taxi between Gueliz and the medina.