Majorelle Garden: How to Visit, What to See and Tips

Last updated: August 2026

The Majorelle Garden brings together shaded paths, cacti, palm trees, bamboo, reflecting pools, and buildings painted in an intense blue in the Guéliz district, outside the Marrakech medina. Created by French painter Jacques Majorelle, the space covers approximately 9,000 square meters and combines a botanical garden, Art Deco architecture, and Moroccan influences.

The garden began being developed in the 1920s and opened to the public in 1947. In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought the property to keep it from being replaced by a real estate development.

Today, the Majorelle Garden, the Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts, and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech each have their own access. Tickets must be bought online on the official website, with a set date and time.

Is it worth visiting the Majorelle Garden?

It's worth it for anyone interested in gardens, architecture, photography, or the history of Jacques Majorelle, Yves Saint Laurent, and Pierre Bergé. The contrast between the plants and the colored buildings creates a very different landscape from what you find in the medina.

The visit, however, shouldn't be planned as a free or spontaneous outing. Tickets have a set time slot, demand is high, and the garden can get crowded even in the morning.

Anyone looking for just a green space might find the price steep. To get more out of the trip, combine the garden with the Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts or the Yves Saint Laurent Museum.

What is the Majorelle Garden?

The Majorelle Garden is a botanical garden created by painter Jacques Majorelle. He began developing the property in 1922 and brought together plants from different regions, using the space as an experimental garden, a retreat, and a source of artistic inspiration.

The grounds have paths at different levels, fountains, canals, colored pots, and buildings that mix Moorish and Art Deco references. Cacti, palms, bamboo, bougainvillea, and aquatic plants appear along the route.

The garden covers about 9,000 square meters. Despite the variety of plants, the visit doesn't work like exploring a park: the route is relatively compact and can be completed in about an hour.

History of Jacques Majorelle

Jacques Majorelle was born in Nancy, France, in 1886, and arrived in Morocco during the 1910s. He settled in Marrakech and acquired the property where he would develop the garden.

In 1931, architect Paul Sinoir designed the Art Deco-style studio that would become one of the complex's most recognized buildings. Majorelle used the space to work and exhibit his paintings.

The garden opened to the public in 1947 to help fund its upkeep. After the painter's death in 1962, the property went through a period of neglect and was threatened by a real estate development.

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé first encountered Marrakech in 1966. In 1980, they bought the Majorelle Garden to stop it from being destroyed and began restoration work and expanded the plant collection.

Jacques Majorelle's former residence became known as Villa Oasis. It's part of the property, but its private garden has its own conditions and hours and shouldn't be confused with the standard Majorelle Garden route.

After Yves Saint Laurent's death in 2008, his ashes were scattered in the garden of the Villa Oasis. A memorial dedicated to the designer can be seen during a visit to the Majorelle Garden.

What is Majorelle Blue?

Majorelle Blue is the intense shade Jacques Majorelle used on the walls, fountains, pots, and architectural elements of the property. The color creates contrast with the plants and with the yellow and orange tones found in other parts of the garden.

It appears mainly around the painter's former studio, which today houses the Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts.

While it's common to say Majorelle "invented" the color, it's more accurate to say the artist developed and popularized this specific shade within his work and the garden project.

How to get to the Majorelle Garden

The garden is on Rue Yves Saint Laurent, in the Guéliz district, outside the medina's walls.

• By petit taxi: a practical option from the medina, Guéliz, or Hivernage
• On foot from Guéliz: possible depending on where you're staying and the temperature
• With a driver or tour: confirm whether the ticket is included or needs to be bought separately
• By car: there are parking spots and pull-offs nearby, with variable availability

Leave early, since Marrakech traffic can add to travel time. Tickets have a set time slot, and delays can affect entry.

How to buy tickets

Tickets are sold exclusively through the official platform:

tickets.jardinmajorelle.com

The administration states that tickets bought on unauthorized websites may not be accepted. Check the address carefully before paying, since resale pages with similar names exist.

Choose the date, time, and spaces you want to visit. The ticket generates a QR code that can be shown on your phone.

Book as soon as you've settled your itinerary, especially on weekends, holidays, and busier months. Buying online doesn't necessarily mean skipping the wait entirely: there can still be access control at your reserved time.

Tickets and prices

As of August 2026, the published public prices are:

• Majorelle Garden: 170 MAD, approximately US$17
• Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts: 60 MAD, approximately US$6
• Garden and Pierre Bergé Museum: 230 MAD total, approximately US$23
• Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech: 140 MAD, approximately US$14

The basic garden ticket doesn't automatically include the Pierre Bergé Museum or the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. Select each space you want when buying.

Reduced rates are available with valid ID for international students, Moroccan citizens, and residents of the country. Children under 10 accompanied by an adult get free entry to the garden and the Pierre Bergé Museum.

The dollar amounts are approximations and vary with the exchange rate and card fees. Confirm prices, discounts, and conditions at the official ticket office before buying.

Hours

• Majorelle Garden: daily, 8am to 6:30pm, with last entry at 6pm
• Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts: daily, 8:30am to 6pm, with last entry at 5:30pm
• Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech: usually 10am to 6:30pm, with last entry at 6pm, closed on Wednesdays

Hours can change. Check the official websites shortly before your visit, especially during Ramadan, holidays, or special exhibitions.

How the visit works

Arrive close to your chosen time and have the QR code ready on your phone. After the entry check, the garden visit is self-guided.

The route passes narrow paths, cactus areas, bamboo groves, fountains, ponds, and colored buildings. Follow the marked circulation and don't touch the plants.

The garden isn't very large, but some spots draw crowds of people waiting to take photos. Continue along the route and come back to a spot when it's less busy, if the crowd allows.

Café Majorelle and the boutique are part of the complex, but meals and shopping aren't included in the ticket.

Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts

The Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts occupies Jacques Majorelle's former studio. The name "Berber Museum" still appears in older guides, but the current official name honors Pierre Bergé.

The collection brings together more than 600 objects related to Morocco's Amazigh cultures, including jewelry, textiles, clothing, tools, and ceremonial pieces from regions between the Rif and the Sahara.

The museum has an additional ticket of 60 MAD and isn't included in the basic garden entry. Set aside about 30 to 45 minutes for the visit.

Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech

The Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech sits next to the Majorelle Garden but is a separate attraction. The building features the designer's work, temporary exhibitions, a library, an auditorium, a bookshop, and a café.

The museum is closed on Wednesdays and has its own ticket. Check your selected time so the visit is compatible with your garden entry.

Set aside about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Anyone not interested in fashion can prioritize the garden and the Pierre Bergé Museum, which has a more direct connection to the former studio and to Amazigh cultures.

How long to spend

• Garden only: approximately 1 hour
• Garden and Pierre Bergé Museum: between 1h30 and 2 hours
• Garden and Yves Saint Laurent Museum: approximately 2 hours
• All three spaces: between 2h30 and 3 hours

Add time if you plan to visit the café or the shops. Arrange your entry times before completing your purchase.

Best time to visit

The first slots of the day tend to offer more pleasant temperatures, but they don't guarantee an empty garden. Since entries are controlled by time slot, other visitors can also choose the opening hour.

Late afternoon can bring softer light and lower temperatures. Check, however, whether there will be time to visit the museums before the last entry.

Avoid scheduling the visit too close to another commitment. Traffic, access control, and crowds inside the garden can cause delays.

Accessibility

The official website states that the Majorelle Garden and the museums are accessible for people with reduced mobility. The main paths are relatively flat, though there are narrow stretches and busier periods.

People with disabilities get free entry with a valid document, according to the conditions published by the garden.

Anyone who needs specific assistance should contact the administration before the visit to confirm access, an adapted restroom, and other needs.

Practical tips

• Buy only through the official online ticket office
• Check whether you selected just the garden or the museums too
• Arrive with the QR code ready on your phone
• Book the first time slots if you want to avoid the strongest heat
• Don't count on being able to buy a ticket at the entrance
• Wear comfortable shoes, even though the route isn't long
• Stick to the paths and don't touch the cacti or other plants
• Confirm the Yves Saint Laurent Museum's hours, since it's closed on Wednesdays
• Bring an accepted payment method for the café and shops
• Check prices and hours again shortly before your visit

Final tip

Decide which spaces you want to see first, and only then buy the tickets. For a visit focused on the place's history, combine the garden with the Pierre Bergé Museum, set in Jacques Majorelle's former studio.

Arrive at your reserved time and walk through the garden without rushing, taking in how the blue, the buildings, and the plants were brought together. If you're also visiting the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, leave enough of a gap between time slots so the outing doesn't turn into a rushed sequence.