In February 2015 I visited Marrakesh for a few days to escape the cold winter days in Europe. I have to admit, that at first I was a bit sceptical concerning the food as I felt that it would be a real pain in the ass to find vegan (and glutenfree) food, in the end however, it turned out to be a wonderful trip, and finding vegan food, was as usual, not hard at all.

Jardin des Majorelles by Yves Saint Laurent, the only blue spot in this city of red.

I really enjoyed this vibrant city and was happy that it wasn’t loaded with tourists at that time of  year, so I could fully enjoy the souks (which is already stressful enough with all the brash sellers).

Musée de Marrakesch

We stayed at the lovely Riad Dar Dialkoum and it was a real gem! From the minute we made our reservation the owners took super good care of us, arranged an airport pick up and prepared us a traditional Moroccan vegan four-course dinner upon arrival, which was uber delicious!

The Riad is located in the old Medina near Bab Doukkala and is only a short walking distance from the busy Jemaa El-Fnaa and the souks (10-15min) and is in the best spot to explore the town by foot.

Make sure to visit Jemaa El-Fnaa both during the day and at night! It’s such a vibrant place, so many people and so many different noises! During the day you can enjoy fresh orange juice, buy some dry fruits (Hello Medjoul dates!), see water sellers with traditional leather water-bags and snake charmers. At night however the whole place transforms into a giant food bazaar with hundreds of food stalls, where you can enjoy tasty local food (beware of the pushy waiters!), see story-tellers (telling their 1001 night tales in Berber or Arabic), magicians, dancers and peddlers of traditional medicines. No wonder it is classified UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity!

First dinner at Riad Dar Dialkoum: second course was traditional salads

View from our lovely room (Hannah)

Breakfast at the Riad was yummy too! So many vegan options: flatbreads, jams, fruits and veggies, fresh orange juice, fresh mint tea, coffee,…they even prepared vegan Moroccan pancakes. My favourite thing in the morning was flatbread with fresh avocado with salt, pepper, cumin and lemon juice.