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Listings
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Airlines
Sole agents for British Airways and GB Airways are Menara Tours (see Travel Agencies, below). RAM, 197 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/443 6205; Reservations tel 04/444 6444). RAM and Air France have desks at the
Hotel Atlas
. For
airport information
call 04/444 7862.
American Language Center 3 Impasse des Moulins, off Bd. Mohammed Zerktouni, Gueliz (tel 04/444 7259). The center is mainly for locals to learn English - there are no Arabic classes - but you can study in the library or become a subscriber and borrow books. Banks Most banks have branches in both Gueliz and the Medina; many have a bureau de change alongside and these stay open longer in the late afternoon/early evening; an increasing number also have cash points/ATMs. As elsewhere, the BMCE is the best bet for exchange - accepting VISA/Mastercard, traveller's cheques and most currencies; it has branches in Gueliz (144 Av. Mohammed V) and in the Medina (Place Foucauld/Rue Moulay Ismail - back entrance for exchange), open 10am-2pm and 4-8pm every day and both have ATMs. Banque Populaire has a useful bureau de change just off Place Djemaa El Fna, on Rue Bab Agnaou (Mon-Sat 9am-noon & 4-7pm). Credit du Maroc has a counter for exchange at 215/217 Av. Mohammed V and another new one on Rue Bab Agnaon (in both cases Mon-Sat 9.30am-2pm & 3.30-7pm); both branches have ATMs. There is a new BCM bureau de change next to the Hotel Imperial Borj , on Av. Echouhada in the Hivernage quarter (Tues-Fri 9am-noon & 2-4pm, closed Sat afternoon and all day Sun). Most three- and four-star hotels will change traveller's cheques and most currencies. Bicycles, mopeds and motorbikes Bikes can be rented from Hotel de Foucauld and Hotel Ali in the Medina; and there's a small repair shop near Hotel Atlas , Rue de la Recette, from which you can also rent bikes. Elsewhere, bikes can be rented from Hotel Imperial Borj , Av. Echouhada, Hivernage, and from 76 Av. Mohammed Abdelkrim El Kattabi opposite Residence Ezzahia . Mopeds and motorbikes can be rented from Marrakesh Motos, aka Chez Jamal Boucetta, at 31 Av. Mohammed Abdelkrim El Kattabi (tel 04/444 8359), near the Goodyear garage. Rates are up to 100dh a day. Bookshops Two good bookshops (stocking mainly French titles) face each other across Av. Mohammed V in Gueliz: Librairie Chatr at no. 19 and Librairie Gilot at no. 44. In the new Residence Taib , 55 Bd. Mohammed Zerktouni, Gueliz, there is Librairie d'Art which stocks the beautiful ACR range of French art and coffee-table books, including La Vie et l'Oeuvre de Jacques Majorelle and Marrakech: Demeures et Jardins secrets . In the Medina, there's a small bookshop which sells French books and a range of stationery, Librairie Ghazali, 51 Rue Bab Agnaou. Car rental Marrakesh rates are generally the most competitive after Casablanca. The best-value deals are usually from local agencies, with whom you can bargain for discounts; try Concorde Cars, 154 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/443 9973); Fathi Cars, 183 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/443 1763); Najm Car, 21 Rue Loubnane (tel 04/443 7891) or Hotel du Pacha ; Nomade Car, 112 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/444 7126), or Tansift Car, 72 Av. Mohammed Abdelkrim El Kattabi (tel 04/444 9145). National/international agencies include Avis, 137 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/443 3727, fax 443 3169); Budget, Hotel La Mamounia (tel 04/444 0720, fax 443 7483); Citer, 1 Rue de la Liberte (tel 04/443 0683); Europcar/InterRent, 63 Bd. Mohammed Zerktouni (tel 04/443 1228, fax 443 8749); First Car, 234 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/443 8764, fax 443 8749); Hertz, 154 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/443 9984, fax 443 9993) and Tourist Cars, 64 Bd. Mohammed Zerktouni (tel 04/444 8457). All have desks at the airport, or will meet arrivals by arrangement. Car repairs Garage Ourika, 66 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/444 8266), deals with Hondas, Fiats, Toyotas and BMWs (look for the large Honda sign). Garage Renault, Route de Casablanca, after the Safi crossroads (tel 04/444 8082) deals with Renaults; and Thoniel, 68 Rue Tarik Ibn Ziad (tel 04/443 1359) deals with Peugeots, Citroens, Talbots and Mercedes. For spare parts, try the following which are close to one another: Sud Transmission, 8/10 Bd. Moulay Rachid (tel 04/443 3434); Societe-Jihad Pieces Autos, 18 Bd. Moulay Rachid (tel 04/443 4098); and Union Pieces Autos, 18 Av. El Mansour Eddahbi (tel 04/443 1790). Cinemas In Gueliz, the Colisee, alongside the Cafe Le Siroua on Bd. Mohammed Zerktouni, is one of the best. It shows general releases and has enjoyed a recent face-lift. In the Medina, the Cinema Mabrouka on Rue Bab Agnaou and the Cinema Eden, off Derb Dabbachi, have a certain curiosity value, but watch your wallet. Consulates The only consulate in Marrakesh is the Consulat de France, on Rue Ibn Khaldoun in the shadow of the Koutoubia (tel 04/444 4006). The British Honorary Consul can be contacted at Residence Jaib, 55 Bd. Zerktouni (tel 04/443 6078); emergencies only. Dentist Dr Bennani, 112 Av. Mohammed V (first floor), opposite the ONMT office, Gueliz, is recommended (tel 04/443 1145). He speaks some English. Doctor Dr Abdelmajid Bentbib, 171 Av. Mohammed V, Gueliz (tel 04/443 1030), is recommended and speaks English. Ferry tickets Comanav Voyages, Kawkab Centre, 16-17 Rue Imam Chafi (tel 04/443 6602). Food shopping Putting together a picnic lunch, or supplies for the Atlas, the municipal market on Av. Mohammed V, in Gueliz, is convenient, as is the covered market between Av. Houmane El Fetouaki and Arset El Maach in the Medina. French Culture The Institut Francais (Djebel Gueliz, BP566) is to be found on the edge of Gueliz alongside the Lycee Francais Victor Hugo and the Ecole Francaise Renoir with which it shares beautiful grounds (tel 04/444 6930, fax 444 7497). The monthly programme includes theatre, cinema, lectures and exhibitions, and there is a good library. Bus #7 from the Medina or Gueliz. Golf There are three golf courses: the Marrakesh Royal Golf Club (tel 04/440 4705, fax 440 0084), 5km out on the road to Ouarzazate, built for T'Hami El Glaoui after a visit to England and played on by Churchill and Eisenhower; the Palmeraie Golf Club (tel 04/430 1010, fax 430 2020), 9km out on the road to Tizi n'Tichka, built, as the name suggests, in Youssef Ben Tachfine's palmery; and the Amelkis Golf Club, Bd. Mohammed Zerktouni (tel 04/440 4414), the least-known course but the closest to the city centre. All courses are open to nonmembers: green fees around 150dh. Internet access In the Medina, Cyber Behja , 27 Rue Bani Marine (daily 9am-11pm; 15dh per hour), others nearby, including Hotel Ali . In Gueliz, Cybercafe Hivernage , 106bis Rue Yougoslavie (Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-8pm; 20dh per hour). Jewish community The Communaute Israelite de Marrakech (tel 04/444 8754) is on Impasse des Moulins, opposite the American Language Center. Here there is the Synagogue Beth Habad. Laundry In Gueliz, Blanchisserie Oasis, 44 Rue Tarik Ibn Zaid, behind the municipal market (tel 04/443 4578); in the Medina, Blanchisserie du Sud, 10 Rue Bab Agnaou (tel 04/444 3331). Newspapers The most reliable newsagent for American and British newspapers is outside the ONMT office on Av. Mohammed V; you can buy The International Herald Tribune, Time, Newsweek , plus British publications The Guardian, Independent, Times, Weekly Telegraph and Economist . Pharmacies There are several along Av. Mohammed V, including a good one, the Pharmacie de la Liberte, just off Place de la Liberte, which will call a doctor for you. In the Medina, try Pharmacie Menara on Place Djemaa El Fna. There's an all-night pharmacy by the Commissariat de Police on Djemaa El Fna and another on Rue Khalid Ben Oualid near the fire station in Gueliz. Other all-night and weekend outlets are listed in pharmacy windows and the local press, for example, Le Message de Marrakech . Photography Photographic equipment, film and batteries can be obtained from Wrede, 142 Av. Mohammed V (tel 04/443 5739). Post office The main PTT, which receives all poste restante mail, is on Place 16 Novembre, midway down Av. Mohammed V in Gueliz (Mon-Sat 8am-2pm). There is also a separate office, round the side, for sending parcels. The Medina PTT in Place Djemaa El Fna stays open until 7pm. Swimming pools There's a large municipal pool on Rue Abou El Abbes Sebti - the first main road to the left off Av. Mohammed V as you walk past the Koutoubia towards Gueliz; it's very popular and 99 percent male. Many hotels (but, alas, not the Mamounia ) allow nonresidents to use their pools if you have a meal, or for a fee. A useful one, if you're staying in the Medina, is the pool at the Grand Hotel Tazi , a short walk from the Place Djemaa El Fna. The municipal pool in the Daoudiaf quarter is very popular with the locals. Telephones The post office has a telephone section, with its own entrance, which stays open until 9pm; operators will place a call for you. However, with so many teleboutiques around town, including one opposite the main PTT, the telephone section is not much use - except for reversed-charge (collect) calls. Travel agencies Menara Tours, 41 Rue de Yougoslavie (tel 04/444 6654), near the ONMT office in Gueliz, are agents for British Airways and run good tours of the south. The Best of Morocco, 3rd floor, Apartment 15, 92 Bd. Mohammed Zerktouni (tel 04/443 9842) offers a comparable service - Landrover desert safaris of the south.
Weather
tel 04/443 0409; Telex 04/443 0566. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Morocco,
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