What are the best gardens in Morocco?

Gardens matter enormously in Morocco — in a hot, arid land, a cool green walled garden is a kind of paradise, which is literally the Quranic ideal a riad courtyard is meant to evoke — and Marrakech in particular is studded with some of the most beautiful gardens in North Africa. Let me take you through the ones genuinely worth your time, and be honest about which are serene and which get crowded.

The famous one, and deservedly so, is the Jardin Majorelle — the cobalt-blue villa and lush botanical garden created by the painter Jacques Majorelle and later saved and cherished by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. The intensity of that 'Majorelle blue' against the cacti, bamboo, and pools is unforgettable, and the adjoining YSL museum and Berber Museum make it a rich morning. My one caveat is honesty about crowds: it's hugely popular, so go right at opening or pre-book a timed ticket, or you'll be shuffling. Right beside it, the newer Anima Garden by André Heller and the in-town oasis of Le Jardin Secret (a magnificently restored riad garden deep in the medina) are calmer, equally lovely alternatives.

For historic grandeur in Marrakech, the Menara Gardens — a vast twelfth-century olive grove around a reflecting pool with the Atlas Mountains behind the iconic pavilion — and the Agdal Gardens are sprawling, peaceful, and free or nearly so, a complete contrast to the manicured Majorelle. They're where locals picnic, and on a clear day the snow-capped Atlas mirrored in the Menara basin is one of the great Marrakech images. Within the medina, the gardens of the Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs reward anyone who likes their greenery wrapped in architecture.

Beyond Marrakech, don't miss the Andalusian Gardens within the Kasbah des Oudayas in Rabat — a tranquil, fragrant, beautifully kept garden overlooking the river and ocean, and one of the most underrated spots in the country. The palm groves (palmeraies) of Marrakech and especially the lush oasis of Skoura on the road to the desert offer a wilder, working kind of garden — thousands of date palms threaded with irrigation channels. My advice for choosing: Majorelle for the bucket-list photo (booked early), Le Jardin Secret or the Menara for calm and history, and Skoura or the Oudayas if you want green that feels discovered rather than queued for.