Sidecar Tour of Marrakech

Marrakech from
a Sidecar

A sidecar is not a fast way to see Marrakech, and it is not meant to be. It is low, it is open, and it is slow enough to stop whenever something is worth stopping for. Somebody else steers. You sit in the car with the city at eye level and the palm groves coming towards you.

Where the ride goes

The usual run goes north out of the city into the palmeraie, along the irrigation channels and the low red walls, then back in past the ramparts and the quieter edges of the medina. Where exactly it goes depends on the day and on you. The route is yours to change, and stopping is the whole point rather than an interruption.

What it feels like

You sit lower than you expect, below the level of the walls and the car windows, with the engine just behind your shoulder. Nothing is between you and the air. You come back dusty and you come back with photographs, because at that height and that speed you can actually see the thing you are passing instead of watching it go by through glass.

The machines and who drives

Each sidecar has its own driver, a local who does this run every day and knows which lanes are worth turning down. Usually one passenger rides in the car and a second can ride behind the driver, so a couple travels on one machine and a family takes two or three. We tell you the exact arrangement when we know your group.

When to go

Early morning or the last two hours of daylight, all year. In summer that is not a preference, it is the only sensible choice: the palmeraie at two in the afternoon in August is not an experience anybody enjoys. In winter the middle of the day is fine and the light is good all the way through.

Who it suits

Couples, anyone who takes photographs, and families with teenagers who have had enough of walking. It is a good first morning, because it shows you the shape of the city before you start exploring it on foot. It is not the right choice if you have back or mobility problems: getting in and out of a sidecar asks something of you, and the ground is uneven in the palm groves.