Hivernage is, without a doubt, the most luxurious neighborhood in Marrakech. It’s true that Gueliz has also positioned itself in this tourism segment, as we tell you in this other post. To the point that many confuse them. But although both are related, they are two distinct areas of the city. In this post, we tell you everything you should know to be clear about where Hivernage is and what’s there.
Where is Hivernage?
Hivernage is a clearly defined neighborhood to the west of the Marrakech medina, so the Koutoubia Mosque and Jemaa el-Fna Square are just a stone’s throw away. Looking at the map, we can say that the neighborhood draws a kind of “V”, and its vertex borders to the south with the two large green spaces of the city: the Menara Gardens and the Oliveraie.
The streets that draw this “V” are, clockwise: rue El Qadi Ayad, Avenue President Kennedy (which accounts for the Western influence in the neighborhood), Avenue Moulay el Hassan, Boulevard Al Yarmouk, Avenue Prince Moulay Rachid and Avenue de la Menara.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhood is related to Gueliz, which is also often called the Ville Nouvelle: Hivernage was an expansion or development to the south of Gueliz, from the 1930s, where the most modern and luxurious establishments and hotels were located from that time. And the great driver of this development was the Casino of Marrakech, inaugurated in the 1950s.
What’s in Hivernage?
Despite being the most upscale neighborhood in Marrakech, it lacks historical monuments like those that can be admired in the medina. However, it has other attractions that may be of interest to premium travelers and that put the finishing touch to any pleasure trip to the city.
Its main square (which is not exactly in the center of the neighborhood), the Place de l’Hivernage, is a good reflection of the neighborhood: a spacious roundabout surrounded by top-level hotels, such as the Novotel and the Imperial Burj. And very close to here, other truly outstanding establishments in the city and the country: the Sofitel Marrakech Palace Imperial and, above all, La Mamounia, in Place Bab Jdid, at the southeastern end of the neighborhood.
In these and other hotels, there are numerous spas, inspired by traditional hammams but with other comforts, services, and treatments typical of spa centers in other countries. Therefore, those who wish to add a wellness aspect to their trip will surely end up here, as these services are not only offered to hotel guests. In addition, the restaurants in the area offer signature and avant-garde cuisine, in many cases. And in the neighborhood is also the Menara Mall shopping center.
Conference or MICE travelers also tend to move around Hivernage, as on another of the main arteries of the neighborhood (Boulevard Mohammed VI) is located the modern Congress Palace, where large business meetings, conferences, and international fairs are organized.
And for those who have time and desire to walk through the two green areas that border the neighborhood, it is more recommended to take a stroll through the historic Menara Gardens, with its royal pavilion at the foot of the pond, while the Oliveraie allows you to see the immense plantation of these trees, so important for the local economy in the past.
So if your premium accommodation option is the resort, you will likely end up staying in this neighborhood, or in the other area of high hotel concentration, the Palmeraie, where the main golf courses of the city are located.
