Back in Marrakesh in January 2026.
Compared to my last stay here three years ago, not much has changed. I find this city as lively as ever, which I love, but I see it differently now after spending three years in Thailand. I still enjoy the constant hustle and bustle of Jemma El Fnaa Square and all the streets of the Medina.

The people of Marrakesh are as smiling and friendly as ever, and the local culinary specialities, especially couscous and tagine, are as delicious as ever. I also enjoy the pastries here, as well as the bread and Viennese pastries, which I find excellent.

The traffic is still as chaotic as ever, still as terrifying as ever, less so than in Vietnam, but more so than in Thailand. I continue to wonder how there aren’t more collisions, especially in the narrow streets where scooters and ancient mopeds drive at high speed, honking their horns.

In short, I still find this city exciting, lively and pleasant...

But contrary to what I thought three years ago, and even more so during my first visit here almost 20 years ago, this is not the place where I would come to retire.
I think there are two key arguments in favour of Marrakech and Morocco in general for a French person who wants to spend their retirement outside France:
The first argument is proximity: a 2½-hour flight from Perpignan.
The second is the language: almost everyone here speaks French.
Why do I say "almost everyone"?
Quite simply because the older generation of Moroccans all speak French, and speak it rather well, but I have noticed, and this is a new development, that among the younger generations, some speak perfect English and approximate French, or sometimes no French at all. This is obviously in line with history, with French in decline all over the world, but it is worrying.

But once these two arguments have been made, it is rather difficult to find others in favour of retiring here rather than in Asia. Even though prices are lower than in France in particular, and in Europe in general, price levels are still much higher than in Thailand (food, clothing, taxis, etc.).

The current cold weather in Marrakesh doesn’t really appeal to me either.

As for the variety of food, it’s clear that Asian countries have a big advantage in this area.
The purpose of this article is not to compare Morocco and Thailand, which obviously turns out very much in Thailand’s favour, but simply to say that while I greatly appreciate this city, I do not regret my choice to settle partly in Hua Hin, Thailand.
I will gladly return to Marrakesh, especially to play golf, which I did not do this time.
I hope that this city does not lose its soul in the rapid modernisation of certain neighbourhoods with architectural choices that I do not always find very successful.