Top stops

Marrakech’s vast main square, Djemaa el Fnaa springs into life at dusk, until it reels with food stalls, snake charmers, belly dancers, fortune tellers and acrobats. It’s chaotic – but unmissable.

The 14th-century Bou Inania Medersa in Fes is one of the few functional religious buildings open to non-Muslims. Visitors gape at its exquisite craftsmanship, including an ornate tiled tower, carved cedar beams and marble floors.

Rabat is two cities rolled into one, with its sister city Salé directly across the Bou Regreg river. While Salé is more run-down than its sibling, its old town is more impressive, with immense 13th-century city walls, impressive gates and the Grand Mosque.

Insider tips

“Just for the experience, go along with a Moroccan carpet trader’s sales pitch – you’ll find yourself sitting down with mint tea, being introduced to his family. The Berber carpets are gorgeous, so you might well fall for one.”

“We went to Volubilis [between Fez and Rabat], which are apparently the best Roman ruins in northern Africa. It was amazing – there were still bits of houses and streets standing, with mosaics still in the walls.”

“Try snails in Djemaa el Fnaa – delicious.”

“In Essaouira, seek out the woodworkers’ shops built into the city walls in Rue Skala. The wood is from the local Thuya forests, and you can pick up anything from pill boxes to chests inlaid with mother-of-pearl.”

Cities and towns

There’s a lot more to Morocco than the traveller’s favourite, Marrakech. Here are just a few of the key cities and towns to get your travel juices flowing.

Marrakech Founded as a Berber caravan outpost almost 1,000 years ago, today Morocco’s top city destination has an intense mix of street theatre, exquisite architecture and labyrinthine markets crammed with weird and wacky “treasures”. Stay in riads (courtyard residences), get massaged to within an inch of your life in one of the local hammams (baths) and sample teas or tagines on rooftop terraces, enjoying glimpses of palaces, towers and the High Atlas Mountains.

Fes, or Fez, is a few hundred years older than Marrakech and the cultural centre of Morocco. Its medina (medieval old city) – every bit of it a UNESCO World Heritage site – is the best-preserved in the Arab world, and the star attraction: an incredible throng of traders, tourists, tribal folk, tanneries and donkeys jostling amid thousands of cobbled alleys and stunning old buildings.

Rabat Serving as both the capital and residence of the King, Rabat is the more modern face of urban Morocco, with airy boulevards, pale buildings and a less hectic pace of street life. Stroll its lush gardens and Atlantic beaches, explore the striking Kasbah of the Oudaias or visit the ancient Roman city of Chellah.

Tangier Just 30km from Spain across the Straits of Gibraltar, Tangier once attracted the rich and famous to its promenade-lined shores, including Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. Nowadays, while its old town is a little down at heel, it’s still a satisfying place to visit, with a vibey café society and sandy beaches to soak up, along with a former Sultan’s palace, 17th-century kasbah and great excursions along the coast and into the mountains.

Essaouira and Agadir The town of Essaouira, about three hours by road from Marrakech, is one of the best places to stay on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Its picturesque white-and-blue buildings complement a buzzing port area and a large beach south of the medina, loved by kite- and windsurfers. The big event on the local calendar is the World Music Festival for the trance-inducing Gnaoua music genre, held every June. Further south, Agadir’s 340 days of sunshine a year, 8km sandy beach and modern hotels and bars make it the country’s most popular resort area.