Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen is one of Morocco's most photographed places, and it lives up to every image. Set against the green slopes of the Rif Mountains, its old town is painted in an extraordinary palette of blues — powder, cobalt, indigo and periwinkle — that spill across walls, doorways, staircases and flowerpots. Wandering its steep, cobbled lanes feels like stepping into a watercolour.

Founded in the fifteenth century and long isolated from the outside world, Chaouen retains a gentle, unhurried character. The Plaza Uta el-Hammam, shaded by a great fig tree and overlooked by the red-walled kasbah, is the heart of daily life, where cafés serve mint tea and locally woven blankets hang from the shopfronts. The town is renowned for its artisans — weavers, leatherworkers and makers of goat's cheese and honey from the surrounding hills.

For luxury travellers, Chefchaouen is a serene interlude and a photographer's dream. A hike to the Spanish Mosque above the town delivers a golden-hour panorama over the blue rooftops, while boutique guesthouses offer characterful comfort. It pairs beautifully with the imperial city of Fes to the south, or a journey down from Tangier.