Marrakech

Marrakech is Morocco at its most theatrical. Within the ochre walls of the medina, centuries-old palaces open onto silent courtyards while the Jemaa el-Fnaa erupts each dusk into a swirl of storytellers, musicians and lantern-lit food stalls. For the discerning traveller, the city rewards those who know where to look: a private hammam scented with eucalyptus, a rooftop dinner above the Koutoubia minaret, a dawn stroll through the Majorelle Garden before the crowds arrive.

Beyond the souks, Marrakech is a city of refined retreats. The finest riads pair carved cedar and hand-cut zellige with plunge pools and impeccable service, while the Palmeraie and the road to the Atlas host walled estates and country houses framed by olive groves. It is a place to slow down between adventures — to take mint tea on a terrace, to be measured for a tailored djellaba, to watch the mountains turn violet at sunset.

As the gateway to southern Morocco, Marrakech is also the natural launchpad for the Sahara, the waterfalls of Ouzoud and the Berber valleys of the High Atlas. Whether you stay a weekend or a week, the Red City has a way of lingering — in the scent of orange blossom, the call to prayer over the rooftops, and the warmth of a welcome poured, always, into a glass of tea.