Marrakech

Marrakech is a city that seduces every sense at once. Known as the Red City for its ochre-hued walls and buildings — a colour mandated by the original Almoravid rulers in the eleventh century — Marrakech has long been the beating heart of Moroccan culture, commerce and mysticism. From the moment you step into Djemaa el-Fna, the vast medieval square at the city's core, you are enveloped by the smoke of grilling meats, the hypnotic rhythms of Gnawa musicians and the theatrical performances of storytellers who have plied their trade here for generations.

The medina of Marrakech is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most intact medieval urban centres in the Arab world. Its labyrinthine souks are organised by craft — the tanners, the spice traders, the lantern-makers and the carpet weavers each occupy their own quarter — and wandering between them feels less like sightseeing and more like time travel. Behind carved cedar doors lie the city's famous riads: private courtyard mansions whose inward-facing architecture creates serene oases of fountains, mosaic tilework and fragrant orange trees, many now converted into some of the finest boutique hotels in Africa.

Beyond the medina walls, the Ville Nouvelle district of Gueliz offers a compelling counterpoint: wide, tree-lined boulevards, contemporary art galleries and a cafe culture influenced by the decades of French and Spanish protectorate. The Jardin Majorelle — originally laid out by the French painter Jacques Majorelle and later restored by Yves Saint Laurent — remains one of the most visited gardens in Morocco, its electric-blue pavilion and towering cacti a masterpiece of botanical design. The adjacent Musee Yves Saint Laurent pays stylish tribute to the designer's lifelong love affair with the city.

Marrakech is also the gateway to the High Atlas Mountains, which rise dramatically just forty kilometres to the south, and to the vast desert landscapes beyond. Its position as Morocco's tourism capital means the infrastructure is unrivalled — world-class restaurants, hammams, spa riads and luxury camps are all within reach — yet the city's ancient soul remains gloriously, stubbornly intact. Come for the sensory overload; stay for the stillness you find at the centre of it all.