Things to do — Marrakech

At the heart of Marrakech, Jemaa el-Fna is a living spectacle that renews itself by the hour: acrobats and storytellers in the afternoon, clouds of grill smoke and gnawa music after sunset. From the square radiate the souks, organised by craft — leather, spices, babouches, copper — a labyrinth where each turn springs a surprise. A few steps away, the Ben Youssef medersa, a Marinid jewel of zellige tilework and finely chiselled stucco, deserves a long visit. The Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs rediscovered in the 20th century and the Koutoubia mosque — whose 70-metre minaret doubles as a compass across the medina — round out the must-see monuments of Marrakech. Add the Photography Museum (Maison de la Photographie) and the Dar Si Said museum of Moroccan arts for a fuller picture.

Outside the medina walls, the Majorelle Garden and its cobalt-blue villa, maintained by the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation, is one of Morocco's most photographed sites; pair it with the adjacent Yves Saint Laurent Museum for a half-day. A few kilometres on, the Menara gardens and their reflective basin facing the Atlas at sunset offer a calmer interlude. For genuine downtime, a traditional hammam in the medina (Hammam de la Rose, Hammam Mouassine) or a riad spa is non-negotiable: black-soap scrub and argan-oil massage guaranteed. Cooking classes — particularly at La Maison Arabe or Café Clock — turn an afternoon into the souvenir you'll talk about most when you get home.

The new city of Guéliz hosts art galleries, Moroccan-designer boutiques and cool cafés — a contemporary face of Marrakech often overlooked by hurried visitors. The palm grove to the north-east can be explored on horseback or quad-bike for a quick green break a stone's throw from the city. Finally, Marrakech is the ideal base from which to radiate out: a day in the Ourika valley with its mountain waterfalls (1h drive, perfect first half-day in the Atlas), a Toubkal trek in the High Atlas from Imlil (4,167 m summit), or a night under the stars in the Agafay desert just an hour away — plenty of options to vary the rhythm across a full stay. Hot-air balloon flights over the palm grove at sunrise close the experience on a magical note.