Gueliz & Ville Nouvelle
French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé bought Jardin Majorelle in 1980 to preserve the vision of its original owner,…
Must-see attractions in Morocco
Marrakesh
Roll up, roll up for the greatest show on earth. Everywhere you look in Djemaa El Fna, Marrakesh’s main square (pronounced "jema" – the "d" is silent),…
Gueliz & Ville Nouvelle
This captivating museum, opened in 2017, showcases finely selected collections of haute couture clothing and accessories that span 40 years of creative…
Marrakesh
La Bahia (The Beautiful) is an 8000-sq-metre, floor-to-ceiling extravagance of intricate marquetry, plasterwork and zouak (painted wood), and certainly…
Marrakesh
Five times a day, one voice rises above the din of Djemaa El Fna as the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer from the Koutoubia Mosque. The mosque's…
Marrakesh
Saadian Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour Ed Dahbi was just as extravagant in death as he was in life. After the "golden king" built Badia Palace in the 16th…
Draa Valley
The area's star attraction is the misnamed Erg Chigaga, not a single dune (erg) but an incredible stretch of golden sand sea some 56km southwest of M…
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Anti Atlas Mountains
The 3-storey granite, palm and argan house, some 400 years old, was inhabited by 20 family members – three generations – until 1982. The owner, Mohammed,…
Middle Atlas
Sitting in the middle of a fertile plain, the ruined Roman city of Volubilis is the best-preserved archaeological site in Morocco. Its most amazing…
Marrakesh
As 16th-century Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour (r 1578-1603) was paving the Badia Palace with gold, turquoise and crystal, his court jester wisecracked, ‘It’ll…
Casablanca
This opulent mosque, built at enormous expense, is set on an outcrop jutting over the ocean with a 210m-tall minaret that's a city landmark. It's a…
Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Cultures
Tangier
This recently refurbished museum is housed in the former sultan's palace of Dar El Makhzen. The focus is on the history of the area from prehistoric times…
Tangier American Legation Museum
Tangier
This museum, in an elegant five-storey mansion, is a must-see: Morocco was the first country to recognise the United States by opening its ports to the…
Marrakesh
There's no comprehensive archive of modern Moroccan art in central Marrakesh: it's out here, hidden in the Palmeraie, and it's well worth travelling for…
Tangier
The Grand Socco is the romantic entrance to the medina, a large, sloping, palm-ringed plaza with a central fountain that stands before the keyhole gate,…
Gueliz & Ville Nouvelle
Once the home of a mining corporation, this 1932 building now houses Marrakech Art Fair founder Hicham Daoudi’s latest project: a contemporary gallery…
Ourika Valley
Nestled in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, Anima Garden is a space designed by multimedia artist André Heller. Surprising sculptures…
Chefchaouen
Winding alleyways, cute doorways and charming plazas all in many shades of blue – this is what has attracted millions to this tiny village in the Rif…
Tangier
The medina, the top attraction of Tangier, is a labyrinth of alleyways both commercial and residential. It's contained by the walls of a 15th-century…
Essaouira
Surrounded by dramatic, wave-lashed ramparts, the narrow streets, hassle-free souqs, street vendors and vibrant galleries of Essaouira's walled medina…
Tangier
This was once the most notorious crossroads of Tangier, the site of drug deals and all forms of prostitution. Today the facades are freshly painted,…
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Asilah
Asilah’s compact medina is surrounded by sturdy stone fortifications built by the Portuguese in the 15th century. Enter through the Bab Al Kassaba and…
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El Jadida
Head through the main entrance gate of the Unesco-protected Cité Portugaise off Place Mohammed Ben Abdallah, and on the left are the early 16th-century…
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Musée des Sources de Lalla Mimouna
Dadès Valley
This indoor/outdoor private museum is the passion project of Tinejdad native Zaid Abbou, built around the fizzing, magnesium-rich springs of Lalla Mimouna…
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Dadès Valley
Inside the Ksar El Khorbat, this award-winning museum traces tribal migrations through 22 rooms of carefully curated artefacts of seminomadic life:…
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Ceuta
This is the charming heart of Ceuta, with manicured tropical plantings, a square of freshly renovated cobblestone pathways and some of the city’s finest…
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Ourika Valley
Four kilometres past Tnine, a discreet sign points up a dirt path into the Amazigh (Berber) village of Tafza, where the three-storey mud-brick ksar …
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Draa Valley
Tour the Kasbah's maze of rooms with one of the descendants of the original qaid (chief), including his office and hammam, light-filled courtyards and…
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Central Morocco
The once-glorious stronghold has been left to crumble, but the best indication of Telouet’s former position as the centre of a trans-Saharan trading…
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Ouarzazate
Unlike other Glaoui-era kasbahs, Taourirt escaped ruin by moonlighting as a Hollywood backdrop (Sheltering Sky, Gladiator, Prince of Persia) and…
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Marrakesh
Si Said, the original owner of this 19th-century medina mansion, a monument to Moroccan mâalem (master artisans), was brother to Grand Vizier Bou Ahmed,…
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Skoura
Skoura’s beautiful Unesco-protected palmeraie (palm grove) has been dubbed ‘Oasis of 1000 Palms’. Under the green canopy, a 15-mile patchwork of plots are…
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Zagora
Zagora’s desert-crossroads culture can be glimpsed in the neighbouring village of Amezrou, where the historic mud-brick mellah (Jewish quarter), once home…
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Musée Mohammed VI Art Moderne et Contemporain
Rabat
Conceived and funded by the present king, this museum opened in 2014 as the country's first national museum of modern and contemporary art. Alongside a…
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Tetouan
Just outside Bab El Okla is the best artisan centre in northern Morocco. This is a fascinating opportunity to see masters teaching apprentices traditional…
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Musée des Arts et Traditions de la Valleé du Draa
Zagora
Follow the signs to this fascinating small museum, where three floors are dedicated to traditional life in the Draa Valley. Look out for tribal jewellery…
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Melilla
Perched over the Mediterranean, Melilla la Vieja is a prime example of the fortress strongholds that the Spaniards built along the Moroccan littoral…
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Melilla
Nieto’s art-deco Palacio de Asamblea, whose floor plan depicts a ducal crown, is an operating town hall, although the staff at the entrance are willing to…
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Ceuta
The most impressive sight in Ceuta is the medieval Royal Walls, which date back over 1000 years and have been passed from Arab to Portuguese to Spanish…
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Anti Atlas Mountains
Poet and calligrapher Moulid Nidouissadan paints Amazigh (Berber) proverbs and colourful compositions from natural inks. Free to every visitor is a…
