Marrakech

With a population of over a million, Marrakesh is a vibrant blend of colours, flavours, oriental scents, music and buzz in the centre of Morocco. Although it lost its position as the capital several centuries ago, its thousand-year-old walls, steeped in history, have seen Morocco’s greatest glory and its greatest defeats. Like other Moroccan cities, Marrakesh is divided into two halves: the walled medieval medina and the colonial Ville Nouvelle, built by the French in the early 20th century. Each has something to offer – the medina has centuries-old palaces, mansions and mosques, colourful, chaotic markets full of tempting goods and delicious Moroccan delicacies, while the Ville Nouvelle tempts with its cafés, fashionable boutiques, gardens and boulevards.

A short stroll is enough to understand why Marrakesh is called the Red City – the rusty ochre gives the buildings a unique hue, shimmering in the rays of the blazing sun. The heart of the medina is the Jemaa el Fna square, an open space in the city centre where crowds gather around acrobats, drummers, musicians, dancers, storytellers and comedians. The architectural works are no less attractive: the magnificent ruins of the El Badi Palace, the delicate carving of the Saadian tombs and, above all, the Koutoubia minaret, the most perfect Islamic monument in North Africa.