Morocco is a fantastic year-round vacation destination, but choosing the best time of year to travel will depend on your interests and holiday needs. Closest to the entrance, the single-storey Petit Riad is similar in layout and size to traditional houses of the medina, but it's notable for the ornamentation of its salons. Its walls of intensely elaborate white plasterwork are inscribed with verses from the Quran. In the 19th century when it was originally decorated, this plaster would have been carved in situ while wet – just imagine the artisan skill required to work so swiftly and accurately. Not one for the fainthearted (there are disembodied sheep heads, dear reader), Mechoui Alley in the medina (the old walled city) behind the olive market is where those in the know head to dine on fragrant slow-roasted lamb. Each shop has a pit in the ground, into which lamb is lowered to slow roast on wood fires until it falls off the bone. The hole-in-the-wall food stands are staffed by white-robed men and run by generations of the same families. The menu is limited: tanjia (slow-cooked stew), mechoui and roasted sheep’s head, but it's worth spending a lunchtime on a seat behind the counter, where you can dine on the delicious cumin-scented meat, drink mint tea and watch the world go by. Marrakesh’s Warhol On the northwestern side of the Koutoubia Mosque minaret are the ruins of the original prayer hall. One story goes that it collapsed during the massive 1755 Lisbon earthquake, killing hundreds of people as it crumbled. Research suggests this could be plausible. To the north of the Koutoubia minaret, the original doorway still stands. On the far wall of the ruins the remains of the arches that would have held up the ceiling are visible. The stumps on the floor are the hall's columns, and they stay in situ as a memorial. Along with Mouassine, Kâat Ben Nahid is the core of the old medina, with scrawls of close-knit alleyways hiding sumptuous 17th-century riads. On its western edge is the Mnebhi Palace, now the Musée de Marrakech. This is also where you'll find Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, a clutch of excellent museums and, to the east, one of the medina's poorest districts, home to the malodorous Bab Debbagh tanneries.

Dar Bellarj is Marrakesh’s premier community arts center, and it's located in a former stork hospital ( bellarj is Arabic for stork). Each year, the nonprofit Dar Bellarj Foundation creates a program themed around living culture, ranging from film to women’s textiles and storytelling. Admission is usually free, but a fee is sometimes charged for certain events. Calligraphy demonstrations and arts workshops are regular draws, and during Ramadan, the foundation hosts a series of evening music concerts in the beautiful central courtyard. 8. Bab Debbagh Tanneries

Wooden chess board:

There are a growing number of yoga studios in the city. While yoga sessions can be arranged by some hotels, avoid paying the premium for a private class and join a local studio. Root Holistic Center, close to Jardin Majorelle, runs several classes daily. Drop-in yoga classes from Dh180, a weekend pass Dh450, and a five-day pass Dh800. Want to try fine dining restaurants? The side streets of Gueliz are home to stylish bistros and contemporary dining. Some places, such as the Loft, offer a discounted lunch menu of two courses for Dh150 per person. Skip the Sahara for Agafay It is easier to negotiate if you are buying more than one item. For example, to buy one scarf you can get the price to maybe €7-8, but if you are buying four, it’s much easier to get them down to €5 each. Whether you come for the sun, the surf, the wind sports, the outdoors, local festivals or the rich culture, here's a guide to the best times to travel to Morocco.

Roll up, roll up: if there's one thing you can't miss in Marrakesh, it's the reeling, free-wheeling circus that is Djemaa El Fna. This chaotic square is the heart and soul of Marrakesh, where snakes are charmed by day, music troupes shimmy and shake at night and hordes of hungry revelers come to chow down at food stalls. Inside the gardens, the former servants' quarters house Café Majorelle, a lovely, leafy spot for tea or cake. Just outside the entrance of Jardin Majorelle, MyKawa serves salads, sandwiches and Moroccan breakfasts with a dash of Mediterranean style. How to get to Jardin Majorelle The residence itself is larger than the studio and more Oriental in design, mixing Marrakesh’s signature terracotta red with Majorelle’s electric blue and Islamic green on its facade and tiled pyramid roof. The bamboo groves of the main garden give way to giant succulents, cacti and mature palms. There’s also a succession of calm-inducing water features filled with koi carp, noisy frogs and lily pads, the largest of which pools around a white-pillared pavilion. Alkamar Camp is open to day visitors, offering the opportunity to spend an afternoon by their pool with incredible views. Enjoy a desert sunset and dinner for Dh450 per person. Time out to recharge

Explore the cactus sea of Cactus Thiemann

Stretching out behind the Koutoubia Mosque, the palm-tree-dotted green swath of Koutoubia Gardens is a favorite Marrakshi spot for strolling, relaxing on park benches and generally taking a quiet break. If you need some downtime after dodging motorbikes amid the medina's skinny alleyways, take the locals' lead and head here for a peaceful meander. Koutoubia Gardens are one of the best parks in Marrakesh, and there are great views of the Koutoubia Mosque's minaret. Visiting Koutoubia Mosque Total average daily cost for 3 meals, accommodation, and a small budget for activities is around Dh600 per person. On the Atlantic coast, cooling breezes and misty fog keep summer temperatures down to around 80°F , while inland, temperatures can soar to well over 100°F . Agadir , Dakhla and Essaouira are particularly popular with domestic travelers in August thanks to the long sunny days and lifeguard-protected beaches. Nestled in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains within the spectacular Ourika Valley, Anima Garden is an easy way to spend an afternoon away from the Marrakesh medina and discover more of Morocco while not venturing too far from your accommodation.

Marrakesh has few accessible facilities, but the city is not necessarily out of bounds for travelers with a physical disability and a sense of adventure. Narrow medina streets and rutted pavements can make wheelchair access difficult; the neighborhood of Gueliz is easier to navigate. Buses in Marrakesh are not wheelchair friendly, but the City Tour Marrakech is wheelchair accessible and an excellent way to get between many of the city's top sights. Petits taxis in Marrakesh are too small to accommodate wheelchairs, but grands taxis should be able to – they typically cost about 50% more per journey. Non-Muslims can’t go inside the Koutoubia Mosque or minaret but are most likely to get a glimpse inside on a Friday when the doors are open for prayers. The best spot from which to photograph the Koutoubia's minaret – framed by old stone and date palms – is under the archway to the left of the main entrance. Where to stay near Koutoubia Mosque The Villa Oasis house isn’t open to the general public (only a handful of very high-end hotels are allowed to run exclusive tours here), so you might just have to imagine the sumptuousness of its interiors. The salon is a masterpiece of Moroccan craftsmanship with elaborate painted cedarwood, magnificent zellige (colorful geometric tilework) and museum-quality art deco furniture. Yves Saint Laurent Memorial Majorelle’s electric-blue art deco studio houses the fabulous Musée Berbère, which showcases the rich panorama of Morocco’s indigenous inhabitants in displays of some 600 artifacts, including wood and metalwork, textiles and a room of regional traditional costumes displayed with the flair of a catwalk show. Best of all is the brilliant mirrored chamber displaying a collection of chiseled, filigreed and enameled jewels. Villa Oasis Gardens Sandwiched between the Petit Riad and the Grand Riad, you'll pass through two courtyards. The first is relatively plain, but the second, called the Grand Cour or Cour d'Honneur, is the undisputed heart of the palace and one of the most spectacular open spaces ever to be conceived in Morocco. It is 1500 sq metres in size and was restored to its original brilliance in 2018. The floor is a vast expanse of Italian Carrara marble, encircled by a gallery uniquely coloured with bright blue and yellow plaster and woodwork.Rue de la Kasbah is one of the liveliest streets of the southern medina and makes for an atmospheric early evening stroll, when snaks (kiosks) are firing up their grills. At the northern end of the street, local women congregate in front of the mosque, one of the oldest and largest in the city. French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé bought Jardin Majorelle in 1980 to preserve the vision of its original owner, French landscape painter Jacques Majorelle, and keep it open to the public. The garden, started in 1924, contains a psychedelic desert mirage of 300 plant species from five continents. At its heart lies Majorelle's electric-blue art deco studio, home to the Musée Berbère, which showcases the rich panorama of Morocco's indigenous inhabitants through displays of some 600 artifacts. The road between Marrakesh and the coastal town of Essaouira is dotted with plenty of argan trees, and Assouss Cooperative d’Argane is the big-city branch of a women’s organic-certified argan cooperative that's located outside Essaouira. La Bahia (The Beautiful) is an 8000-sq-metre, floor-to-ceiling extravagance of intricate marquetry, plasterwork and zouak (painted wood), and certainly one of Marrakesh's most eye-popping sights.

The Koutoubia Mosque minaret is topped by a spire of brass balls. Once made from gold, local legend tells that the balls were "gifted" to the mosque by the wife of Almohad sultan Yacoub Al Mansour, who melted down her jewelry as punishment after being spotted eating during Ramadan fasting hours.Detour: Stay atop the hill overlooking Plage Sfiha at Casa Paca, a friendly bed-and-breakfast run by the half-Spanish, half-Moroccan owner, Joaquin, and his wife, Nabila. Dinners here are delicious. Open June to October. 6. M’Diq In 1923, Majorelle decided to put down roots in Marrakesh and bought a 4-acre palm grove on the edge of the medina, planted with poplars that gave his home its original name, Bou Saf Saf (meaning "the poplars" in Arabic). The first dwelling built here was Moorish in style, with a traditional adobe tower. It wasn’t until 1931, after Majorelle had extended the plot to almost 10 acres, that he hired French architect Paul Sinoir to design a villa and studio in the art deco style. Kâat Ben Nahid is not a major shopping district. However, you'll find the occasional gem sandwiched in between the main museums. For a real hammam experience, join the locals for a scrub down at Hammam Mouassine, one of the cheapest (recommended) options. If you prefer to spend more on a private hammam ritual, an independent spa such as Hammam de La Rose charges from Dh300 upward. Know how to shop