North Africa
Morocco
Ancient medinas, snow-capped Atlas peaks and Saharan dunes — just a few hours' flight from Europe.
Photo: Ansgar Scheffold / Unsplash
Morocco wakes every sense: the scent of spice in Marrakech's souks, the ring of coppersmiths' hammers in the Fes medina, mint tea poured from a height and the call to prayer drifting over the rooftops at sunset. Behind a riad's walls there is quiet, the murmur of a fountain and a courtyard of zellige tiles.
Yet the country is far more than its cities. Berber villages hide in the High Atlas, valleys of kasbahs and palm oases stretch south, and beyond them the Sahara's dunes begin, where a night under the stars becomes one of the most memorable moments of the journey.
Experiences to consider
- 01
The medinas of Marrakech and Fes
Labyrinths where every lane has its own craft — tanners, weavers, metalworkers. With a local guide they open up in a completely different way, and in the evening it's worth climbing to a rooftop terrace to watch the city light up.
- 02
Villages of the High Atlas
Walks along terraces and walnut-shaded valleys between Berber villages, lunch in a family home and mountain air that feels a world away from the city.
- 03
A night in the Sahara
A journey past kasbahs and palm oases to the dunes of Erg Chebbi, sunset on a sand ridge and an evening in a desert camp beneath a sky full of stars.
- 04
Essaouira and the Atlantic coast
A whitewashed port medina, blue fishing boats, fish straight from the harbour and a breeze that cools the summer heat.
Ways to travel
Ways to experience it
Ways to travel aren't separate paths — the best journeys often bring several together.
Culture & discovery
Medinas, craft workshops, cooking classes and history with guides who help you understand what you're seeing.
Exceptional stays & escapes
Riads built around courtyards, mountain guesthouses and desert camps beneath the stars.
Adventure & active travel
Hiking in the High Atlas, crossing mountain passes to the desert and a day among the Saharan dunes.
Tailor-made journeys
A route with a private driver and guide, arranged so the longer drives are comfortably spread out.
Family journeys
A short flight, camels, markets and desert adventures — Morocco easily enchants children too.
Sample journey
More journey inspiration
10–12 days
Over the Atlas to the Sahara and Fes
Marrakech, the High Atlas villages, the kasbah roads, a night in the dunes and the Fes medina
Culture & discovery · Adventure & active travel
8–10 days
On foot through the High Atlas, village to village and up Toubkal
Imlil, the Azzaden valley, the summit of Toubkal & the Aït Bouguemez valley
Adventure & active travel · Small-group adventures
8–10 days
Morocco's Atlantic coast, slowly
Essaouira, Sidi Kaouki, Imsouane or Taghazout & Taroudant
Exceptional stays & escapes · Culture & discovery
9–11 days
Where Africa looks to Europe: northern Morocco
Tangier, Asilah, Chefchaouen and the Rif, Volubilis, Meknes, Rabat & Casablanca
Culture & discovery · Tailor-made journeys
The Journal
Visit the JournalDestination guides
Morocco beyond Marrakech: mountains, the Atlantic, the north and the desert
Marrakech is a wonderful doorway into Morocco, but only a doorway. Four directions that reveal a different country, and how to combine them sensibly.
5 min read
Planning a journey
Where to go when you only know you want to go somewhere
Sometimes the wish to travel arrives before the destination. A few honest questions – about feeling, interests, time, season, pace and budget – can narrow the world down to a handful of places.
4 min read
Planning a journey
Small-group travel: when the people become part of the journey
What small-group travel offers, where it asks for compromise, and how to tell whether it suits you – travelling solo, with friends or as a family.
4 min read
Where & when
Where to travel in April: to where spring has already arrived
While April in Lithuania is still mixing snow with sunshine, cherry trees bloom in Japan, rhododendrons in the Himalaya and the Atlas valleys turn green. Plus two warm exceptions: Guatemala and Egypt.
4 min read
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