Must-see attractions in Morocco

  • Jardin Majorelle

    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,…

  • Night view of Djemaa el Fna square, Marrakech

    Djemaa El Fna

    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),…

  • Musée Yves Saint Laurent

    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…

  • Bahia Palace

    Marrakesh

    La Bahia (The Beautiful) is an 8000-sq-metre, floor-to-ceiling extravagance of intricate marquetry, plasterwork and zouak (painted wood), and certainly…

  • Koutoubia Mosque in the southwest medina quarter of Marrakesh, Morocco; Shutterstock ID 533973463

    Koutoubia Mosque

    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…

  • MARRAKECH, MOROCCO. 11 th June, 2017: saadian tombs view, The mausoleum comprises the interments of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty that originated in the valley of the Draa River; Shutterstock ID 663962023

    Saadian Tombs

    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…

  • Dune at sunset, Sahara

    Erg Chigaga

    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…

  • Maison Traditionnelle

    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,…

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    Volubilis

    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…

  • Badia Palace

    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…

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    Hassan II Mosque

    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…

  • green plants in garden at Palmeraie museum in Morocco; Musée de la Palmeraie

 Shutterstock ID 777811729; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Musée de la Palmeraie

    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…

  • Grand Socco (April 9 1947 Square), New City, Tangier, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

    Grand Socco

    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,…

  • Comptoir des Mines

    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…

  • Anima Garden

    Ourika Valley

    Nestled in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, Anima Garden is a space designed by multimedia artist André Heller. Surprising sculptures…

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    Medina

    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…

  • The Medina (Old City), Tangier, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

    Medina

    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…

  • Morocco, Essaouira, Medina, Carpet shops

    Medina

    Essaouira

    Surrounded by dramatic, wave-lashed ramparts, the narrow streets, hassle-free souqs, street vendors and vibrant galleries of Essaouira's walled medina…

  • Petit Socco

    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,…

  • Medina

    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…

  • Cité Portugaise

    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…

  • 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…

  • Musée de Oasis

    Dadès Valley

    Inside the Ksar El Khorbat, this award-winning museum traces tribal migrations through 22 rooms of carefully curated artefacts of seminomadic life:…

  • Plaza de África

    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…

  • Ecomusée Berbère

    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 …

  • Kasbah des Caids

    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…

  • Glaoui Kasbah

    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…

  • Taourirt Kasbah

    Ouarzazate

    Unlike other Glaoui-era kasbahs, Taourirt escaped ruin by moonlighting as a Hollywood backdrop (Sheltering Sky, Gladiator, Prince of Persia) and…

  • Dar Si Said

    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,…

  • Palmeraie

    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…

  • Amezrou

    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…

  • Royal Artisan School

    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…

  • Melilla La Vieja

    Melilla

    Perched over the Mediterranean, Melilla la Vieja is a prime example of the fortress strongholds that the Spaniards built along the Moroccan littoral…

  • Palacio de Asamblea

    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…

  • Murallas Reales

    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…

  • Calligraphie Tifinaghe

    Anti Atlas Mountains

    Poet and calligrapher Moulid Nidouissadan paints Amazigh (Berber) proverbs and colourful compositions from natural inks. Free to every visitor is a…

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