Three hours' flight and another world: souks, mint tea on the roof terrace and the Atlas on the horizon – Morocco is my favourite short-haul destination for winter.
Photo: Paul Macallan (Unsplash)
I've been to Morocco several times, and every time it begins in Marrakesh: the Jemaa el-Fnaa square in the evening with its entertainers, food stalls and snake charmers, the souks behind it where getting lost is part of the experience, and at night the calm of the riad, a townhouse built around a courtyard. The city doesn't need more than three days – then the country beckons.
Over the Tizi n'Tichka pass in the High Atlas you head to Ouarzazate and the Dadès Valley, then into the Sahara near Merzouga: a camel ride into the dunes, a night in a tent, sunrise over Erg Chebbi. That's the classic round trip, eight days with a driver or hire car – the roads are good.
If you want the sea, drive three hours from Marrakesh to Essaouira, the white harbour town with wind, surfers and fresh fish on the quayside. Morocco is ideal in winter: 20 degrees in Marrakesh, cool in the mountains, and prices are low.
Marrakesh: a riad in the medina. Desert: a camp near Merzouga. Essaouira: the old town by the sea. Fez for culture, Chefchaouen for the blue city.
I almost always compare hotels, apartments and guesthouses on Booking.com – with genuine reviews and usually free cancellation.
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