The city is also blessed with an ideal location. Just one hour away from the heat and the crowds of the city, you can be strolling through the High Atlas foothills of the Ourika Valley, or striking off into the wilder territory around Mount Toubkal, barely visited except by the animals and their Berber shepherds.

Valleys cut through the range and spill out south and east towards the Sahara. Dot ted with red-coloured kasbahs, riotous palm groves and largely unremarkable towns, the spectacular natural settings exemplify the maxim that ‘it is better to travel than to ar rive’. The best time to visit is undoubtedly early spring. If you can, avoid Marrakesh during the months of July and August.