Marrakech or hustle and bustle

Immerse yourself in the city of expansion. Try out new experiences from the range of possibilities on offer to visitors in Marrakech. Be at one with the rhythm of this legendary city, which gave its name to Morocco. Cosmopolitan, international Marrakech, like its archetypal counterparts of Madrid, Paris, Barcelona and London, surprises by its creative energy. The ramparts, gardens and fine palaces of the imperial city's golden age are now the backdrop for cultural, sporting, artistic and economic fervour.  

Lost Tourist Discovers Asilah

Once a blight on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, Asilah has blossomed into something beautiful thanks to the ideas of two friends and the commitment of an entire community. Sarah Gilbert tells us its story. The man lifted the pointed hood of his djellabah against the breeze, reached for his brush and began to paint a dramatic swirl of colour onto the whitewashed medina wall. People stopped to watch him work, even offering to hold his ladder. Far from a Moroccan Banksy, he was just one of the many artists that flock to the white-cubed town of Asilah for its annual festival, the International Cultural Moussem.

From Stylish Marrakech To Essaouira

It'a the kind of place one first hears about in a yoga class, discussed in heated whispers between sun salutations. Or while eavesdropping on two model types with French accents in a cafe. About 10 years ago that place might have been Tulum, Mexico, but these days it's Essaouira, a tiny white-walled port city on Morocco's Atlantic coast.

While Marrakech is increasingly attracting stylish travelers from all over Europe to North Africa, the stylish expatriates of Marrakesh drive two hours to Essaouira (pronounced ess-ah-WEER-ah) for the weekend to escape the crowds. "I think of Essaouira as the beach of Marrakech," said an American transplant, Nancy Bridger, over coffee in Pâtisserie Driss, known for its brusque service but Paris-worthy croissants.

Discover Marrakch in 36 Hours

IN 1939, George Orwell wrote of Westerners flocking to Marrakech in search of “camels, castles, palm-trees, Foreign Legionnaires, brass trays and bandits.” Ever since, the city has been ravishing visitors with its teeming souks, ornate palaces and sybaritic night life. In recent years, a succession of high-end openings and restorations — most notably, the lavish reopening of the hotel La Mamounia — has transformed the city into an obligatory stop for jet-setters. Yet despite Marrakesh’s new cachet, the true treasures of the enigmatic city still hide down dusty side streets and behind sagging storefronts.

From Marrakech In To the Sahara

THE EMFRY ROAD turns into a track that peters out into desert floor, with holes here and there - mice? snakes? - and even in February the sun is intense. The land stretches out in all directions, shimmering to an uncertain horizon. From out of the heat haze materialises a figure, indistinct as a mirage. The figure takes shape: a young woman, incongruous in jeans and T-shirt, walking out of nothing, two wolf-like creatures circling her.