Morocco holidays

Riad accommodation is the trip's organising principle in the imperial cities. A riad is a traditional Moroccan courtyard house, restored as a 5-12 room boutique hotel — the courtyard is the cool centre with a fountain or small pool, the rooms wrap around it, and the rooftop terrace provides medina views and dinner service. Marrakech and Fes have hundreds of riads ranging from £40-300/night. The headline luxury tier — La Mamounia in Marrakech (since 1923, where Churchill stayed), Royal Mansour, Selman Marrakech, La Sultana in both Marrakech and Oualidia, and Riad Yacout in Fes — sits at £500-1500/night.

Food is Morocco's deepest cultural pleasure. Tagines (slow-cooked stews named after the conical clay vessel they're cooked in — lamb-and-prune, chicken-and-preserved-lemon, kefta meatball, vegetarian) are universal. Couscous traditionally served on Fridays. Bread (khobz) accompanies every meal. The pastilla — a sweet-savoury filo-pastry pie of pigeon, almonds, sugar and cinnamon — is the Moroccan ceremonial dish. Mint tea (sometimes called "Berber whiskey") is the universal welcome. Modern Moroccan fine dining has emerged at Plus 61 and El Fenn in Marrakech, Restaurant Numero 7 in Fes, and the rooftop scene generally. Street food: snail soup at the Jemaa el-Fnaa, msemen flatbread for breakfast, sardines grilled on the Atlantic coast.

The High Atlas trekking is one of Morocco's under-promoted strengths. Mount Toubkal climb is 2-3 days from Imlil village (1,700m base) via the Toubkal Refuge to the 4,167m summit — North Africa's highest peak, technical only in winter. The Ait Bougmez "Happy Valley" further east offers Berber-village lodge stays (Tigmi, Dar Itrane) with day-walks through the agricultural valley. The Berber-language villages of the Atlas are a different cultural register from urban Morocco — Tamazight is spoken; agriculture (apples, walnuts, saffron, argan) is the economic base; the village cooperatives that produce argan oil offer cultural tours.

UK travellers don't need a visa for stays up to 90 days. Arabic and Berber (Tamazight) are official; French is the working language of business and tourism — useful but not essential; English is widely spoken in main tourist areas. The Moroccan Dirham (MAD) is the currency; cards work in upscale hotels and restaurants but cash is king for souqs and small purchases. Tipping is expected — 10-15% in restaurants, small change for petits-taxis, dirhams for porters and guides. Dress modestly outside resorts (shoulders covered, knees covered for women; long trousers preferred for men at religious sites).

Best for: cultural-immersion travellers, food and souq travellers, photographers (Marrakech and Fes are among the world's most-photographed cities), adventure travellers (Atlas trekking, Sahara), riad/hammam relaxation travellers, families with older children (the Sahara camel trek and medina exploration suit ages 8+). The best window is October-November and February-April — warm days, cool evenings, no rain. June-August brings 40°C+ in Marrakech and Fes; the Atlantic coast at Essaouira stays cool year-round.