With great fish and seafood – the town is renowned for its oysters – and a range of accommodation options, it's a popular weekend and summer retreat for Marrakshis and Casablancais, and the perfect destination for those in need of a break from the city hubbub.

Moroccan cuisine is a genuine melting pot – alongside Amazigh (Berber) influences, Arabs, Moors, Ottoman Turks, and French all left their culinary mark. One of the best ways to discover it is on a street-food tour. Fearless foodies sample everything from snail soup to boiled sheep’s head, plus tempting sweet treats such as chebakia (deep-fried dough coated in sesame seeds) and wild honey.To avoid a squeeze or unpredictable delay, offer to pay for more than one place or even take the whole vehicle – an inter-city trip is around Dh50. You can also negotiate to rent out a grand taxi and driver for a country-wide itinerary. Only a handful of top-end hotels have accessibly designed rooms. Booking ground-floor rooms is essential as few hotels have elevators, but accommodation in Gueliz is more likely to have them. Vision- or hearing-impaired travellers are poorly catered for. Hearing loops, Braille signs and talking pedestrian crossings are nonexistent. The award-winning Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech reopens on September 17 after the summer break with a new temporary exhibition that will feature paintings of Morocco by French artist Théophile-Jean Delaye.

While many Moroccans speak English, the local language is Darija (Moroccan Arabic), with some French thrown in (and Spanish in the north). If you want to impress the locals, Darija Direct is an app that will help you get to grips with the Darija language. Planning tip: While you're in the area, visit the imperial city of Meknes and the fantastically preserved ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis. 8. Tangier Detour: Stay atop the hill overlooking Plage Sfiha at Casa Paca, a friendly bed-and-breakfast run by the half-Spanish, half-Moroccan owner, Joaquin, and his wife, Nabila. Dinners here are delicious. Open June to October. 6. M’DiqThe souqs are filled with fake tennis shoes, which are just that: fakes. Many Moroccans don't care whether their Nikes are original; they just want the best price for the latest styles. 6. Cash or card? Marrakesh has few accessible facilities, but the city is not necessarily out of bounds for travelers with a physical disability and a sense of adventure. Narrow medina streets and rutted pavements can make wheelchair access difficult; the neighborhood of Gueliz is easier to navigate. Buses in Marrakesh are not wheelchair friendly, but the City Tour Marrakech is wheelchair accessible and an excellent way to get between many of the city's top sights. Petits taxis in Marrakesh are too small to accommodate wheelchairs, but grands taxis should be able to – they typically cost about 50% more per journey. Eating and drinking get the most out of your gastronomic experience as we reveal the regional dishes and drinks you have to try Take some time to connect with the Imazighen people living in the region. A glimpse into their simple life and grounding way of being is food for the soul. 2. Marrakesh

Morocco’s rich musical culture boasts influences from Amazigh to Andalusian, Arabian to sub-Saharan, and it’s fast becoming a top spot for music festivals showcasing eclectic rhythms. Whether you come for the sun, the surf, the wind sports, the outdoors, local festivals or the rich culture, here's a guide to the best times to travel to Morocco. A mixture of French, Arabic, Amazigh and English is spoken in Morocco, depending on where you are in the country. Don't expect everyone to speak English. Apps like Google Translate can be useful, but learning some basic Arabic phrases will reward you with feeling more connected and engaged with people you meet. 8. Respect the motto of ‘God, king and country’ Casablanca’s most iconic landmark is the Hassan II Mosque, one of the world’s largest mosques, open to non-Muslims on guided tours. The monumental prayer hall can hold 25,000 worshippers – another 80,000 can fit in the courtyards outside – and it showcases the finest Moroccan crafts, with hand-carved stucco, painted wood, and stunning zellige (mosaic tilework). From golden sand dunes to the lofty peaks of the High Atlas mountains, Morocco is an adventurer's dream. Epic landscapes carpet this slice of North Africa like the richly patterned rugs you’ll lust after in the souqs.The Tizi n’Test is one of the most beautiful, and most dangerous, drives in Morocco. An impressive feat of French engineering, this High Atlas pass reaches a vertigo-inducing 2100m (6890ft). It’s not for the fainthearted – only one-car wide in places, there are precipitous drops aplenty, and local drivers often barrel around blind bends at speed. But take your eyes off the road for an instant – preferably at a roadside cafe – and the views will take your breath away. If you have more time, the week-long Toubkal circuit follows centuries-old trails between remote Amazigh villages, crossing fertile valleys, rugged massifs and panoramic passes. En route, watch out for tree-climbing goats perched on the branches of argan trees (photo ops usually come with a price tag) and argan oil products from women’s cooperatives. Around 30km (19 miles) before Essaouira, Bbio Organic Farm makes the perfect family-friendly pit stop. You’ll be shown their ingenious farming techniques, before a leisurely alfresco lunch of homemade bread, fresh juices and seasonal salads dressed in hand-pressed olive oil (book in advance). Along the beach you'll find restaurants serving fish, some with playgrounds for kids. Take a dip to cool off, or rent a jet ski or paddleboat from the marina to mix things up. At night, beach clubs bump and shimmer for the party crowd. 5. Sfiha

A host of literary figures have taken their inspiration from this legendary port city over the years. William S. Burroughs penned Naked Lunch at the Hotel El-Muniria, where you can still take a mint tea on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. And Paul Bowles made Tangier his home for more than 50 years, using it as both subject and setting for The Sheltering Sky. Visit his exhibition at the Tangier American Legation Museum, then follow in his footsteps to Café Hafa overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar. Detour: From Ouarzazate, follow the N9 southeast through the remote oasis outposts of the Draa Valley to M’Hamid on the fringes of the Sahara, where you can climb aboard a camel – or drive – to a desert camp among the dunes of Erg Chigaga. Tips for driving in Morocco Marrakesh to Taroudant; 230km (143 miles), around 5 hours with no stops (the pass itself is 49km/30 miles long and takes around 75–90 minutes) Within easy reach of Europe, many come to Morocco for the year-round sunshine, all-inclusive beach vacations and a rich cultural heritage with historic cities so well preserved that it seems time travel is possible. Travel a little deeper to discover wilderness areas and a sense of remoteness. Buses are a wallet-friendly way to crisscross the country. The two major national bus companies offer a reliable, comfortable service – you’ll even get wi-fi and extra leg room if you go for the “luxe” option.A 10-minute drive south of the Riffian city Al Hoceima, Plage Sfiha curves along the shore. It's a popular beach, with families lounging under umbrella seating and eating at restaurants during the summer, but its most remarkable aspect is the white-washed island just off the coast: El Peñón de Alhucemas, a Spanish-controlled post-colonial relic. Lonely Planet's Morocco is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore the Marrakesh medina, wander the blue alleyways of Chefchaouen, and chill on a Mediterranean beach; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Morocco and begin your journey now! From Unesco World Heritage–listed cities to modern metropoles, arid deserts to snowy peaks, wild Atlantic beaches to secluded Mediterranean coves, Morocco has a place for all types of travelers. At the Majorelle Garden, gates open earlier than usual at 8am so you can beat the heat and the crowds. You can book online for easy access, too. In the garden, the Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Art has just reopened after a period of renovation. For the first half of the 20th century, Tangier was one of the Mediterranean’s most cosmopolitan resorts, an International Zone with a bohemian vibe beloved by the Beat Generation in the 1950s.