Marrakech is Morocco's fourth-largest city, an imperial trade capital founded in 1062 at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains. Travellers who know Casablanca as Morocco's commercial coast, Fes as its medieval academic centre, or Essaouira as its relaxed coastal enclave will find Marrakech distinct again: a walled, UNESCO-listed Medina of souks, palaces and Quranic colleges set against modern French-built districts, palm-grove estates and resort compounds. It functions as both a cultural destination in its own right and the main gateway for trips into the High Atlas, the Agafay desert and the Sahara beyond.

Getting there means landing at Marrakech Menara, 5 to 7 kilometres from the Medina, or arriving via Casablanca's larger long-haul hub and continuing by rail or road. Inside the Medina, cars cannot pass through most alleys, so bags move by handcart between gates and riads. Weather rewards timing: spring and autumn bring warm days and cool nights, while summer runs past 38°C and pushes many visitors toward the coast instead. Winter nights drop to single digits, and thick riad walls built for summer cooling can leave rooms cold without confirmed heating. Marrakech typically anchors a Moroccan itinerary of three to five nights.