Marrakesh’s Djemma El Fna square is Morocco’s centerpiece. Within this square in Marrakesh, there are exotic performers, Moroccan chefs cooking in open air food stands, small shops welcoming you into the Marrakesh Medina, distinctly Moroccan cafes and high-end Moroccan restaurants. Djemma El Fna square is a crowded meeting place in Marrakesh that encapsulates fine Moroccan foods, crafts and culture. Surely, any trip to Morocco should include a stop at the square, which is also conveniently located near many historic mosques and palaces.

Morocco’s tanneries offer an opportunity to witness one of the country’s historic industries. The tanneries are where animal hide is stripped, dyed in colorful bins and sewed into a variety of products. The site of the tanneries is very iconic, with bins of organic dyes covering courtyards a pungent smell of bird dung and dye stinging the nostrils. Tour guides will walk you through the dying process, as it’s been done for over a century.

Turn the city life on its head and you’ll end up in the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is cold, empty and endless, much as it is portrayed in the movies. A trip to the desert might include a tour by locals living in the area, which you can explore by 4×4 or camel.

Meknes is a smaller city stop in Morocco, sheltered from the big city busyness. It is quiet yet genuine in its wide-array of ancient historical sites. A stop here lets you see a side of Morocco that doesn’t feel as touristy.

Rabat is the capital city of Morocco, which immediately helps it earn its position in the top ten. Aside from its prestige, Rabat has a wonderful Medina and clean neighborhoods that are interesting to explore. The city is extremely user friendly and easy to navigate.

No Morocco top ten would be complete without the country’s signature dish, tagine. Tagine is a quintessential dish that is baked in closed clay pot over a fire. The ingredients bake together and the dish is served with round Moroccan bread, which is used to eat with instead of a typical eating utensil.

Casablanca’s mosque, the Hassan II Mosque, is gigantic. In fact, it’s the seventh largest in the world. It overlooks the sea and is a testament to Morocco’s commitment to Islam. The architecture of this building alone is well worth the trip

Bartering in the Medina, whichever one you select, is a long-time tradition in Morocco. This long, drawn-out process of negotiations can feel tedious, but it requires that you get to know your salesperson and establish a relationship with him or her, something most people don’t do on the average shopping run.

Essaouira, Morocco’s popular port town on the Atlantic coast is an easy-going, enchanting and laid-back alternative to the frenetic melting-pot of Marrakesh. A painter’s dream location with its vibrant blue-and-white medina enclosed by fairy-tale, sand-coloured ramparts and imposing stone Babs. The colourful, traditional fishing port selling freshly caught fish right from the stalls is an adventure on its own with the thousands of seagulls hovering in the air waiting for a left-over scrap to grab. The place to be on the Atlantic coast!

Fes is an ancient relic of Morocco, and much of the city’s architecture highlights this fact. The Medina is full of history and character, and a trip to this part of town lets visitors revel in his antiquity.

The fairy-tale town of blue, hidden in northwest Morocco, here is where you will find the tranquil, quiet and wondrous millennia-old blue town of Chefchaouen. The distinctive powered blue-on-blue hued accents against the white-washed old medina walls can only be called magical, so be prepared to awaken your colour sense like never before in this mystical gem called Chefchaouen.

The High Atlas, North Africa’s greatest mountain range, is North Africa’s premier trekking destination, offering staggering peaks, well-trodden passes and of course the Toubkal National Park, home to the impressive Jebel Toubkal, north Africa’s highest mountain peak. Find a valley, path, hiking or trekking route and explore this magnificent mountain range with a local guide.