What it is
A hill town of about 40,000 people at roughly 600 metres, where the walls and stairs of the old quarter are painted in shades of blue. The medina is small enough to walk in a couple of hours. The Spanish Mosque on the hill opposite is a 30-minute climb for the view over the town.
Why go
It is a change of pace after Fes or Tangier, and the mountain air is a relief in summer. Day walks go into Talassemtane National Park and up to the Akchour waterfalls.
When to go
Spring and autumn. It rains more here than anywhere else on a standard Morocco route and winter is genuinely cold. The lanes are busy with day-trippers from about 11am to 4pm; the town is quiet either side of that, which is the argument for staying the night. It is four hours from Fes and about two from Tangier, with no train.
Most people stay 1-2 nights.