Fez

While curiously oft-ignored on the usual touristic line-up of medieval Moroccan cityscapes, Fez is actually a veritable plethora of superlatives that make it unquestionably worth the trek inland from the Atlantic or Alboran Seas. For one, its dual medina towns are hailed as Morocco’s best preserved. For two, it’s said to have the largest pedestrianized old town of any Arabic city, with a history that hits right to the beginning of Arab settlement in all of North Africa. Consequently, eye-popping historical sights abound here ad infinitum, and your Fez tourist guide will be quick to recommend a trip to the Fes el Bali medina, where the arabesque walls of prestigious al-Qarawiyyin University (the oldest institution of its kind on the planet) rub shoulders with the famous multi-coloured tannery pits and countless elegant riad homes. Once you’ve lost yourself sufficiently in the winding roadways of the old medina and its endless historical narratives, why not take a break at one of the Kasbah coffee lounges or tagine joints and take in the hubbub of this still living and breathing aged city.