• Djemma El Fna is the highlight of any Marrakech night. Musicians, dancers and story tellers pack this square at the heart of the medina, filling it with a cacophony of drum beats and excited shouts. Scores of stalls sell a wide array of Moroccan fare (see the Eat section) and you will almost certainly be accosted by women wanting to give you a henna tattoo. Many beggars and touts.

• The souks (suuqs) or markets of Marrakech, just adjacent to Place Jema El Fna, is where you can buy most anything. From spices to shoes, jalabas to kaftans, tea pots to tagines and much, much more. Undoubtedly, being a foreigner will still mean you will end up paying a higher price for whatever you are buying than a native would, but be sure to bargain nonetheless.

• Koutoubia mosque, Just adjacent to Djemma El Fna. It is said that the minaret of the Koutoubia mosque is to Marrakech as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. The minaret is visible from Gueliz which is connected to the Medina by Ave. Mohammed V.

• Majorelle Gardens, in Gueliz. With entrance fee of 30 dirhams, it is more expensive than other attractions but provides an excellent respite from the hustle and bustle of the city streets. The park boasts a collection of plants from across the globe, including what seems like every cactus species on the planet. Inside the gardens is also the Museum of Islamic Art, for which an additional entrance fee is charged.

• Musee Dar si Said, on Rue Riad Zitoun Jdid. A museum 5 minutes walk from Djemma El Fna, and a little tricky to find. Set in an old palace, and houses many different artifacts from Morocco through the ages, such as wood carvings, musical instruments and weapons.

• Ben Youssef madrasa

• El Bahia palace Ornate and beautiful this is popular with guided tours and stray cats. Nice garden with banana flowers, tranquil courtyards. Admission, 10dh.

• El Badi palace Now in ruins and inhabited by storks and stray cats. Some underground passageways to explore. Admission, 10dh. The view from the terrace is majestic.

• Hot Air Ballooning Take a relaxing flight up in the sky in a hot air balloon with, looking over the breath taking views of Marrakesh. Fly over the wide open tranquil deserts and the small local villages while travelling through the sky in a relaxed and peaceful manner. This fantastic activity is available to any one with a sense of adventure and an interest in the magnificent culture that Morocco has to offer. An opportunity not to be missed with:
  • Ciel d'Afrique [9]. Marrakesh, southern. Children-friendly.

• Yoga has become increasingly popular in recent years as visitors come to the city either as individuals or with organised trips. Although it's been slower to take off than in other parts of the world, Marrakech is Morocco's yoga centre.

• Tours Marrakech can make a good base for exploring the Atlas Mountains or for organising one to four day Sahara treks. While there are countless agencies on Ave Mohammed V that will organise such tours for those seeking the comfort of an air-conditioned 4x4 and have money to spare, budget travellers may want to check out the Marrakech stalwart Sahara Tours (Rue Bam Marme et Mouahidine, Tel (044) 42-79-77 / 42-97-47. fax (044) 42-79-72)

Hostel Marrakech Adventures in Morocco, [10]. Offers information and secure reservations for many tours and excursions departing from Marrakech. Included in the range of tours available are day trips to Essouaira, Imlil, the Ouzoud cascades and 2, 3 and 4 day tours to the desert (including Zagora and merzouga). Other options include

• The impressive 110 meter waterfall, the Cascades d'Ouzoud are about 160km away and are well worth a day trip visiting.

• Chez Chegrouni, Tagine 35 DH, Harira 15 DH. Near the main entrance to the market. Maybe the best cheap restaurant in the square. Their vegetarian couscous (30dh,) is supposedly the only true vegetarian couscous in town; it's also bland but they give you plenty of it. Prices go up if you sit on the terrace. Usually packed full of good-time tourists.

• Cafe Alhamra On the edge of the square, serves up salads, pizza and pasta as well as a tagine of the day. Their rooftop is a good place to have a late night coffee and pastry while watching the events in the square below.

• Cafe Agrana On the edge of Djemma El Fna. Try the pastilla - a sweet/savory pie (either chicken or, for the adventerous, pigeon) that melts in the mouth.

• La Makarechi opposite the market and adjacent to the newspaper stand. With two main courses and wine running at around 300 Dh, this is one of the poshest restaurants in the square. The food is not necessarily better than elsewhere, but it is one of the few restaurants that serve alcohol. It also has a completely enclosed upstairs terrace, which is ideal for views of the square when the weather is bad.

• Chez El Bahia 50m away from Djemma El Fna on Rue Riad Zitoune (the street that starts at Wafa Restaurant). Excellent and good priced food in a quiet place. Try the chicken and olives tajine and prune, almonds and mutton tajine for about 45 Dh each. Try also the moroccan salad while they cook the rest of the food.

• The two places in the southeast corner serve much the same menu. Popular with travellers for breakfast. Set breakfasts at 20 dh with orange juice, coffee, tasteless pastry and choice of limp omlette or greasy crepe.

• Cafe Mabrouk (off Jma el-Fna). Serves the same thing as everywhere else in a little courtyard or terrace. Bland, hard pizzas, 35 dh.

Take care eating the offered food on the main market place Djemma El Fna and the other cheap restaurants. Many of the dishes, including goat heads and bowls of local snails (hot and tasty) may seem too adventurous for the Western palate, but the main problems are salads, which can cause diarrhea.

Vegetarians will find that there are few options outside the ubiquitous Tagine avec Legumes.

For more upscale eateries, and especially for non-Morroccan cuisine, you will have to go outside the Medina to Ville Nouvelle.