Car Hire: Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +212 (0)24 437 718. Open from 7am-11pm seven days a week.

Airport Transfer: Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport, then city or resort (easyjet.holidaytaxis.com).

Taxi: The fare is about MAD50-MAD60 and it's a 15-minute journey to the centre.

Bus: The hourly bus L19 goes to the Jemaa el Fna and takes 20-30 minutes. Tickets: MAD20 single; MAD30 return.

Le Boule de Neige
( Rue de Yougoslavie. Tel. 024 446 044 )
This café next to the legendary Pâtisserie Hilton has a pleasant sunny patio, perfect for a warm October morning. Great for breakfast or morning coffee.

Le Square
( Cnr Rue de Paris and Avenue Echouhada. Tel. 024 423 989 )
This walled garden restaurant is run by a friendly French couple who serve a diverse menu of Asian-French cuisine alongside traditional Moroccan fare and sushi.

Le Tobsil
( 22 Derb Abdellah Ben Hessaien, R'mila Bab Ksour. Tel. 024 441 523 )
A renowned restaurant in an elegant, restored riad deep in the medina, Le Tobsil is regarded by many as the best restaurant in Marrakech.

Villa Rosa
( 64 Avenue Hassan II. Tel. 024 430 832 )
The food may be expensive and the service variable, but this new restaurant/lounge bar that is currently the place for the It crowd to see and be seen.

Montecristo
( 20 Rue Ibn Aicha. Tel. 024 439 031 )
Ignore the restaurant and Cuban-themed central floor, and head straight for the candlelit roof terrace. Go before midnight for a mellow drink from the well-stocked bar.

Kozybar
( 47 Place des Ferblantier. Tel. 024 380 324 )
The Moscow-trained piano player and his bongo-thumping Moroccan sidekick perform a range of jazz and pop tracks at this lively restaurant/bar.

Totem
( Hotel Royal Mirage Deluxe, Rue de Paris . )
One of the more recently opened nightspots in Marrakech, Totem is a relatively small club with a reasonable-sized dance floor, snazzy bar and white leather seating.

For the genuine article, head to La Porte d'Orient. At first sight it looks like every other antiques shop, but make an appointment with the owner and you'll be shown a huge back room of fabulous antiques and artefacts (9 Boulevard Mansour Eddahbi).

Start your visit to Marrakech with a mint tea in Café de France on the Jemaa el Fna—head to the roof terrace for a sweeping panorama. With the bustle of story tellers, snake charmers, food stalls and other assorted oddities, there is no better way to absorb the wonderful, exotic spirit of the city.

A stroll along sophisticated Avenue Mohammed V and its arteries provides a pleasant respite from the intensity of the souks. It offers great shopping for hipsters and traditionalists, as well as a host of galleries showing new Moroccan art.

The date harvest is celebrated throughout Morocco, so October is the time to indulge in one of the country's most delicious delicacies. In restaurants, look out for salads and tagines (stews) scattered with the sweet and sticky fruit.

High Atlas – The High Atlas Mountains are a mere 40 kilometres from Marrakech—just an hour's taxi ride away. Here you can trek, ride, ski or simply soak up the purity of the air and inhale the delicious smells of the autumn fruit harvest.

Marrakech boasts the largest souk in Morocco, so there's no better place to go shopping. The main square, Jemaa el Fna, is one of the busiest in Africa.

Compiled by Sara Townsend