North Morocco or south Morocco — which is better?

There's no universal winner here — north and south Morocco have genuinely different characters, and the right one depends on what you came for. The south is what most people picture as classic Morocco: Marrakech as your gateway, the High Atlas mountains, kasbah-lined valleys, Ait Ben Haddou, and above all the Sahara at Merzouga or Zagora. If your trip is built around the desert, the mountains and Marrakech's energy, you're really planning a southern trip, and that's where most first-timers rightly start.

The north is quieter, greener and more Mediterranean-Andalusian in feel, and I love it for returning visitors. It's home to Chefchaouen, the blue-painted mountain town; Fes, the most intact medieval medina in the Arab world and Morocco's spiritual and cultural heart; Tangier, the storied gateway with its European-bohemian past; Tetouan and the Rif mountains; and a stretch of Mediterranean coast. It sees fewer tour-bus crowds in places, and the Andalusian influence gives the architecture and food a distinct accent.

Geographically Morocco is large, so trying to do deep north and deep south in one short trip means a lot of driving. A common, sensible spine links them — Marrakech up through the imperial cities to Fes, with the desert hanging off the south — but if time is tight you're better committing to one region and doing it well. The south generally has the more developed desert-and-mountain tourism machine; the north rewards travellers who like discovering somewhere a little less packaged.

Choose the south for a first trip and the bucket-list trio of Marrakech, the High Atlas and the Sahara. Choose the north, or weight your trip there, if you want Chefchaouen's blue lanes, Fes's medieval depth, Tangier's romance and a calmer, less-touristed feel — especially if you've already done the classic south. Both are wonderful; the south is the greatest hits, the north is the deep cut that committed Morocco-lovers fall for.