Is it better to stay inside the medina or the new town?

This is one of the first decisions every traveller faces in a Moroccan city, and my answer for most first-timers is clear: stay inside the medina. The medina is the walled old city — the maze of lanes, souks, mosques and palaces that is the reason you came to Morocco in the first place. Staying there in a riad means you step out of your door straight into the life of it, you are within walking distance of nearly every sight, and you experience the city as it has been for centuries, including the wonderful early mornings before the day-trippers arrive.

The new town — the Ville Nouvelle, laid out during the French era — is a different world: wide boulevards, modern cafés and shops, international hotels, and crucially, cars and parking. It is calmer, cleaner-lined and more familiar to a Western eye. The trade-off is that you are no longer inside the magic; you will take a taxi or a ten-to-fifteen-minute walk to reach the medina each day, and you miss the atmosphere of waking up within the old walls. For some travellers that distance is exactly the point.

So who should choose the new town? Anyone driving their own car, because medina riads are not car-accessible and parking inside is impossible — a new-town hotel with a car park removes a real headache. Travellers who prioritise quiet, modern bathrooms and predictability over character. Business visitors. And those on longer stays who like a calmer base to return to each evening. In Marrakech, the Gueliz and Hivernage districts and the greener Palmeraie on the edge of town are the popular new-town and resort alternatives.

My usual recommendation blends both ideas. For a typical week, base yourself in a medina riad in each city for the immersion, and if you are self-driving, simply arrange a drop-off point and let the riad guide you in on foot — many will send someone to meet you. If you genuinely value calm and convenience above all, a new-town or Palmeraie hotel is a perfectly good choice; just know you are trading some romance for ease. There is no wrong answer, only the one that matches how you like to travel.