Immortalised through the eponymous Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman movie and forever associated with honorary citizen Sir Winston Churchill, Casablanca is a sprawling, vibrant metropolis of close to 6.5 million inhabitants, 3.5 million of them living in the city itself.

Though not the seat of government, it is Morocco’s undisputed commercial capital, an enigmatic meeting place of western modernity and Arabic tradition. Casablanca (‘Dar el-Beïda’ in Moroccan Arabic, which translates as ‘White House’ in English) or Casa as it is known colloquially, was a tiny Berber settlement that became a home port for privateers, before turning into a trading post with Europe. Then, in the era of the French protectorate at the dawn of the 20th century, it mushroomed into what is today one of Africa’s four largest cities. It was the vision of French governor Marshal Lyautey that set in train a massive half-century project that rebuilt the city and its facilities until they outshone those of Marseille, the port that had been the inspiration.

Casablanca today uses 35% of the nation’s electricity and handles 41% of its exports. Thanks to one of the world’s largest artificial harbours, Casablanca dominates Morocco’s industrial and service sectors. Its suburbs contrast sumptuous villas with dreadful slums, while its downtown mixes the dowdy with the exquisite. You take it as you find it in Casablanca. Tourism is welcome but, essentially, Casablanca is a commercial hub that goes about its life in its own way at its own breakneck pace.

Fès (also spelled Fez and in Arabic, Fas) is the third largest city in Morocco, after Casablanca and Rabat. It lies in a valley bordered by the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, and on the old crossroads of caravan routes connecting the Saharan empires like Timbuktu with the Atlantic and the Mediterranean shipping lanes.

The most ancient and impressive of the imperial cities (Fès, Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat are known as the Imperial Cities, each having been the country's capital at some time during its history), it is still considered the cultural and spiritual centre of Morocco, the holiest city in the Islamic world after Mecca and Medina .

Fes is three distinct parts: Fes el-Bali (Old Fes), Fes el-Jdid (New Fes), and the modern, French-built Ville Nouvelle.

Fes el-Bali is the best preserved, continuously inhabited, medieval city still in existence. So precious are Fes's history, architecture, and culture, that it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Its medina is an unmappable maze of more than 9,000 alleys where mules are the only form of transport and life is a fascinating blend of medieval and modern. A far reaching conservation campaign has been attempting to preserve and interpret the remarkable historic legacy, with new uses being sought for fabulous old palaces, many of which are being restored by both Moroccan and foreign families.

Fes el-Jdid, south of the medina, is a 13th-century ‘new' town, home to the Dar el-Makhzen or Royal Palace (restored but closed to the public) and Mellah, the former Jewish quarter. The Ville Nouvelle is the city's modern business and commercial centre with wide boulevards, hotels, restaurants, cafés, bookshops, the university, the railway station and main bus terminus.

Snake charmers, magic potions and hidden palaces: Marrakech brings the most outlandish travellers’ tales to life. The pink city has waylaid desert caravans since the 11th century, as visitors succumb to the charms of its bluesy Gnaoua trance music, steamy hammams and multi-course feasts. 

Visitors to Marrakech often disappear down a maze of winding alleys and emerge days later, relaxed and refreshed from their stays in spectacular riads (courtyard guesthouses).

Adventure awaits in the medina (old city), with its fondouks (artisans’ workshops), seven zaouias (saints’ shrines) and stalls ladling up steaming bowls of snails and sheep’s head soup.

The focal point of Marrakech is its celebrated square, the Jemaa el Fna. Towering over the scene is the stately Koutoubia minaret, a template for Hispano-Mauresque architecture and a reminder of the importance of Islam to the lives of the city’s residents.

Always a byword for the exotic, the city that lured hedonists and idealists in the 20th century now attracts fashionistas and trendy couples in search of the souks, spices, spas, chic bars and clubs and riad life.