What ever your expectations of Marrakesh are, if you are a first time visitor, you can be guaranteed that they will be exceeded. Marrakesh is not just a city of history and architecture, but also a city of relaxation, of youth, and of culture. To demonstrate the full array of experience that Marrakesh has to offer its visitors, here's a short list of some of the must visit sites.

For the young, beautiful, and those who fancy themselves as much, Nikki Beach situated in the centre of the Palmeraie, has put Marrakesh on an equal footing with party-holiday destinations such as Ibiza. With great music, white mattresses, friendly serving staff, and of course the wonderful swimming pool, you would be forgiven for forgetting you were in Africa and mistaking your surroundings for Los Angeles. Open from noon until 7p.m. this is the perfect place to relax, sip a cocktail, and indulge in international cuisine.

Theatre and the performing arts is another area in which Marrakesh will blow your mind; and in this case, not because of what they have, but because of what they do without having. If you search for theatres and opera house, you will not find an abundance, however, if you search for performing arts, you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find. Music is a fundamental part of Moroccan culture and nowhere is the influence of Andalusian, Berber, Arabic and the sub-Saharan cultures felt more so than in Marrakesh. As you walk down the streets, or stop in a town square you find street performers and musicians enchanting passers by with their talents and skills.

In terms of festivals, the Popular Arts Festival in Jemma el Fna which takes place in July will allow you the opportunity to experience all of these skills concentrated in one place; storytelling, acrobatics, and the Gnaoua musicians, which combines trance music with more traditional African types, to name just a few. If you are planning a trip during this period, you should expect large crowds, and crowded hotels. Both hotels and hostels get booked up fairly quickly for this period, and so if you are planning a trip it is advised to make your accommodation arrangements and reservations well ahead of time.

Shopping in Marrakesh is somewhat like the performing arts it doesn't have a permanent official home but rather exists on every street corner and is a fundamental part of Marrakesh culture.

When in Marrakesh, it's its markets, or souks that are the main attraction. No generic malls here; the shopping experience is all genuine North African. The shouks are roughly divided by type of product, for example the Kimakhin is famous for its instruments, Hadaddine for metal work, and the Siyyaghin for its jewelry. There are many souks in the area, and so it is highly advised to ask your hotel staff for specific recommendations.