Sat on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, Essaouira is the perfect, peaceful remedy to the hustle and bustle of Marrakech, its streets just as full of traditional culture and character. So idyllic that scenes for Game of Thrones were filmed here, this former fishing village is a hub of history, culture, and music.

Here, the spice scented lanes are lined with art galleries and boutiques, ideally for wandering, while the French-built, 16th-century ramparts are a scenic spot from which to breath in a lungful of the famous ‘alizee’, the coastal wind that is the city’s constant companion. The lanes of the UNESCO-listed medina are picturesquely colourful, shutters painted to match the sea, walls to compliment the pinks of the sunset, the souk a treasure trove of trinkets. Keep an eye out for the women churning argan oil with horizontal wheels – a great souvenir to consider especially as you’ve seen it produced before your very eyes.

Wend your way through the atmospheric pathways to reach the old port, where small blue fishing boats bob on the calm waters and, if you time it right, the air is alive with the sounds and smells of a fish market, the wares just-pulled-out-of-the-water fresh.