Explore Marrakesh or the Atlas Mountains beyond, on a family-friendly bike tour with AXS. High-quality Giant road bikes, mountain bikes (including kids' bikes) and helmets are provided. If you like rummaging for second-hand goods, Thursday and Sunday are the best days for finding treasures at Souk El Khemis in the north of the Medina. Florence d'Arabia, a vintage shop, has interesting finds. There are a growing number of yoga studios in the city. While yoga sessions can be arranged by some hotels, avoid paying the premium for a private class and join a local studio. Root Holistic Center, close to Jardin Majorelle, runs several classes daily. Drop-in yoga classes from Dh180, a weekend pass Dh450, and a five-day pass Dh800. The Villa Oasis house isn’t open to the general public (only a handful of very high-end hotels are allowed to run exclusive tours here), so you might just have to imagine the sumptuousness of its interiors. The salon is a masterpiece of Moroccan craftsmanship with elaborate painted cedarwood, magnificent zellige (colorful geometric tilework) and museum-quality art deco furniture. Yves Saint Laurent Memorial But then you hit Mouassine – a showcase of the medina’s changing face, where a fresh breed of boutiques, Mediterranean-inspired rooftop restaurants and lounge-style cafes are making their mark.

Marrakesh can get intense on all levels – noise, smell and pace – so, thankfully, the city offers plentiful places to retreat, whether it be one of the city's parks, gardens, spas or holistic centers. Relax in the shade of the city's free parks: Cyber Park, Agdal Garden and Lalla Hasna Park. Don’t worry if you feel uncomfortable, especially starting off. Haggling is the culture of Morocco, it’s an expectation, and an experience in and of itself. If you happen to wander through less touristy areas, you’ll likely see locals haggling in French or Arabic as well, carrying baskets around to gather their groceries. The biggest difference you’ll see are the goods; kettles, electric fans, and piles of t-shirts and jeans. What to buy in Marrakesh Lanterns Bab Doukkala and Riad Laârous are the shrinking violets of the medina: quiet neighborhoods with few visitor attractions and still enough residents to outnumber tourists. And therein lies their charm. There are just a couple of small museums in this area, but the real attraction is the Bab Doukkala market strip running northwest from the mosque to Bab Doukkala gate, thronged by local shoppers. Bab Doukkala in particular is a wonderful window into authentic Marrakshi life without the tourist trappings. This neighborhood has all the fun of medina life with little of the wear-you-down hassle that's commonplace in the souqs. Unsurprisingly, this makes it one of the nicest quarters to book riad accommodation, and there are some lovely options.

Cooking tagine for two:

Closest to the entrance, the single-storey Petit Riad is similar in layout and size to traditional houses of the medina, but it's notable for the ornamentation of its salons. Its walls of intensely elaborate white plasterwork are inscribed with verses from the Quran. In the 19th century when it was originally decorated, this plaster would have been carved in situ while wet – just imagine the artisan skill required to work so swiftly and accurately. Inside the gardens, the former servants' quarters house Café Majorelle, a lovely, leafy spot for tea or cake. Just outside the entrance of Jardin Majorelle, MyKawa serves salads, sandwiches and Moroccan breakfasts with a dash of Mediterranean style. How to get to Jardin Majorelle

Restaurants are a low point of these neighborhoods: there isn't a whole lot of choice. Neither Bab Doukkala nor Riad Laârous have big craft souqs or contemporary design shops, though you'll still find areas where artisans can be seen at work and sell a small selection of pieces, particularly behind the Bab Doukkala Mosque and along Arset Aouzal. You might also like: Alkamar Camp is open to day visitors, offering the opportunity to spend an afternoon by their pool with incredible views. Enjoy a desert sunset and dinner for Dh450 per person. Time out to recharge

Wooden chess board:

Along with Mouassine, Kâat Ben Nahid is the core of the old medina, with scrawls of close-knit alleyways hiding sumptuous 17th-century riads. On its western edge is the Mnebhi Palace, now the Musée de Marrakech. This is also where you'll find Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, a clutch of excellent museums and, to the east, one of the medina's poorest districts, home to the malodorous Bab Debbagh tanneries. The High Atlas Mountains rise due south of Marrakesh, making it easy to escape into stunning mountain scenery. These rugged valleys – bone-dry in summer, but often surprisingly green at other times – are dotted with pretty Amazigh villages, beautiful waterfalls and dramatic viewpoints. It's just 90km (55 miles) from Marrakesh to Imlil, the most popular hub for exploring Morocco's section of the Atlas range. Marrakesh has few accessible facilities, but the city is not necessarily out of bounds for travelers with a physical disability and a sense of adventure. Narrow medina streets and rutted pavements can make wheelchair access difficult; the neighborhood of Gueliz is easier to navigate. Buses in Marrakesh are not wheelchair friendly, but the City Tour Marrakech is wheelchair accessible and an excellent way to get between many of the city's top sights. Petits taxis in Marrakesh are too small to accommodate wheelchairs, but grands taxis should be able to – they typically cost about 50% more per journey.