Fès’s medina is sensory overload at its finest. Enter through the cobalt blue gates of the Bab Boujeloud and marhaba, and submerge yourself in an eighth-century medieval maze that is as complex as it is spectacular. Donkeys rush by with refrigerators on their backs, old men weave carpets and dance around dye pits with huge stacks of leather, children lead bewildered tourists out of alleyways, and everyone is selling something.

Of course, the medina isn’t the only reason to visit Fès, although it’s definitely the best one. Known historically as the spiritual, artistic, and intellectual capital of Morocco, Fès is an imperial city that boasts a massive royal palace, world-renowned music festivals, and a growing ville nouvelle that combines cosmopolitan boulevards, ancient ruins and gorgeous public gardens. Whether you are looking for chaotic or peaceful, medieval or modern, Fès packs it all into what is certainly one of Morocco’s most enjoyable and least navigable cities.