The Best Cities to Visit in Morocco

The imperial cities: Marrakech, Rabat and Fez are the most visited cities in Morocco. The great heritage and monuments have attracted more and more visitors who want to learn about Moroccan history as they were capitals for various dynasties that ruled Morocco in the past.

Moroccan cities are often composed of two parts:

The Medina: A high and long wall that had a defensive role and interrupted by several big gates surrounds the Medina. There are unlimited things to see inside: Souks, old buildings, palaces, mosques, old schools, museums and Riads.

The modern city: It is the new city which is established in a modern structure. There you can find luxury hotels, restaurants and supermarkets.

If you want to explore real Morocco you have better to stay in one of the many Roads that you will find in Medina because they are most of the time close to the best things to see. Riads are old houses which were restored in a modern style to accommodate tourists and provide them with almost the same service of five star hotels.

When you stroll in the labyrinths of the Medina, several streets could take you to the famous Souks which are organized and named depending upon the nature of products made there like Souk of spices, potteries, blacksmiths, carpenters, fabrics and other names of different crafts. If you want to buy something do not hesitate to show your talent of bargaining.

In each medina you will find absolutely a quarter called the Mellah. This is where Jews lived in the past because they were protected by Sultans and they held lucrative positions where they worked. There are few families that still live in the Mellah nowadays as a lot of them moved to France, Canada and Israel and they left a great heritage that describes how they lived in Morocco. Their synagogues, cemeteries and tombs are still visited today.

Besides imperial cities, there are the coastal cities like Saadia, Eljadida, Essaouira and Agadir where long and nice beaches invite all sea lovers to play their favorite sport or at least to take a sun-bathe.

Moreover, desert cities are great places to run away from crowded and noisy cities. From Ouarzazate to Zagoura and Merzouga you will be amazed by wonderful landscapes, oasis, Berber villages and a lot of Kasbahs which were formerly fortified castles. Going deeper in the desert you will reach Erg Chebbi where you will enjoy camel trekking on the sand dunes and spending a night in a bivouac.

Moroccan cities have many points in common, however they are not all alike and each of them has its own specifications that are worth exploring again and again.…

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Zurich Zoo

The exotic environment of the Zurich Zoo, one of the best in Europe, is home to more than 360 different animal species. The closest to their natural habitats that animals can be found include:

  • Snow leopards in the rocky Himalayas.
  • Penguins swimming in frigid waters.
  • Flying foxes can be seen from a canopy walk in the 13,000 square metres of the tropical jungle.

The Asian elephant family in the Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park play with their youngster and swim in their multi-environment outdoor complex, which was created to resemble their real-life habitat in Thailand. Trades and trams from the Paradeplatz and the central train station go to the zoo.

Ecosystems have been built in places like the Himalayas, South American grasslands, the Masoala Rainforest Hall, and the Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park to allow animals, especially endangered species, to roam freely over large regions. A petting zoo also will enable guests to get up close and personal with wild and tamed animals.

The Zurich Zoo’s wild animals represent nature’s variety, magnificence, and fragility. We provide a variety of unique settings for cocktail parties, flying dinners, and banquets as the ideal complement to your guided tour. Cocktails can be served at the Elephant House, Capuchin Monkey House, or the Lion House, next to the penguin enclosure. The site also has seminar rooms that may be rented.…

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FIFA Museum

The world’s most popular sport is soccer, which is played in every nation. The FIFA Museum covers the history of the World Cup and FIFA, the sport’s global governing organisation. The immersive experience starts with enormous video screens displaying football being played in several nations.

The 13-meter-long Time Line exhibit allows visitors to see how the sport developed as more nations joined. More than 3,000 square metres of exhibition space are spread across the museum’s three floors. Every floor has restrooms, drinking fountains, and elevators, and the exhibition space is wheelchair accessible.

The FIFA World Cup Gallery occupies the most significant exhibition space, which contains artefacts and information about the two most significant tournaments, the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The glittering World Cup Trophy up close and personal, as well as a movie including the most memorable World Cup Finals scenes, are the highlights for fans.

The Foundations, a memorial to the founders of football, should be your first destination. The FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy and the FIFA World Cup Trophy are housed in The FIFA World CupTM Gallery after that. You enter The Cinema to view our short film “The Final” before riding the elevator to floor 1.

Visit our Museum Shop on level 2 after you tour the museum to browse our selection of football-related memorabilia. Our Bistro offers snacks and cool drinks as well.…

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Grossmünster (Great Minster)

Zürich’s main church, perched on an open terrace above the river, dominates the city’s skyline with its twin towers. It is a Romanesque three-aisled galleried basilica constructed between the 11th and the 13th centuries and has a chancel over a crypt that dates to around 1100. The domed tops were built in 1782, but the towers’ upper levels date from 1487.

A seated statue of Charlemagne, thought to have founded the order to which the church originally belonged, is located high on the south tower on the riverside. The figure outside is a replica; the crypt houses the original, which the elements have severely damaged.

Check out the Late Romanesque cloister from around 1200, the two contemporary bronze doors created in 1935–1936, the sculptured Romanesque capitals, and the remnants of Gothic wall paintings. Augusto Giacometti created the choir’s three vibrantly coloured stained-glass windows in 1933.

The Swiss Railway offers trains every 30 minutes between Zurich Stadelhofen and Grossmünster, which is the station nearest to Zurich Airport. The ticket price will range from 10.9 to 20.5 CHF, and the approx. It will take roughly 16 to 20 minutes to get there.

The tram travels between Zurich Flughafen, Bahnhof and Zurich Central every fifteen minutes. From there, it takes around ten minutes to walk the 872 metres to Grossmünster. The journey should take 35 to 40 minutes, and the ticket price will range from 4 to 5.4 CHF.…

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Schweizerisches Landesmuseum

An excellent museum showcasing the cultural history of the entire country of Switzerland is housed in a castle-like structure with a Neo-Gothic flair. With more than 820,000 items spanning a wide range of topics from prehistory to the 20th century, it is the most significant collection of Swiss historical and cultural relics.

Among the best in Europe are the archaeological collections, which contain objects from 100,000 BC to AD 800 found in Switzerland. Entire groups are devoted to fabrics, costumes, metalwork, jewellery, watches and clocks, rural life, carriages and sleighs, musical instruments, crafts, industrial antiques, and works by goldsmiths and silversmiths.

The collection of antique stained glass is quite fascinating, as are the mediaeval wall paintings. A notable collection of weapons and armour is on display in the Armory Tower.

Early migration and settlement, religious and intellectual history, political history, and the economic growth of Switzerland are the four themes that run through the exhibits. In 20 exhibitions, the Collections Gallery gives a general overview of Swiss goods and handicrafts.

The museum’s most famous exhibits are a collection of meticulously recreated historical rooms that display furnishings and decorative arts in room settings that trace habitation development through the ages as needs and tastes evolved. Additionally, on the show is 20th-century Swiss furniture, emphasising the differences.…

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Lindenhof

The western half of Zürich’s old town rises gradually to the serene Lindenhof, shrouded by trees, between Bahnhofstrasse and the left bank of the Limmat. In the fourth century, the Romans constructed their fortified village to stave off northern migration. A palace was erected here as a royal dwelling by Charlemagne’s grandson five centuries later.

The site was continuously utilised for significant events long after the remnants of these structures had all but vanished, some of which had been incorporated into buildings around the park; in 1798, the oath ratifying the Helvetic Constitution was administered here. Today, it is a park shaded by trees where visitors may sit on seats and play chess while taking in the expansive views of the river and Old Town.

The Chillon Castle is a beloved sight, with a beautiful location on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva and encircled by the Rocky Mountains. This mediaeval castle, which also served as a famous jail, is one of the best-preserved examples in all of Europe, appearing somewhat remote and dreamy as it almost rises from the water. 

Give yourself enough time to leisurely explore the Grand Hall, the Hall of Justice, the Armories, Saint George’s Chapel, and other remnants of the monopoly’s past. Visit the underground Bonivard Prison to experience the ominous atmosphere and explore the stunning surroundings on a boat tour or by strolling along the beach.

It may also be worth checking out https://www.airbnb.com/ for a cool place to stay!…

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Things to Do in Zürich

Tourists will find Zürich, Switzerland’s largest city, a beautiful and fascinating location. Numerous museums, an old town full of well-preserved structures from the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, and enough artwork inside and outside of museums to satisfy art lovers for a week are just a few of the city’s many attractions and things to do.

Leading intellectuals, including Georg Büchner, Vladimir Lenin, James Joyce, C. G. Jung, and Thomas Mann, were drawn to Zurich because of its history of liberal thought and vibrant intellectual scene. Zürich is one of the best cities in Switzerland to visit and is well-suited for sightseeing on foot, even though it is humming with commercial activity.

The city is an excellent starting point for exploring other fascinating locations in Switzerland and the neighbouring German Black Forest region. Many of these are worthwhile day trips from Zürich.

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And on to Niederdorf!

Niederdorf and the Old Town

A neighbourhood with historic appeal is located in the middle of this contemporary financial hub of a city, with its winding streets rising steeply on the east side of the river. With shops, eateries, and cafés, the Niederdorf neighbourhood is one of the busy mediaeval streets and squares.

Lenin resided in a home on Spiegelgasse at number 17 in 1917. The Dada art movement was established in 1916 on this street at Cabaret Voltaire by Hans Arp and Tristan Tzara. The Hans zum Rech, which dates from the Middle Ages and demonstrates how decorative styles developed throughout the years, and the Shoemakers’ Guild House, which is now a theatre, may be found along Spiegelgasse, which runs east into the Neumarkt.

Ride the Train up the Uetliberg

Follow locals to the 871-meter Uetliberg, their favourite weekend hangout, for the city’s greatest views and the lake. The Uetliberg, the most northerly summit on the Albis range, is located southwest of Zürich and is easily accessible through the Uetlibergbahn. This mountain railroad runs throughout the year from Selnau station to the upper station. The summit is a 10-minute walk from here.

The summit restaurant is at the end of a wide promenade that is well-lit at night. The restaurant is wrapped in glass and offers stunning views of the city lights below. It takes about an hour to travel down a flat ridge to the Felsenegg, where a cable car lowers to Adliswil.

You can take the Sihltalbahn back to Zurich. One of the locals’ favourite winter activities in Zürich is riding to the Uetliberg for a fondue dinner and views of the city’s lights reflected in the snow.

Play on Lake Zürich

The long Lake Zürich is the centre of Zürich and a popular playground for visitors and locals. Promenades and parks along the entire shore provide inhabitants with places to relax, exercise, picnic, and swim in the lake.

The lovely Zürichhorn Park, created in 1939 for the National Exhibition, is located about 1.5 kilometres from Bellevueplatz. The Limmatschiff, a boat that travels from the National Museum along the river to the lake and ends at Zürihorn, has a boat dock here, a restaurant, a Chinese Garden, and other amenities.

A public beach called Strandbad Mythenquai is located on the other shore and is a part of the Seeuferanlage promenades, which were constructed between 1881 and 1887. The 820 feet of sandy shoreline has diving boards, kiddie pools, lawns for tanning, barbeque areas, and a self-serve paddleboard rental station.

Kunsthaus Zürich

The Kunsthaus is one of the best art museums in Europe, was established in 1787 as an association of artists and is currently operated by the Zürich Society of Arts. Although it houses sizable collections of artwork by several artists—including the greatest collection of Monet’s works outside of Paris in Europe and the most Charles Munch paintings outside of Oslo—the focus has always been on showcasing the best examples of a particular artist’s work.

Starting with the precursors and early Impressionists Delacroix, Corot, Courbet, and Manet, the Kunsthaus is particularly strong in the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and Modern schools. The centrepiece of the Monet exhibition consists of two of the most stunning huge water lily canvases. Van Gogh painted in his final days of life, and both Cézanne and van Gogh are represented by works from the end of their careers. Marc Chagall’s signature surreal artworks cover the entire space.

The Surrealist painters are represented through iconic pieces by Mir, Max Ernst, Magritte, and Salvador Dali, and Matisse is shown as a sculptor and painter. As you may anticipate, there are several pieces from the Dada school, which was founded in Zürich.

Bahnhofstrasse and the Bahnhof

The famous Bahnhofstrasse, which runs from Zürich’s central train station (Bahnhof) to the Bürkliplatz at the tip of the lake, is referred to as the city’s “Main Street.” The 1,200-meter street, enhanced by fountains, public art, trees, and notable buildings, is one of Europe’s most beautiful retail avenues.

Even though many of the stores lining it are stocked with furs, clothes, jewellery, and other expensive things, the buildings and their tastefully decorated windows make it a popular spot for people to wander. After an old moat, the Fröschengraben was filled in, and the centre section of the street was constructed in 1867; the portions leading to the lake and the station were built a few years later.

Several structures from the turn of the 20th century are noteworthy, including the Weber building (number 75), rebuilt in 1912 and 1928, and the Jelmoli department store complex at Seidengasse 1, which was first constructed with an iron skeleton.

Fraumünster

The name of the protestant Fraumünster, which is frequently mistranslated as “Church of Our Lady,” really refers to the convent that Emperor Ludwig founded for his daughter Hildegard here in 853 for noble ladies of Europe. Until the late Middle Ages, the convent’s superior was the city’s administrator.

In the undercroft, you can still see the crypt of the abbey church from the ninth century.

Even while the church is interesting, the stunning set of five stained-glass windows in the chancel, designed by Marc Chagall in 1970, makes it one of Zürich’s most well-known tourist destinations. The boldly coloured windows depict Moses, Jacob, events from Christ’s life, an angel trumpeting the end of the world, Elijah ascending to heaven, and, from left to right, Elijah ascending to heaven.

Marc Chagall also created the rosette in the southern transept. Another stunning stained glass window, The Heavenly Paradise, designed by Augusto Giacometti in the 1940s, may be found in the north transept. The abbey was destroyed in 1898 to make way for the Stadthaus, but the Romanesque and Gothic cloister still exist today. 

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