The short answer
For most first-timers, the High Atlas: the Ourika Valley or Imlil. It is the closest real change of landscape, about 1 hour 15 minutes to Setti Fatma in Ourika or 1 hour 30 minutes to Imlil, with Berber villages, walnut groves, cooler air and snow on the peaks for much of the year. If you want sea air and a walled port instead, choose Essaouira.
In more detail
The Atlas wins on effort against reward. You leave the medina after breakfast and are among terraced fields and mountain rivers within the morning, then back at your riad by late afternoon. The temperature drops a good 10 °C with the altitude, which matters from late spring onwards.
Essaouira is the other strong pick, but it is a longer drive, about 2 hours 45 minutes each way. Aït Ben Haddou and the Ouzoud Falls are big days of their own and suit a second or third trip, not a first.
If you only have an evening rather than a full day, the Agafay stone desert is about 30 km away and works as a sunset and dinner outing.
Good to know
- Ourika for greenery, a river and an easy day; Imlil for height and village life.
- Go on a weekday if you can; Ourika fills with local families at weekends.
- Keep the Atlas day early in your stay, while you still have energy for the walk.