Five kilometres north of Larache on a hill above the Loukkos River, Lixus is one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Morocco. Phoenician traders established a trading post here in the 8th or 7th century BC — before Carthage was founded — and the Romans later built a substantial city on top, including a mosaic-floored temple complex and an amphitheatre.
The ruins are extensive but loosely maintained. You can walk between the remains of fish-salting vats, the amphitheatre, a Phoenician temple, and Roman baths spread across a hillside with views over the estuary and the Atlantic. A small guardian may offer to show you around; this is worth accepting.
The site is most atmospheric in the late afternoon, when the low Atlantic light hits the stonework and the estuary below catches the colours of the sky. Bring water and sturdy shoes — the paths between ruins are uneven. Admission is a few dirhams.