Moray is one of the sunnier parts of Scotland, which sounds like a low bar but makes a genuine difference to how it feels. The Moray Firth coastline gets noticeably less rainfall than much of the country, the beaches are good and long, and the combination of that coast with the whisky distilleries of Speyside just inland gives the region a range it might not seem to have on the map.
Elgin is the main town — a comfortable market town built around the ruins of a cathedral that was once one of the most important in Scotland. Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch, burned it down in 1390 in a dispute with the Bishop of Moray, and what's left, while extensive, gives an impression of significant loss. It's still impressive and worth an hour. The town itself has a good high street and serves the surrounding region as a practical centre.
Speyside, running inland from the coast, has more whisky distilleries per square mile than anywhere else in the world. The water, the barley and the tradition that came from both have made this the heartland of Scotch production. The distilleries vary in size and openness to visitors — Glenfiddich and Strathisla both have good visitor centres, and the Malt Whisky Trail connects the main sites. Tomintoul, high on the plateau above the valley, is a remote village that functions as a gateway to some quiet upland country.
On the coast, Cullen is a small town known for Cullen Skink — a smoked haddock, potato and onion soup that's worth seeking out if you're passing through. The old railway viaduct runs high above the town and makes for an interesting backdrop. Findhorn is notable for the Findhorn Foundation, an intentional community established here in the 1960s that has grown into a significant centre for ecological and spiritual practice — unconventional but genuine. Forres is a well-maintained market town with Sueno's Stone, a Pictish carved monolith six metres tall, on its edge.
Lossiemouth has two good beaches and an RAF base. Burghead and Hopeman are smaller coastal settlements with their own beaches and communities. Spey Bay at the river mouth is good for bottlenose dolphins — they're resident in the firth and regularly seen. Buckie is a fishing port with a working harbour and a heritage centre. The whole coast is quieter than most Scottish seaside areas and the better for it.