10 DAY MOROCCO DETAILED ITINERARY

Mary Kate gKing
Apr 16
6 min read

Marrakech -> Draa Valley -> Sahara Desert -> Fes -> Chefchaouen

Traveled in late August through early September 2024.

Red ***** are some suggestions I’ve added after coming back from my trip.

Marrakech: 2 days (1 half day and 1 full day)

Merzouga Sahara Desert: 4 days (including travel days, 2 nights in desert)

Fes: 2 Full Days

Chefchaouen: 1 day

[ The amount of time allocated in each city above is an appropriate amount of time in my opinion. Obviously more time anywhere allows you to really see things from a local perspective but I believe the amount of time is enough for each location. If anything I’d extend the day trip from Chefchaouen to an overnighter. We did not visit other big cities like Casablanca or Tangier on this trip. If time allows, you could extend driving through Chefchaouen to Tangier and add Casablanca to the front or back end. From what I have read and what friends have told me, both Casablanca and Tangier are similar to Fes, just on the coast. If the Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) desert seems too far for you, consider visiting Agafay. It is not the sahara desert but offers similar experiences without having to go the full distance. ]

Day 1: Travel Day, Arrive to Marrakech

Arranged transportation from the airport to Riad. [ There are taxis available but for our own peace of mind, we had our Riad organize our transportation.] ($15)
Settle into Riad Anya and Spa, drop luggage, explore Medina
Dinner: Can go to a more touristy rooftop spot or try to find an authentic dinner spot. The touristy rooftops were nice because of the amazing views of the city.

Accommodation: Riad Anya and Spa

[ Really enjoyed our stay here. The staff were so friendly and it was a beautiful Riad. There was a pool in the center and a rooftop to lounge and have breakfast at. They also served dinner which was optional. It is a shorter walk (10 min or so) to the center of the Medina. It was nice that we were in a quieter spot but could walk to all the big attractions.]

Day 2: Explore Marrakech (1 full day to see Marrakech)

Breakfast included in Riad
Explore Medina
- Start by exploring Souk Semmarine (market closes at 7pm)
- Can also explore Place des Épices, Koutoubia Mosque, Bahia Palace, and El Badi Palace depending on time.**[ Depending on what you see the first day, it might be difficult to see all of it but I think the Souk Semmarine and Palace des Epices were great attractions and you could at least fit in the Mosque.]**

Accommodation: Riad Anya and Spa

Address: 149 derb sidi M'barek Quartier Sidi mimoun, 40000 Marrakesh, Morocco
They prefer payment to be made in person in cash

Day 3: Start of Sahara Trip (5.5hr drive time)

Marrakech → Atlas Mountains → Ait BenHaddou → Ouarzazate – Agdz → Draa Valley

Pick up from Riad at 9am, transportation organized by our accommodation.
Sahara Travel Notes:
- “Tours exclude entrance fees, lunches & refreshments. Be polite but clear if you don’t want to shop” Drive times listed don't include stops.**[ I’d like to emphasize that in our case we’d stop to “learn about the Berber Nomads”, when in reality we had a 3 minute speech then were being sold rugs the rest of the time. I’m not a huge shopper but get uncomfortable in those situations. Be mindful of what your tour consists of and what those stops look like. We didn’t know we were “shopping” until we were feeling pressured to buy things. It was still good having stops. Learn more in my Deep Dive blog post on Morocco. ]**
- Cost Excludes:
  - Personal and Alcoholic beverages (stop included to purchase them)
  - Discretionary tips and gratuity
  - Lunches (except on Day 3)
  - Travel Insurance
- [ These drives are LONG. If you get car sick, definitely pack motion sickness medications. I was taking notes during our drive through the Atlas mountains and found myself puking out the window.]

Day 4: Day 2 of 4 day Sahara Trip (3-4hr drive time)

Draa Oasis → Sahara (MK requested sunset camel ride)

(Draa → Nekob → Todra Gorge → Merzouga desert)

[Draa Valley was beautiful and we stayed at this really nice accommodation that was included in our package.We also LOVED our glampsite in the Sahara desert. The staff were so nice and the views were so great. Highly recommend staying at a glampsite right on the edge of the desert. Splitting the drive up into 2 days from Marrakech to Merzouga desert was a good decision because the rides took longer with stops. We spent 2 days driving from Marrakech to the Sahara and 1 day driving from the desert to Fez (which was a very long drive for one day).]

Day 5: Day 3 of 4 Sahara Trip

Sahara

[Activity options include riding a 4-wheeler, sand boarding, camel ride, and hanging by the pool. We enjoyed a long camel ride into the desert where we had tea, as our main activity. We also did some sand boarding and spent time by the pool. This day was more relaxing, which was nice after having so many travel days on this trip. Definitely recommend 2 nights in the Sahara so you don’t feel like you traveled all this way for a very short stay.]
[ I wanted to ride the camel twice. The sunset and the day trip. I’m glad we did both but it is fine just riding it once. You’ll get very sore.]

Day 6: Travel Day of Sahara Trip (7-8hr drive time)

Sahara → Fez (Merzouga → Midelt → Ifrane → Fes)

Arrive to Fez in late evening, dinner - ask the Riad for recs

Accommodation: Riad Diamant De Fes

[Out of all our accommodations, I feel that Riad Diamant De Fes is a MUST stay! The staff are so incredibly kind and genuine. They were exactly who we needed after traveling so much during our trip. I can’t emphasize enough, staying here and enjoying the company of Ibrahim and Muhammed was a highlight of our trip.]

Day 7: Full Day to Explore Fes

[The staff at the riad booked our tour of Fes. I felt so comfortable with their recommendation, especially after some other experiences we had leading up to our time in Fes. The tour that was booked through our Riad had an awesome guide who gave us no pressure to shop, explained the difference between the fake and real leather, and gave us an estimate on what costs would be. When we went to the tannery, our tour price included being able to go through the leather shop so we had no pressure to buy anything.] See my Activities & Restaurants blog post for more information on Fes.

Accommodation: Riad Diamant De Fes

Day 8: Day trip to Chefchaouen

Fes → Chefchaouen - day trip transportation booked through riad (150E)

[We were happy with our driver and this was organized by our riad. You can also plan to stay the night in Chefchaouen. It is a beautiful blue city with a more relaxing vibe than the other cities we visited in Morocco. It is not a very big city and can be explored in either a day trip or 2 days. While you’ll want to stay longer because of the ~chill vibes~, you don’t need more than a full day to explore the city. We did not do an actual tour of the city but those are also available]
If you want to save money, can take a bus to Chefchaouen: CTM company
[Another alternative would be to leave Fes, drive to Chefchaouen for 1 night, then continue driving to Tangier and fly out of there. That would be if your time and flights allowed.]