7 Days in Morocco: 3 Itineraries That Actually Work

Seven days is a very good amount of time for a first trip to Morocco, as long as you don’t try to see everything. The country is bigger than it looks on the map, and the classic mistake is a route that spends every day in the car. These are three 7-day routes we run as private tours, with honest notes on who each one suits.

Before you choose: where do you fly in and out?

This decides more than anything else. Most international flights land in Marrakech or Casablanca, and some in Fes or Tangier. Flying into one city and out of another (an “open-jaw” ticket) saves you a full day of driving back, so check prices for that before you book.

Itinerary 1: Marrakech to Fes through the Sahara

Best for: travellers who want plenty of time in the desert and the valleys of the south, flying into Marrakech and out of Fes.

• Day 1: Arrive in Marrakech. Settle into your riad and see the medina and Jemaa el-Fna square in the evening.
• Day 2: Marrakech to the Dades Valley. Over the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass, with a stop at the kasbah of Ait Benhaddou.
• Day 3: The Dades and Roses Valleys. A slower day among kasbahs, gorges and Berber villages.
• Day 4: The Todgha (Todra) Gorge. Walk between the high rock walls of the gorge.
• Day 5: To the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Arrive in Merzouga, camel ride at sunset and a night at a desert camp.
• Day 6: A day in the desert. Off-road around the dunes and tea with a nomad family.
• Day 7: Sunrise, oases and on to Fes. North through the Ziz Valley palm groves and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, where you often see Barbary macaques.

This is our 7-day Sahara tour from Marrakech to Fes. Add a day or two in Fes at the end if you can, the medina deserves it.

Starting in Fes instead? Our 7 days from Fes to Marrakech goes through the Sahara and the High Atlas, then out to the Atlantic coast at Agadir and Essaouira before ending in Marrakech.

Itinerary 2: the imperial cities, from Casablanca to Marrakech

Best for: travellers more interested in cities, history and food than the desert, flying into Casablanca.

• Day 1: Casablanca to Rabat. The Hassan II Mosque, one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors on guided tours, then on to Rabat.
• Day 2: Rabat to Fes. The Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower in the capital, then east to Fes.
• Day 3: Fes. A guided day in the oldest medina in Morocco: the tanneries, the madrasas and the craft quarters.
• Day 4: Fes to the Ouzoud Waterfalls. Across the Middle Atlas to the highest waterfalls in Morocco.
• Day 5: Ouzoud to Marrakech.
• Day 6: Marrakech with a local guide. The souks, palaces and gardens.
• Day 7: A free morning in Marrakech and your transfer to the airport.

This is our 7-day tour from Casablanca to Marrakech via Fes and Ouzoud. If you would like to see the blue city of Chefchaouen, we can add it between Rabat and Fes with one extra day.

Itinerary 3: desert and coast, in and out of Marrakech

Best for: travellers who fly in and out of Marrakech and want both the Sahara and the Atlantic.

• Day 1: Arrive in Marrakech.
• Day 2: Marrakech to the Dades Valley over the High Atlas.
• Day 3: Dades Valley to the Erg Chebbi dunes, with a night in the desert.
• Day 4: The southeast and Ouarzazate, the “Hollywood of Morocco”.
• Day 5: Ouarzazate to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast.
• Day 6: Essaouira, then back to Marrakech for a half-day tour.
• Day 7: Departure.

This is our 7 Days Across Morocco: from the desert to the coast.

What we would not try to fit into 7 days

Marrakech, the Sahara, Fes, Chefchaouen and Essaouira all in one week. It can be done on paper, but you would spend more time in the car than anywhere else. If you want all of it, look at 9 days or more, for example our 9-day Grand Morocco tour from Marrakech or the 14-day classic Morocco adventure.

Practical tips for a 7-day trip

• Best seasons: spring and autumn. See our guide on the best time to visit the Sahara, and Merzouga or Zagora if you are choosing a desert.
• Long driving days: Marrakech to the Dades, and Merzouga to Fes, are the longest. With a private driver you stop whenever you want for photos, tea or lunch.
• Riads: stay inside the medina in Marrakech and Fes, it is half the experience.
• Cash: carry some dirhams for small shops, tips and the desert, where card machines are rare.

Every one of these itineraries can be changed: more time in Marrakech, a cooking class, a hammam, a night in the mountains. Tell us your dates, where you land and where you fly home from, and we will send you a private plan and quote.