Morocco Grand Tour: 2 Weeks from Marrakech to the Sahara

Stops on this route

Day by Day

1. 1

   Marrakech

   • Day 1

     Arrive in Marrakech — Jemaa el-Fnaa & the Medina

     Fly into Marrakech Menara Airport and take a petit taxi (around 70–100 MAD / ~€7–10, always negotiate before entering) to a riad in the medina near Bab Doukkala or Mouassine. Spend the afternoon getting deliberately lost in the maze of the souks — each district specialises in a single craft (leatherworkers, coppersmiths, weavers). As the sun drops, converge on Jemaa el-Fnaa square for the city's greatest free spectacle: snake charmers, storytellers, acrobats, and dozens of food stalls grilling kefta and harira soup for around 50 MAD / ~€5 a bowl.

   • Day 2

     Majorelle Garden, Musée YSL & Bahia Palace

     Book the Majorelle Garden online in advance (150 MAD / ~€14) — the cobalt-blue pavilions, giant cacti, and lily ponds are extraordinary, and the adjacent Musée Yves Saint Laurent (100 MAD / ~€9) tells the story of how the designer fell in love with Marrakech and saved the garden from demolition in 1980. After lunch in the Gueliz quarter's Café 16, visit Bahia Palace (10 MAD / ~€1), a 19th-century vizier's residence whose intricately tiled rooms and cedar-wood ceilings are some of the finest Moorish craftsmanship in Morocco. Hammam in the evening at the Hammam de la Rose or Les Bains de Marrakech (~200 MAD / ~€18 for a traditional scrub).

   • Day 3

     Saadian Tombs, Mellah & Souk Shopping

     Visit the Saadian Tombs (70 MAD / ~€6) in the Kasbah district — rediscovered in 1917 after being sealed for two centuries, the mausoleum's chamber of twelve columns in carved stucco and Italian marble is stunning. Explore the Mellah, Marrakech's old Jewish quarter, with its covered market and balconied houses. Spend the afternoon shopping: argan oil in Rahba Kedima (the spice square), babouche slippers in the Souk des Babouches, and lanterns in Souk Haddadine. Evening: rooftop dinner at Nomad restaurant overlooking the medina roofscape (mains ~120 MAD / ~€11).

2. 2

   Aït Benhaddou & Ouarzazate

   • Day 4

     High Atlas Pass & Aït Benhaddou Kasbah

     Transit

     Hire a driver or rent a car for the 3-hour drive south over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m) — the switchback panoramas over the Atlas are spectacular and roadside vendors sell fossils, amethysts, and preserved argan oil. Reach Aït Benhaddou UNESCO World Heritage ksar by early afternoon: the ancient mud-brick fortified village rising above the Ounila River has stood in for Jerusalem, Yunkai, and ancient Rome in over 20 films. Cross the river on stepping stones to explore inside; admission is around 20 MAD / ~€2. Continue 30 km to Ouarzazate for the night — the 'door of the desert' and Morocco's film capital.

3. 3

   Merzouga & Sahara

   • Day 5

     Drâa Valley Drive to Merzouga — Sahara Arrival

     Transit

     Drive east from Ouarzazate along the Drâa Valley on Route N9 — 330 km of oasis palmeries, painted kasbahs, and gradually reddening Saharan terrain. Stop at Agdz for a mint tea and in Zagora where a famous road sign reads 'Timbuktu: 52 days by camel.' As you approach Merzouga in the late afternoon, the Erg Chebbi dunes rise dramatically to 150 m — the contrast of red sand against a blue sky is staggering. Check into a guesthouse at the dune edge in Merzouga village and book your camel trek for sunset.

   • Day 6

     Camel Trek, Desert Camp & Sunrise on the Dunes

     Join a guided camel caravan (included in most guesthouse packages, or around €35–50 for trek + camp + breakfast) into the Erg Chebbi dunes at 4 PM — the hour-long ride ends at a traditional Berber nomad camp with woven carpets, lanterns, and a communal dinner of lamb tagine cooked over a wood fire. After dinner, the Saharan sky reveals the Milky Way in full — zero light pollution for hundreds of kilometers. Wake at 5:30 AM to hike to a dune crest and watch the sun paint the sand from rose to amber to copper before the camel ride back.

4. 4

   Fes

   • Day 7

     Desert to Fes — Cedar Forest & Ifrane

     Transit

     Drive north from Merzouga through the Ziz Valley's dramatic gorge and the town of Midelt, then through the Middle Atlas cedar forests around Azrou where wild Barbary macaques roam the roadside (resist feeding them). Pass through Ifrane — Morocco's unexpected Alpine-style town with red-roofed chalets at 1,650 m — for lunch before arriving in Fes by early evening. Check into a riad inside Fes el-Bali medina (Riad Fes or similar, from €50/night) and orient yourself with a short walk to the Bab Bou Jeloud 'blue gate' before dinner on Place Lalla Yeddouna.

   • Day 8

     Fes Medina — Tanneries, Medersa & Al-Qarawiyyin

     Hire a licensed guide from the tourist office for the morning (around 250 MAD / ~€23) — the Fes medina's 9,000 alleys are genuinely labyrinthine and a guide unlocks context that signs never could. Visit the Chouara Tanneries from a leather shop balcony: the circular stone vats dyed in saffron, indigo, and poppy red have worked the same way since the 11th century and the smell of pigeon dung (used as a softener) is intense. See Bou Inania Madrasa (10 MAD / ~€1), whose carved stucco and cedar screens are the city's finest example of Marinid architecture. Walk past Al-Qarawiyyin — founded in 859 AD, the world's oldest continuously operating university.

   • Day 9

     Fes el-Jedid, Mellah & Pottery Quarter

     Explore Fes el-Jedid (the 'new' 13th-century city) and its Royal Palace gates — the doors are crafted in hand-hammered brass with geometric Zellige tilework and are not open to non-Muslims, but the courtyard facade is magnificent. Visit the Mellah Jewish quarter and its synagogues. Afternoon: walk uphill to the Merenid Tombs above the medina for the best panoramic view over the sea of minarets, rooftop solar panels, and satellite dishes below. Head to the Potters' Quarter at Ain Khellil to watch craftsmen hand-painting traditional Fassi blue-and-white pottery direct from the workshop.

5. 5

   Chefchaouen

   • Day 10

     Drive to Chefchaouen — the Blue City

     Transit

     The drive from Fes to Chefchaouen is 200 km on the A2 motorway then winding mountain roads through the Rif — about 3 hours. Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 and its medina painted in shades of blue by Jewish refugees fleeing the Inquisition; the exact shade ranges from sky to cobalt to midnight depending on the alley. Check into a guesthouse inside the medina (from €25/night) and spend the afternoon wandering freely — every corner, staircase, and doorway is a composition. Dinner at Bab Ssour restaurant for Rif-style chicken pastilla with walnuts and honey.

   • Day 11

     Ras el-Maa Waterfall, Plaza & Spanish Mosque Hike

     Rise before 7 AM to walk the medina alleys before tour groups arrive — the blue light in the morning is cooler and the cats, bread sellers, and school children make for the most authentic street scenes. Follow the stream uphill to Ras el-Maa waterfall and the open-air laundry pools used by local women, then continue 30 minutes up the hillside to the abandoned Spanish Mosque for a sweeping view over the entire medina and surrounding Rif mountains. Afternoon: browse the medina's excellent artisan shops for handwoven Rif kilims and kif pipes; evening tea on the terrace of the Casa Hassan hotel overlooking Plaza Uta el-Hammam.

6. 6

   Casablanca

   • Day 12

     Drive to Casablanca — Hassan II Mosque & Corniche

     Transit

     Drive west from Chefchaouen to Casablanca via Tetouan and the A1 motorway (roughly 3.5 hours). Go directly to the Hassan II Mosque — the third-largest mosque in the world, its 210 m minaret is the world's tallest, and one of only two Moroccan mosques open to non-Muslims for guided tours (120 MAD / ~€11, hourly). The mosque is built dramatically on a promontory over the Atlantic, and the retractable roof opens on clear days. Walk the Art Deco Corniche boulevard for a seafood lunch at La Sqala (inside the 18th-century fortified walls) and explore the ornate Mauresque-French architecture of Boulevard Mohammed V before an overnight in Casablanca.

7. 7

   Marrakech

   • Day 13

     Return to Marrakech — Hammam & Farewell Dinner

     Transit

     Take the ONCF train from Casablanca Voyageurs station to Marrakech (3 hours 20 minutes, first class ~90 MAD / ~€8) — a pleasant ride through the Chaouia plain farmland. Back in Marrakech, spend the afternoon in the hammam for a final traditional steam and kessa scrub at the authentic local Hammam Dar el-Bacha on Rue Fatima Zohra (35 MAD / ~€3 for a local hammam, or €20 for a riad's private version). Farewell dinner on the rooftop at Café Arabe in the medina for pigeon pastilla and lamb mechoui with preserved lemon, watching the call to prayer ripple across the city's minarets at dusk.

   • Day 14

     Final Morning in the Souks & Departure

     Use the morning for any last-minute souvenir shopping — the best buys are argan oil cosmetics (Cooperative Amal, women-run, fair-price), genuine handmade Berber carpets in the Souk des Tapis (always negotiate to 40–50% of the first price), and saffron from Taliouine sold loose from burlap sacks in the spice souks. Head to Marrakech Menara Airport (a 15-minute taxi ride) for your international departure — allow 2.5 hours for check-in and the airport's notoriously thorough security.

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Further reading

• Africa on Wikipedia
• Africa travel guide on Wikivoyage