Morocco

Morocco itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

For 7 days, fly into Marrakech, take the one-way desert crossing via Aït Ben Haddou, Dades and Merzouga, and fly out of Fes: 3 nights Marrakech, 1 Dades, 1 Merzouga camp, 2 Fes. Add Chefchaouen at 10 days, the coast at 14. Skip the round-trip desert loop; it wastes two days.

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Updated Sep 20266 min read

GuideMorocco

Key facts

Best 7-day route: Marrakech 3 → Dades 1 → Merzouga camp 1 → Fes 2, one-way
Open-jaw flights: Into Marrakech (RAK), out of Fes (FEZ) or Tangier (TNG)
Desert crossing: Private driver or shared tour, 2 days each way if done as a loop
Train line: Tangier–Rabat–Casablanca–Marrakech, plus Al Boraq high-speed Tangier–Casablanca
Nights per medina city: 3 in Marrakech, 2–3 in Fes; more than that only if you day-trip
Best months: Mar–May and Oct–Nov; desert Oct–Apr; coast year-round
Add a spare day: Trains, mountain roads and weather eat one day per trip

Summary by trip length

Pick the length first, then the route. The desert crossing is the hinge: done one-way it links Marrakech and Fes in two days; done as a round trip it costs four days and returns you to where you started.

Nights below assume you land in the morning and leave in the evening. If your flight lands at night, add a night at the start.

Summary by trip length
Days	Route	Nights	Who it suits
7	Marrakech → Aït Ben Haddou → Dades → Merzouga → Fes	3 + 1 + 1 + 2	First trip, one desert night, open-jaw flights
10	Same, plus Chefchaouen	3 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 2	First trip with time to slow down in Fes
14	Loop with Imlil, Chefchaouen, Tangier, Rabat, Essaouira	2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 3	Second trip or a slower first one
21	14-day loop plus Atlantic coast and Rif days	varies	Repeat visitors, walkers, photographers

Nights are a starting point; shift one night from Marrakech to Fes if you prefer crafts and medina time.

7 days: Marrakech, desert, Fes

Day 1–3 Marrakech: medina, Jemaa el-Fnaa, Ben Youssef Madrasa, Jardin Majorelle on a timed slot. Use one afternoon for a hammam or the Majorelle–Gueliz side of town.

Day 4 leave early over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Aït Ben Haddou, then on to the Dades Valley for the night. Day 5 continue to Merzouga via Todra gorge, ride or walk into Erg Chebbi for the camp night. Day 6 is the long drive to Fes, arriving in the evening; Day 7 is Fes el-Bali with a licensed guide for the first half day.

This works as a private driver, a shared minibus tour or a mix: shared tour to Merzouga, then a public bus or grand taxi onward to Fes. Book the camp before you leave Marrakech.

Book the desert leg before arrival; camps fill in Oct–Nov and Mar–Apr.
Keep Day 6 free of anything fixed; the drive can run long.
Fly out of Fes rather than returning to Marrakech.

10 days: medinas, dunes and the Rif

Take the 7-day route and add a third night in Fes, then two nights in Chefchaouen. Fes to Chefchaouen is a bus of roughly 4 hours; Chefchaouen to Tangier is about 3 hours, which lets you fly out of Tangier instead of doubling back.

Chefchaouen is small: one day for the blue lanes and the kasbah, one for a walk above town. If you would rather have beach than mountain, swap Chefchaouen for Essaouira and fly out of Marrakech.

14 days: the loop with coast and mountains

The 14-day version adds the High Atlas and the Atlantic. Start with 2 nights in Marrakech, 1 in Imlil for a valley walk, then the desert crossing, 3 nights in Fes, 2 in Chefchaouen, 1 in Tangier, then the Al Boraq train to Casablanca and the train on to Marrakech, finishing with 3 nights in Essaouira.

Tangier to Casablanca on Al Boraq is fast; Casablanca to Marrakech is a standard train. Marrakech to Essaouira is a bus of about 2.5–3 hours. Check current timetables before you fix dates, and keep the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca as a stop rather than a night if you are short of time.

14 days: the loop with coast and mountains
Leg	Mode	Rough time
Marrakech → Imlil	Grand taxi or shared van	1.5 h
Imlil → Dades	Private driver	6–7 h
Dades → Merzouga	Private driver	4–5 h
Merzouga → Fes	Private driver or bus	7–8 h
Fes → Chefchaouen	Bus	4 h
Chefchaouen → Tangier	Bus	3 h
Tangier → Casablanca	Al Boraq train	2 h 10 min
Casablanca → Marrakech	Train	3 h
Marrakech → Essaouira	Bus	2.5–3 h

Times are road and rail estimates; add stops, prayer breaks and mountain traffic (check).

21 days: add the coast and the deep south

Three weeks lets you keep the 14-day loop and add either the Atlantic south or more Rif and Atlas walking. One shape: Marrakech, Imlil, desert crossing, Fes, Chefchaouen, Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira, then a few days on the coast around Agadir or a longer stay in Essaouira.

The far south around Dakhla is a separate flight and a separate trip; do not try to bolt it onto a 21-day loop. If you want the Sahara without the drive, fly Marrakech–Errachidia or Ouarzazate and pick up a car or driver there.

When to go and how to book

March to May and October to November are the comfortable months for Marrakech, Fes and the desert. Summer heat inland pushes many travellers to the coast; the desert is best October to April, and Essaouira works all year because of the wind.

Book desert camps, riads in Fes and Marrakech, and Jardin Majorelle slots ahead in high season. Trains and buses can be booked a few days out; the Al Boraq sells out on holidays. Ramadan shifts opening hours and restaurant timings, so build in slack if your trip falls then.

Shoulder months: fewer crowds, cooler desert nights.
July–August: coast and Rif, not the deep south.
Ramadan: shorter days for shops and kitchens; plan dinners later.

Notes

Distances on paper are short; mountain roads are slow. A 300 km day in the Atlas can take 6 hours. Drivers are used to it, but do not stack two long drives back to back if you can avoid it.

Prices for drivers, camps and tours vary widely by season and negotiation. Treat any figure you are quoted online as a 2026 estimate and confirm in writing before paying a deposit.

Carry cash for small towns and camps; ATMs thin out south of Ouarzazate.
Buy travel insurance that covers the activities you plan, including camel rides and mountain walks.
Keep one buffer day before your flight home.

Questions people ask

What is a good 7-day itinerary for Morocco?

Marrakech 3 nights, Dades Valley 1, Merzouga camp 1, Fes 2, with the desert crossing done one-way by driver or shared tour. Fly into Marrakech and out of Fes so you do not retrace the route.

How many weeks should I spend in Morocco?

One week covers Marrakech, the desert and Fes. Ten days adds Chefchaouen. Two weeks adds the High Atlas, Tangier, Rabat and Essaouira. Three weeks lets you slow down or add the Atlantic coast.

What is the best route through Morocco?

A one-way line from Marrakech over the Atlas to the desert and on to Fes, then north to Chefchaouen and Tangier, then the train south via Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakech and Essaouira. It avoids repeating any leg.

Should I do the desert as a round trip?

No. A round trip from Marrakech to Merzouga and back costs about four days of driving. The one-way crossing to Fes takes two days and puts you in a new city.

Do I need a car in Morocco?

Not for this route. Trains cover Tangier to Marrakech, buses cover Fes, Chefchaouen and Essaouira, and the desert leg is normally a driver or a tour. A car helps only if you want to stop freely in the Atlas.

When is the best time for these itineraries?

March to May and October to November for the cities and desert. Desert camps run October to April. July and August are best spent on the coast or in the Rif.

Deep dive

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