This Morocco travel guide is not just about riads to stay at & sights to see. I want to help you see almost every corner of this country - from staying overnight at a luxury camp in the Sahara desert & taking a cooking class at a non-profit association, empowering women in Marrakesh, to visiting the oldest university in the world & seeing goats on trees on the way to Essaouira port town. 10 days is a perfect timeframe to explore Morocco and have an adventure of a lifetime.
Structure of this guide >>
- Day-by-day itinerary with 80+ interesting things to see & do, countless hidden gems, best restaurants & cafes as well as most beautiful riads to stay at;
- What to do if you have more or less than 10 days in Morocco;
- Essential travel tips & tricks, including travel safety tips, what to pack guide, ways to get around, the best time to visit and average costs of a day in Morocco.
Follow this travel itinerary for a guaranteed set of amazing experiences and stunning vistas. You’ll save 50+ hours of research, have it for life and can access it anytime. You can also combine my saved spots & insights with your own research to craft the Morocco trip of your dreams. If you are short on time or have a few extra days - worry not, I have added a few tips for those circumstances also.
If you are travelling to this gorgeous country soon, tag me in the pictures you take - @irinadoingthings - I'd love to experience Morocco again through your eyes.
Welcome to Morroco! You've arrived, left your luggage at the riad and must be excited to start exploring. To see the real Marrakesh, start with it's top sights and attractions, experience the buzzing souks, stop for a tangine lunch at one of the local restaurants, visit the House of Photography, chill in one of the city's tranquil gardens and enjoy a cocktail on a rooftop overseeing the city at night or relax in your riad's spa area.
Tranquil & stunning - that's how I'd describe L'Atelier. Beautiful design with great attention to detail and a perfect spot to relax.
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Days 2: Road to Sahara via Aït Benhaddou
Today you wake up early and get on the road to the Sahara Desert - the most exciting part of your Morocco journey (in my humble opinion). You can definitely explore the Sahara on your own, but to make the experience more rich and convenient, I'd definitely recommend to book a multi-day tour. We booked ours via Viator and were super pleased with how it was organised, so here's the link (not affiliated, I promise!) >>
There's not a lot of hotels here, so don't expect over-the-top luxury, but we stayed here and it was comfy for the night.
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Day 3: Sahara Desert, Merzouga & Berber nomads' lifestyle
Start the day in the Gorges of the Dades Valley, explore the berber cities on the way and arrive to the stunning Sahara Desert around 3-4pm. Get on a camel and make your way through the red sand dunes for a luxury desert camp evening & traditional berber entertainment. This will be your favourite day of the whole Morocco trip - a unique experience that you'll never forget.
Take a camel ride through Erg Chabbi dunes to your desert camp. Book the luxury one to have best facilities.
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Discover the Berber nomad’s lifestyle by spending a night under the stars in a local tent and enjoying authentic Sahrawi Tagine and traditional Berber music. The local Berbers are super welcoming! Little tip - download some stargazing app on your phone, so you can spot the planets, stars & constellations and monitor planet movements - it's worth it, trust me!
Day 4: Sahara Desert, Atlas Mountains & Maggot monkeys
Wake up right before sunrise to have a delicious Berber breakfast, jump on a camel and enjoy and sunrise ride back through the stunning Erg Chabbi dunes back to the 'civilisation'. Take a long drive up north through the Atlas mountains and Azrou Cedar Forest to Fes. You will arrive just in time for dinner, around 6pm.
Meet the Maggots monkeys at the Cedar forest between Azrou and Ifrane. You can feed them here too.
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Arrive to Fes in the evening, check into your riad and relax - the journey to the desert and back is definitely a tiring one, but I'm sure it was worth it. Now you will have a few days to relax and explore the north of Morocco.
Day 5: Fes
Welcome to Fes, it's time to soak up all it has to offer! Today you'll see the sights whilst also learning and thing or two about the art of making carpets/handicrafts and how to shop medina style. One thing to note - Fes is a maze. You will get lost in its winding streets often, but that's the best way to explore. Take it all in, observe and enjoy the experience. I suggest staying in Fes for 2 nights/3 days and making a day trip to Chefchaouen on the day in the middle - this way you won't have to go through the whole 'check in/check out/carrying your luggage around' struggle and can still discover both cities properly.
Cosy budget riad in the centre of the medina with large bedrooms, Moroccan food options and super friendly staff.
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Day 6: Chefchaouen
Cameras at the ready: today you'll explore Chefchaouen's most iconic insta spot - the 'Blue City'. Get lost in the all-blue streets of its picturesque Medina, pet the local cats, observe the locals, and try some street food along the way. Uncover the likes of Place Outa Hamam, Kasbah, and the local markets too.
** As I mentioned above, I recommend taking a day trip to Chefchaouen from Fes with a local travel operator. We found ours on Viator and were pleased with the organisation, little historical intro and free time we got to explore the city on our own terms. One thing to note - if you don't like the big tour groups, you can pay a bit extra to go in smaller vans of 6-8 people or less.
Beautiful riad outside of the medina, but walking distance to all of the markets & attractions.
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Day 7: Fes
Have a hearty breakfast at your riad and head over to the winding streets of Fes again - there're still a few things to explore! Stop over for lunch at one of the local restaurants, explore a little more and in the evening take a train ride or drive south-west to Casablanca.
Cosy restaurant with nice non-alcoholic drinks and lots of snack options for a small hunger break during your medina walk.
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Day 8: Casablanca
Some say there's not much to do in Casablanca apart from discovering the famous Hassan II Mosque - the biggest mosque on the African continent. They might be right, but I'd take this day to unwind a little after the busy days in the Sahara and Fes - you'll need time to process of of the amazing emotions, trust me. And the mosque is definitely worth a visit!
This is the only mosque in Morocco where you can step in as a non-muslim. Learn about the rule of Hassan II here.
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Day 9: Essaouira
The trip from Casablanca to Marrakesh takes a while and it's not the most scenic, so I recommend taking a little re-route via the Moroccan oceanside and visiting Essaouira port town. Known as the ‘Wind City of Africa’, it attracts plenty of windsurfers and also offers beautiful cultural experiences too. Stroll by the beach, browse the many art galleries and boutiques, and wander through the spice-scented lanes of the town. In the evening, head over to Marrakesh and be sure to look out of the window - you might spot Moroccan tree-climbing goats on the way! Yep, that's a thing apparently!
Beautiful palace-style hotel with spacious luxury rooms and a great restaurant to stop by for lunch/dinner.
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Day 10: Marrakesh
You've reached the last day of your Moroccan journey, you probably want to chill and enjoy some tranquillity. Start your day by exploring the stunning Yves Saint Laurent Mansion & Jardin Majorelle right next to it in the northern part of Marrakesh. Head down south after to Kasbah & Mellah neighbourhoods - you'll notice a big difference between these and the buzzing Medina. For the grand finale, I recommend having dinner at Dar Yacout - one of the most beautiful and luxurious restaurants in Marrakesh, where even the King dines every so often.
The only US National landmark located in a foreign country & home to the American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies.
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If you have less than 10 days >>
If you are short on time or would prefer to stay in some key cities for a longer and more relaxed trip, I'd suggest skipping the days in Casablanca & Essaouira.
If you are super-duper short on time, I'd still suggest visiting Marrakesh and the Sahara desert. Or alternatively, you can visit Marrakesh, Fes & Chefchaouen, but maybe leave the trip to the Sahara desert for another time if you are more of a city than nature explorer.
Essential Morocco tips & tricks:
Travel safety:
1. Despite all the scary stories I've heard before going to Morocco, I felt surprisingly safe there. We travelled with my friend, just 2 girls, and both felt the same. But better safe than sorry, so I would still advise a few basic precautions - don't walk in isolated areas or along dark streets at night, don't hike in isolated areas alone, avoid large public demonstrations and protests as they can turn violent.
2. Take a hidden undergarment waist pouch with you. It's important to keep an eye on your belongings in any country, but I felt extra safe when carrying my money & documents in a hidden travel wallet. Unfortunately, petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag snatching is common in Morocco, especially around souqs and medinas.
3. Taxis in Morocco, like in many countries around the world, are often a tourist trap. When travelling by taxi here, always negotiate a price upfront for all travellers included, as many drivers will inflate the price substantially when you arrive at your destination. For example: 2 tourists want a taxi from Marrakesh airport to Medina, the driver says the price is 'X', but when you arrive he says it's 'XX' as there are 2 people, and doesn't open the trunk with your luggage until you pay.
4. Act confidently when walking around the cities. You might get lost in the maze-like cities of Morocco and not even once. Try to walk confidently and enjoy the experience - if you look lost, you might encounter some locals coming up to you saying 'this road is closed, let me show you the way, I'm a local', but in the end they will force you to pay them. Just plan your time carefully so you have a bit of extra time to 'get lost' ;)
What to pack:
- Sandals/trainers. It's fairly warm in Morocco even in winter season, so open-toe shoes are super comfortable to walk around outside and inside. And for hiking & colder days it's always a good idea to bring comfortable pair of trainers. Mine are from Tropicfeel and I literally travel in them all the time - from going on a plane to exploring the waterfalls & deserts.
- Long loose trousers or long loose skirt or both. You definitely don't want to suffer the Moroccan heat in long jeans, so I'd recommend bringing something loose & comfortable. This is also useful for girls as it's not considered appropriate to wear short skirts or shorts in cities like Marrakesh or while visiting some attractions.
- T-shirts & a hoodie. Travel essentials for any destination. A hoodie might be especially useful for cool nights in the Sahara desert.
- Scarf/hat. Especially important for female travellers, so you can cover your head/shoulders when visiting local sights or simply wrap yourself up when it gets chillier in the evening.
- Swimsuit. Most riads in Morocco have gorgeous pools and spas in their inner courtyards. You don't want to miss a chance to dive in.
- Backpack. I am a backpacker at heart and actually travelled with only my Tropicfeel backpack to Morocco. It's comfortable, fits everything you need and when walking around town also super handy to carry all the millions of souvenirs you will purchase. And trust me, even if you are not a souvenir fan, you won't be able to leave Morocco without at least a few.
- Car: you can rent a car from around 3000dh ($320) per week or 500dh ($55) a day (there’s usually a three-day minimum) for a basic car with unlimited mileage and insurance cover. It's definitely a very convenient way to travel as you can stop wherever you want and not be attached to a travel group, but be prepared for veeeery long drives.
- With a tourist group: there are plenty of day or multi-day tour options available in Morocco where you travel with a driver/guide and fellow adventurers. We used this option for the 3-day adventure from Marrakesh to the desert (that's the best way to do it) and got brought to Fes, then did a day trip from Fes to Chefchaouen with another tour. Plenty of options online, my favourite website to search is Viator.
- Train: the rail network in Morocco is linking the big cities, so it's fairly easy and cheap to get around by train. We took a train from Fes down to Marrakesh for 35 USD, which got us there in just over 6 hours. And that was even business class! although it didn't really feel like business class... You can book your tickets onsite at the train station or online in advance via Rail Ninja.
- Taxi: shared taxi is a good option and is just about 20-30% more expensive than taking a public bus. If you find a group that you're comfortable to travel with a negotiate a good non-touristy deal - you can travel in comfort this way.
- Buses: significantly more cheaper but also more uncomfortable way to get around. They can get super busy, hot and even smelly, but it's still a fairly good option if you're on a budget. Tip - if you're travelling during the day, especially in summer, it pays to sit on the side away from the sun.
The average cost of a day in Morocco:
- Cup of coffee: 1.5 USD
- Meal for one at an inexpensive restaurant: 5-10 USD
- Attraction visit: some sights are free to visit, for some avg price is 25 USD or less per person
- Hotel/riad stay for 1 night: 60-90 USD (depending if it has a spa)
- Taxi ride from the airport - 15 USD
Best time to visit Morocco
Morocco is so diverse - you can explore the ancient cities, get a strong tan in the desert, surf in the ocean, or even head over to the mountains for skiing. It's also a very touristy travel destination, so to avoid the crowds and have a relaxing experience, I'd suggest travelling right before the high season starts.
Best season (in my opinion): end of February-March or mid-October-November
These are the months with pleasant balmy temperatures - not too much heat, not too cold in the evenings, just perfect for quieter exploration ahead of the high season. Be mindful that the accommodation prices jump up quite a bit around Easter time. And during Ramadan, some restaurants might be closed.
High (& therefore super touristy season): April-May or September-October
The crowds will be there with you, the prices in some places will be double, but if you love the buzz and the heat - that's the time to explore Morocco.
Created by Irina Gorskaia, @irinadoingthings. Hit me up on Instagram if you have any more questions about travelling to Morocco, I'll be happy to support you in planning a visit to this incredible part of the world.
Digital creator working in IT for one of the largest travel corporations in the world, living out of a suitcase between 📍Geneva, London & Berlin.
I have explored 40+ countries and lived, studied & worked in a few as well - the UK, France, Germany & now Switzerland. I speak English, Russian, Ukrainian, German and French and have big plans to take on Italian and Spanish at some point soon. I'm all about curiosity, never-ending exploration, empowering international communities, and a strong passion for travel & photography.
Check out my travel guides or connect with me on Instagram (@irinadoingthings) for in-depth travel content and advice on less-travelled spots around the world.
