Morocco 7-Day Itinerary

Day 1 — Arrive Marrakech

Fly into Marrakech Menara (RAK). Settle into your riad in the medina. Evening: walk to Djemaa el-Fna — the main square comes alive at dusk with food stalls, musicians and acrobats. Dinner at the square or a nearby riad restaurant. Early night — jet lag and medina jet lag are both real.

Day 2 — Marrakech Medina Deep Dive

Morning: Bahia Palace and Saadian Tombs (both within walking distance). Midday: Explore the souks — leather at Bab Debbagh direction, spices in the Mellah, lamps in the Fondouk el-Ouarzazi. Afternoon: Jardin Majorelle (book ahead, closes at 5pm). Evening: Djemaa el-Fna rooftop bar for sunset views, then dinner.

Day 3 — Marrakech or Day Trip

Option 1: Ourika Valley day trip (40min south) — Berber villages, Atlas waterfalls, lunch at a valley restaurant. Option 2: Hammam morning (Les Bains de Marrakech or Hammam El Bacha) + afternoon at leisure in the medina. Either way: take a cooking class at a riad in the evening — the best souvenir you can have.

Day 4 — Marrakech → Sahara (overnight)

Take a private driver or organised tour south. Classic route: over Tizi n'Tichka pass → Aït Ben Haddou (UNESCO ksar, 2h stop) → Ouarzazate lunch → evening Merzouga camel trek into the dunes. Overnight in a desert camp under the stars.

Day 5 — Sahara Sunrise → Fly to Fes

Watch the 5:30am sunrise over the Erg Chebbi dunes — non-negotiable. Camel back to your hotel, breakfast, drive to Errachidia airport (ERH) — Royal Air Maroc flies to Fes or Casablanca (1h, from €60). Arrive Fes afternoon. Check in, first medina walk at dusk.

Alternative: overnight bus Merzouga → Fes (~10h, arrives morning). Cheaper (~€20) but exhausting.

Day 6 — Fes el-Bali Full Day

Morning: Hire a medina guide (official guide from Fes tourism office, €25–40 for 3–4h) — the Fes medina is the world's largest car-free urban area; getting lost is not romantic here, it's genuinely disorienting. Bou Inania Madrasa, the tanneries viewpoint, Al-Attarine souk. Afternoon: Nejjarine fountain and woodworking museum, then the Andalusian side of the medina. Evening: Dinner at a riad — Fes cooking (bastilla, slow-cooked mechoui) is the most refined in Morocco.

Day 7 — Fes & Depart

Morning at leisure — Medersa Bou Inania if you missed it, pottery workshops in the Andalusian quarter, or the Royal Palace gates. Lunch at a medina restaurant. Fes airport (FEZ) has direct flights to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Brussels. Alternatively, take the afternoon train to Casablanca Mohammed V airport (4.5h, connects to most European hubs).

Day 1 — Arrive Marrakech

Arrive at Marrakech Menara (RAK). Check into your riad in the medina — book one near Djemaa el-Fna for maximum atmosphere. Keep the evening simple: walk to the square, eat at the outdoor food stalls (stall 14 is famous for fried fish; stall 32 for merguez), watch the acrobats and musicians. Early night.

Day 2 — Marrakech Highlights

Morning: Jardin Majorelle (book online — opens 8am, gets crowded by 10am). Mid-morning: Bahia Palace and the El Badi Palace ruins nearby. Afternoon: Lose yourself in the souks — the spice market, the leather quarter, the lamp district. Evening: Rooftop dinner over the medina. If you want a hammam, Les Bains de Marrakech books out — reserve the day you arrive.

Day 3 — Drive South via Atlas & Aït Ben Haddou

Early start (7am) with your private driver. The Tizi n'Tichka mountain pass (2,260m) is Morocco's most scenic road — snow-capped in winter, wildflower-covered in spring. Stop at Aït Ben Haddou (UNESCO ksar, 1.5h exploration — this is where Game of Thrones filmed Yunkai). Continue through Ouarzazate (lunch stop, visit the film studios if interested) into the Dadès Gorge for the night. Dramatic canyon scenery and a quiet auberge.

Day 4 — Sahara Dunes (Merzouga)

Drive the Todra Gorge in the morning — a narrow 300m-high canyon you can walk through in 20 minutes. Spectacular light in the morning. Continue to Merzouga (4–5h total driving from Dadès). Arrive mid-afternoon: check into your camp, mount your camel, ride into Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset. Dinner under the stars in your Berber camp tent with musicians playing around the fire.

Day 5 — Sahara Sunrise → Back to Marrakech

5:30am — wake for sunrise over the dunes. Non-negotiable. The light is extraordinary and the dunes are empty. Breakfast, camel back to camp, then drive back toward Marrakech via Ouarzazate (8–9h total). Arrive Marrakech evening — relax, good dinner, repack. This is a long driving day; consider a private driver rather than rental car so you can rest.

Day 6 — Essaouira: Atlantic Coast

Morning CTM bus from Marrakech to Essaouira (2.5h, ~80 MAD, 4–5 departures daily — book online at ctm.ma). Essaouira is the antidote to Marrakech: blue-and-white medina, Atlantic wind, laid-back musicians and some of Morocco's best seafood. Walk the ramparts, browse the woodworking artisan quarter, eat grilled fish at the port stalls. Stay the night at a riad in the medina.

See the full Essaouira guide for where to eat, stay and surf.

Day 7 — Essaouira Morning & Depart

Morning walk on the beach or through the quiet medina (it's much calmer before 10am). Late morning bus back to Marrakech (2.5h) in time for your afternoon/evening flight. Marrakech airport is 10 minutes from the city centre — don't leave the bus station later than 3 hours before your flight.