Our 9-day Morocco itinerary
Fes, Merzouga, Marrakech, and the Atlas Mountains
Wandering the ancient medina, falling asleep to a desert storm, hiking through waterfalls, luxuriating at riads… Morocco was unlike anywhere else that we’ve been. The whole country was a delight for the senses. It was city break, adventure, and wellness all in one.
Typically, I roll pretty loosey-goosey in my travel planning — my philosophy is never to try to squeeze it ALL in. That you can always come back. But, when it came to Morocco, I felt a little more pressure to nail the itinerary: It’s a long trip (from Denver, it required a one-night layover in London before landing in Fes), and unlike say, Japan or Italy, it’s not really a destination we expected to revisit in the next decade. It ended up being one of our favorite trips — between the design inspiration around every corner, the diversity of activities, and the convergence of ancient and modern.
I don’t often feel compelled to share our exact itineraries because your travel style probably varies. But starting from scratch on Morocco planning felt a little daunting, and a skeleton itinerary from someone whose taste I trust would have been tremendously helpful in my own planning. So below, I’ve detailed the full itinerary for our nine-day stay in Morocco, including:
How many nights I recommend spending where
Our accommodations in all four spots… among them, a beautifully designed, reasonably priced property that I absolutely loved
Was the desert trip worth it? — and tips on how to do it right
The one luxurious spa you need to do a hammam at
How we decided on our itinerary
I briefly considered hiring a planner (mostly due to my own false preconceptions about Morocco travel being difficult). But like many “tricky” destinations — Japan comes to mind — once I started digging in, a clear idea started to emerge.
Many TA-planned trips assume you will go through Casablanca (CMN) because it’s the main hub of Morocco — most international flights come in through Casablanca. That said, we knew we didn’t really want to spend time there, so we opted to figure out a plan where we wouldn’t “waste” a day in Morocco.
Our itinerary was also somewhat dictated by flight availability. We wanted to fly in and out of Fes and/or Marrakech, and we didn’t want to spend two entire days in a car, which is the default option for heading to the desert. We ended up doing:
3 nights Fes
2 nights desert
2 nights Marrakech
1 night Atlas mountains
If we had had more flexibility with flights, I think my ideal itinerary would be:
2 nights Fes — I don’t think 3 is necessary
2 nights desert — most itineraries suggest 1 night in the desert, but it’s such a long journey and a special experience that I think 2 is worthwhile (unless you’re doing real desert camping… I don’t know if I’d opt to stay longer if I didn’t have AC and running water!)
2 nights Atlas mountains — I would have loved to spend more time in nature
3 nights Marrakech — there’s so much to see, do, and shop for in Marrakech! I felt like we barely scratched the surface
All of our domestic flights were via RyanAir, which between the clapping and the nonstop chatter is a funny cultural experience in itself.
Here I’ll remind you that our travel style is pretty loose. It’s usually less of an hour-by-hour plan, and more like one anchor activity and one meal reservation a day. We are not rigorously scheduled travelers and keep things flexible to slot in local recommendations, on-the-fly discoveries, jetlag naps, marital disputes, etc.
Day 1: Arriving to Fes and a tour of the medina
We arrived to Fes, often referred to as the country’s cultural capital, after an early morning flight from London, and were picked up by the hotel driver (this seemed to be a common service offered by high-end riads). After sipping some hot mint tea — offered EVERYWHERE, btw — and checking into Karawan Riad, I met our private guide for a four-hour walking tour. (Mike took a nap. He’s fired.)
On the medina tour, we visited Bab Bou Jeloud, the iconic glue gate that marks the entrance to the old medina, Chouara Tannery, where you learn about the traditional method of tanning leather and Al Quaraouiyine Mosque and University — one of the oldest universities in the world, founded by a female engineer in 859 AD. We also wandered through the local souks, where I was awed by all the handicrafts, textiles, and spices.
Though the tannery shop was really touristy, I did pick up a suede jacket that was of beautiful quality for probably too much money. Because we booked our private guide through a top hotel in Fes, I had assumed it wouldn’t be scammy, but, unfortunately he did drop us off at a few textile stops that were clearly designed around generating commission, which I was told can be up to 50% of the price you pay. (How’s that for affiliate revenue?)