Ten days is the classic length for a first trip to Morocco: long enough to see the imperial cities, cross the High Atlas, spend a night in the Sahara and reach the blue streets of Chefchaouen, without spending every day in a car. This itinerary links all of that into one loop that starts in Marrakech and ends in Casablanca, so you never backtrack.
Drive times below are approximate and depend on traffic and stops. If you only have a week, see our comparison of 7, 10 and 14-day itineraries.
Land in Marrakech, settle into your riad in the medina and take an easy first evening at Jemaa el-Fna, where the square fills with food stalls and musicians after sunset.
Spend the day on foot or with a guide: the Bahia Palace, the souks, the Koutoubia minaret and the Majorelle Garden. Leave the late afternoon free for a rooftop terrace or a hammam.
Cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, which reaches about 2,260 meters, then visit the UNESCO-listed ksar of Aït Benhaddou and sleep in Ouarzazate. Allow four to five hours of driving plus stops. More in our Ouarzazate guide.
Drive east through the Skoura palm grove and the Dadès Valley to the Todra Gorge, where the canyon walls rise to around 300 meters. About four hours of driving. See the Todra Gorge guide.
Continue to Merzouga (three to four hours), ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset and spend the night in a desert camp. Our Merzouga guide explains how to choose a camp.
Watch the sunrise over the dunes, then take the longest drive of the trip, about eight hours via Midelt, the cedar forests of Azrou and Ifrane. Break it up with stops; you arrive in Fes in the evening.
Explore the medina of Fes el-Bali, one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world, ideally with a licensed guide: the Bou Inania Madrasa, the tanneries and the artisan quarters. Read our Fes medina guide.
Drive north to the Rif mountains (about four hours) and spend the afternoon in the blue-washed streets of Chefchaouen. See the Chefchaouen guide.
Head to Rabat (about three and a half hours) to see the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah of the Udayas, then continue to Casablanca (about one hour) for the night.
Visit the Hassan II Mosque, whose minaret is among the tallest in the world, before your flight home. Our Casablanca guide has the details.
Ten days is enough for a well-rounded first trip: Marrakech, the High Atlas, a night in the Sahara, Fes and the north. You will not see everything, and adding Essaouira or a second night in the desert is easiest with 12 to 14 days.
March to May and September to November offer the most comfortable temperatures. Summer is very hot in the south, and winter nights in the desert and the Atlas are cold.
Both work. Starting in Marrakech and ending in Casablanca saves backtracking if flights allow it, and the route can be reversed without losing anything.
Yes. Many travelers choose a private driver, because the Atlas passes are winding and the distances are long. It also lets you stop for photos and local meals along the way.
Drop the north: Marrakech, Aït Benhaddou, Todra Gorge, Merzouga and Fes cover the highlights in a week. Our 7, 10 and 14-day comparison shows the options.
We design fully private, tailor-made itineraries with expert drivers, hand-picked riads and luxury desert camps, and adapt every day of this route to your pace and interests.
Plan Your Trip