Where to go in Morocco
From the medinas of Marrakech and Fes to the Sahara dunes, the High Atlas and the Atlantic coast: why each place is worth it, the best months, and how many days to give it.
الصحراءErg Chebbi
Tangier to Lagouira
Place by place
The Red City
مراكشThe souks, the palaces and Jemaa el-Fnaa at dusk, with riads that open onto quiet courtyards. The easiest start for most trips, with the Atlas and the desert within reach.
The medieval medina
فاسFes el-Bali is a working medieval city: tanneries, madrasas and craft workshops in thousands of lanes. Go with a licensed guide and it opens up.
Roman ruins and an imperial gate
The mosaics of Roman Volubilis and the great gate of Bab Mansour in Meknes, an easy day on the road between Fes and Rabat or Chefchaouen.
The blue town of the Rif
شفشاونBlue-washed lanes below the Rif mountains, slower than the big cities. Stay a night to see it early, before the day visitors arrive.
The great Sahara dunes
الصحراءThe tall orange dunes most people picture when they think of the Sahara: a camel line at sunset and a night at a desert camp.
The remote dunes
Wilder and quieter dunes beyond the road at M’hamid, reached by 4x4 through the palm groves of the Draa Valley.
The earth-built ksar
A UNESCO-listed ksar of earth towers above a river, on the road from Marrakech over the Tizi n’Tichka pass towards the desert.
Red canyons and palm oases
Walls of red rock above green palm groves, with easy walks along the river. The usual night between Ouarzazate and the dunes.
Berber villages and peaks
الأطلسAmazigh villages, walnut terraces and trails below Toubkal, about an hour from Marrakech: a day walk or a few nights in a mountain lodge.
The windy Atlantic port
الصويرةSea ramparts, blue fishing boats and a relaxed walled medina: a breath of sea air after the cities, with fresh fish at the port.
The Hassan II Mosque
Most trips land here. The Hassan II Mosque on the ocean, one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors on a guided tour, is worth the morning.
The calm capital
The blue-and-white Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower and the Chellah ruins in a green, easy-going capital on the road north.
Where two seas meet
A hilltop medina above the Strait of Gibraltar, Cap Spartel where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and the painted walls of Asilah down the coast.
Winter sun and surf
A long sandy bay with a promenade, and the surf villages of Taghazout just up the coast: the place for a few slow beach days.
Granite valleys and almond blossom
Pink granite boulders, palm-filled gorges and almond trees that flower in late winter: a quiet road trip for travellers who have seen the classics.
After you ask for a quote
Every trip is private and priced to your dates, so there is no fixed price list. Ask, and the proposal shows the full cost before anything is booked.
More ways to choose
Before you choose
For a first trip: Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen, the Sahara dunes at Erg Chebbi, Ait Benhaddou and the High Atlas, with Essaouira for the coast. Casablanca and Rabat fit easily at the start or end of a route.
Three or four, without rushing. A common seven-day route is Marrakech, the High Atlas or Ait Benhaddou, the gorges and two nights in the Sahara, then back to Marrakech or on to Fes.
Marrakech is easier to start with: more open spaces, more choice of riads, and the Atlas and the desert within reach. Fes is the deeper medina. With ten days or more, most travellers see both.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) suit almost every place on this page. Summer is best on the coast and in the mountains; winter brings clear desert days, cold nights and snow on the High Atlas.
Yes. Tell us which places you want and how long you have; a planner in Morocco sends a day-by-day private route with your own driver-guide, and the quote shows the full cost before anything is booked.
المغربⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱThe Kingdom of Morocco