How much should I budget for a mid-range week in Morocco?

The mid-range traveller is the sweet spot in Morocco, and I think it is where the country delivers its best value. Plan for around $700 to $1,200 per person a week, or roughly $100 to $170 a day once flights are set aside. At this level you stop sleeping in dorms and start staying in the riads that are half the reason people fall in love with Morocco — restored courtyard houses with tiled fountains, roof terraces and breakfast laid out under the orange trees, typically $60 to $120 a night for a lovely double.

Food at this tier becomes a genuine pleasure rather than a calculation. You can still eat a couple of street meals a week for the fun of it, then spend on a proper dinner at a respected restaurant — somewhere like a garden restaurant in Marrakech or a rooftop in Fes — for $20 to $40 a head with a starter and a tagine. I usually budget mid-range guests around $40 to $60 a day for food and drinks combined, which buys them variety without thinking twice about ordering the mint tea and dessert.

Transport is where the mid-range budget buys the biggest jump in comfort. Instead of wrangling shared taxis and bus timetables, you can take first-class train seats between the imperial cities for a few dollars more, book private airport transfers, and — the move I recommend most — hire a private driver-guide for the long, scenic legs over the Atlas to the desert. A car with an English-speaking driver runs roughly $80 to $130 a day, and split between two or three people it transforms the trip: you stop where you want, skip the logistics, and learn from the driver along the way.

My honest guidance: at $700 to $1,200 a week you can have nearly all the magic without the luxury price tag. The one place I push mid-range travellers to spend up rather than down is the Sahara — a good private or premium-comfort desert camp at $150 to $300 a night per person, rather than the bargain group camp, is the memory people talk about for years. Build the week around comfortable riads, a hired driver for the big drives and one knockout desert night, and you will feel like you travelled far above the price. Confirm current riad and driver rates when you book, as both move with season and demand.