Should I start my Morocco trip in Fes or Marrakech?

Honestly, there's no wrong answer here — I've sent travellers both ways and they come home happy. What differs is the feel of your first 48 hours. Marrakech hits you immediately: Jemaa el-Fnaa, the souks, the gardens, the buzz. It's a confident, slightly theatrical introduction to Morocco, and the tourist infrastructure means your first day is smooth even if you're jet-lagged.

Fes is the older soul of the country — a vast, labyrinthine medieval medina that feels more lived-in and less performed for visitors. Some people adore starting here because it throws them straight into 'real' Morocco; others find it overwhelming as a first stop precisely because it's so dense and disorienting. If you're a confident, curious traveller, beginning in Fes is unforgettable. If it's your very first time and you want to ease in, Marrakech is gentler.

Logistics matter too. Marrakech is the natural launchpad for the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara, so starting there lets you head south while you're fresh and end on the cities. Starting in Fes works beautifully if you fly into the north (or into Casablanca) and want to travel south over the trip — Fes, then the desert via the Middle Atlas, then Marrakech to fly home. That south-bound flow avoids backtracking.

My genuine tip: let your flights and your route decide. Pick whichever city your itinerary can build outward from without doubling back. And if you can fly into one and out of the other, you get the best of both and never repeat a road.