What are time-saving tips for a Morocco trip?

The thing that quietly eats days in Morocco is driving, so the most valuable time-saving move is structural: design your trip as a one-direction loop and never retrace a road. Marrakech south to the Sahara, back through the kasbah valleys, then north to Fes works because the long legs are done once, as a continuous journey, rather than darting out-and-back. I've rescued countless draft itineraries that had people driving Marrakech–desert–Marrakech and then Marrakech–Fes, repeating hundreds of kilometres for no reason. Loop it, and you reclaim a full day or more.

Book the scarce, slow-to-arrange pieces before you land. Your desert camp, your riads in the main cities, and any private driver should be locked in advance — not because you can't find them on the ground, but because hunting for them burns hours you'd rather spend exploring, and the good ones sell out. With the big rocks in place, the flexible bits (a lunch spot, a hammam, a day trip) can be decided spontaneously without derailing anything. Pre-booking is the difference between arriving and figuring it out versus arriving and simply beginning.

Within the country, use the right transport for each leg. The ONCF trains between Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat and Fes are faster, comfier and more predictable than driving those routes, and they let you nap or work instead of watching motorway. Save the car and driver for the south, where there's no rail and the scenery is the point. In cities, a metered petit taxi across town saves the half-hour you'd lose walking back through a medina you've already crossed twice.

On the ground, two habits save the most time. First, base yourself two nights per stop wherever you can — constant one-night hops mean every morning is consumed by packing, checking out and re-settling, which is exhausting and slow. Second, group your sights geographically: tackle one neighbourhood or cluster at a time rather than crisscrossing the medina, and front-load the marquee sight at opening before the crowds slow everything to a crawl. Plan two anchor sights a day, cluster them, and you'll see more while feeling less rushed.