10 Days Morocco: Casablanca to the Sahara & Essaouira (Self-Launched)

Land at Mohammed V Airport and take the train (ONCF, ~45 min, 50 MAD / ~£4) to Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port. Check into a medina-adjacent guesthouse, then walk the corniche and the old medina in the late afternoon. In the evening eat at a cheap local grill near Marché Central — a tagine and mint tea runs about £6-8. Sort your SIM (Maroc Telecom or Orange, ~£8 for 10GB) and pick up a CTM/ONCF timetable for the days ahead.

🚌Airport train to city ~£4; walking + tram in town

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in central Casablanca (dorm or private room), ~£15-20

• →Corniche and Hassan II Mosque exterior at sunset
• →Old medina and Marché Central food stalls

Start early: take the ONCF train from Casablanca to Rabat Ville (~1 hr, ~£7). Spend 4-5 hours in Rabat — Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Oudaya Kasbah and its blue-and-white lanes, and a wander through the medina (all free or a few pounds). Then take the train on to Tangier or the CTM bus to Chefchaouen (Rabat–Chefchaouen ~5 hrs, ~£10-12 via bus; train to Tangier then bus/CTM is a common alternative). Arrive evening, check into a riad in the medina and eat in the main square.

🚌Train Casablanca–Rabat ~£7; CTM/Supratours bus Rabat–Chefchaouen ~£11

🛏Small riad inside Chefchaouen medina, ~£20-25 private room

• →Hassan Tower & Mausoleum of Mohammed V
• →Oudaya Kasbah and gardens
• →Rabat medina walk
• →Evening in Chefchaouen's Plaza Uta el-Hammam

Walk the blue alleyways at sunrise before the day-trippers arrive, hike 30 min up to the Spanish Mosque for the view (free). Mid-morning, hop a CTM bus or shared grand taxi east to Meknes (via Ouazzane), then a local taxi or tour to the Roman ruins of Volubilis (entry ~£6, ~20 min from Moulay Idriss). Catch a local bus or train from Meknes to Fes in the late afternoon (~1 hr, ~£3). Dump bags at a Fes medina riad and eat at a cheap neighbourhood restaurant (harira + brochettes, ~£5).

🚌Bus/taxi Chefchaouen–Meknes ~£9; taxi to Volubilis ~£8 shared; train Meknes–Fes ~£3

🛏Fes medina riad, ~£22-28 private room (2 nights)

• →Spanish Mosque viewpoint at sunrise
• →Volubilis Roman ruins
• →Hassan Tower, Bab Mansour and Moulay Ismail granary in Meknes

Book a small-group walking tour of the Fes medina via GetYourGuide or a licensed guide through your riad (~£20-30 for 3-4 hrs) — this is genuinely worth it, as the medina is a maze and licensed guides unlock the tanneries, Bouanania medersa and Nejjarine fountain. Cover Bab Boujloud (Blue Gate), the Bou Inania medersa, the Khairoun/Chouara tanneries (with a terrace view), the Mellah, and finish at Merenid Tombs for sunset. Avoid 'free' tours that end in carpet and ceramics shops — agree the price and itinerary up front.

🚌Walking; short petit-taxi hops ~£1-2

🛏Fes medina riad (night 2)

• →Licensed medina walking tour (~£25)
• →Bouanania Medersa & Nejjarine fountain
• →Chouara tannery terrace viewpoint
• →Mellah Jewish quarter
• →Merenid Tombs sunset

This is the longest day on the road; a CTM bus Fes–Merzouga/Rissani is the cheapest option (~6-7 hrs direct, ~£15-18 — book 1-2 days ahead at the CTM office or online). Break the journey at Ifrane and Azrou if you like (the cedar forest and Barbary macaques are right off the N13). Most desert camps include a 4x4 pick-up from Merzouga village to the dunes edge and a camel trek in. Expect a shared tented camp with dinner, drumming and sunrise over Erg Chebbi — basic camps ~£30-40 pp, mid-range private-bathroom camps ~£50-70 pp.

🚌CTM bus Fes–Merzouga ~£16; camp 4x4 transfer ~£8; camel trek included

🛏Shared desert camp in Erg Chebbi with dinner and breakfast (twin tent), ~£35-45 pp

• →Ifrane alpine-style town stop
• →Cedar forest & Barbary macaques at Azrou
• →Ziz Gorge and palmeries viewpoints
• →Sunset camel trek into Erg Chebbi dunes
• →Desert camp dinner and Berber drumming

Wake for sunrise on the dunes, breakfast at camp, then 4x4 back to Merzouga village. Catch a shared grand taxi or local bus to Tinejdad/Tinghir (change in Rissani or Tinejdad; ~3-4 hrs total, ~£10-14 shared). Walk or hitch a short ride into the Todra Gorges for the afternoon — the 300m canyon walls and the river path are free. In the late afternoon take a grand taxi to Boumalne Dades (~1 hr, ~£5 shared) and check into a valley guesthouse with a terrace over the 'monkey fingers' rock formations.

🚌Shared grand taxis Merzouga–Tinghir ~£12; Tinghir–Boumalne Dades ~£5

🛏Guesthouse in Boumalne Dades / Dades Valley, ~£18-25

• →Sunrise over Erg Chebbi
• →Todra Gorges canyon walk
• →Dades Valley viewpoint and monkey-fingers rock formations

Bus or shared taxi along the Valley of Roses and Skoura palmeries to Ouarzazate (CTM/Supratours, ~2-3 hrs, ~£8), then a shared grand taxi 30 min to Ait Benhaddou (~£3). Hire a local guide at the ksar entrance for 1-2 hrs (~£10-15) or just explore the UNESCO village independently with the ~£2-3 entry. Then take the afternoon CTM bus over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech (~3.5-4 hrs, ~£8-10). Arrive after dark, taxi to a medina riad, and eat at a cheap square-side grill.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Dades–Ouarzazate ~£8; grand taxi to Ait Benhaddou ~£3; CTM Ouarzazate–Marrakech ~£9

🛏Medina riad in Marrakech, ~£25-30 private room (2 nights)

• →Skoura palmeries en route
• →Ait Benhaddou kasbah (local guide ~£12)
• →Optional Atlas Studios Ouarzazate stop
• →Tizi n'Tichka pass viewpoints

Buy a combined ticket or pay individually for the big-hitters: Bahia Palace (~£6), Saadian Tombs (~£6), and the Koutoubia gardens (free) in the morning; Majorelle Garden (~£13, book a timed slot online to skip the queue). Afternoon for souk wandering and a rooftop mint tea (~£2), then Jemaa el-Fna at dusk for food stalls (snail broth, grilled skewers, orange juice — budget £7-9 to eat well). Optionally add a hammam (~£15-25) or a hot-air balloon at sunrise (~£150 via GetYourGuide — skip if budget-focused).

🚌Walking; petit taxis ~£2-3

🛏Medina riad in Marrakech (night 2)

• →Bahia Palace
• →Saadian Tombs
• →Majorelle Garden (pre-booked slot)
• →Souk Semmarine wander
• →Jemaa el-Fna food stalls at dusk

Take the CTM or Supratours bus from Marrakech gare routière to Essaouira (~2.5-3 hrs, ~£8-10, several departures). Check into a medina guesthouse, then explore the ramparts, the fishing port (watch the blue boats come in and the gulls swarm the fish gutting), and the Skala du Port. Wander the art galleries and thuya-wood workshops, and eat grilled sardines at the port for about £5-7. Sunset on the beach is the best free show in Morocco.

🚌CTM/Supratours bus Marrakech–Essaouira ~£9

🛏Medina guesthouse/riad in Essaouira, ~£20-25

• →Essaouira medina and ramparts walk
• →Fishing port and Skala du Port
• →Art galleries and thuya workshops
• →Beach sunset

Morning in Essaouira for a last beach coffee and a souk browse, then take the CTM/Supratours bus back to Marrakech (~£9), and connect by ONCF train to Casablanca (~£8) or straight to Mohammed V Airport. If your flight leaves from Marrakech instead, the bus drops you at the Marrakech bus station with a short taxi to the airport (~£6-8). Allow 6-7 hours of travel in total — a morning departure is essential if flying out the same day.

🚌Bus Essaouira–Marrakech ~£9; train Marrakech–Casablanca ~£8 (or taxi to Marrakech airport ~£7)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last morning on Essaouira beach
• →Souk and spice shopping