14 Days in Morocco: Casablanca to Marrakech (Self-Launched)

Land at Mohammed V Airport and take the ONCF train (about £2.50–3, roughly 45 min) to Casa Voyageurs, then a petit taxi (£2–3) to a guesthouse near the old medina or Habous quarter. The commercial tour includes an airport transfer; doing it yourself is cheap and easy. Spend the afternoon walking the corniche at Ain Diab, the leafy Habous quarter, and the art-deco centre-ville. Ask your host to help you buy a Maroc Telecom or Orange SIM card (£5–8 with data) and withdraw dirhams — ATMs are plentiful in Casablanca but limited later in the desert.

🚌ONCF airport train + petit taxi, ~£5 (tour included a private transfer)

🛏Budget riad or hostel in the medina / Habous, £15–20 per night

• →Ain Diab corniche walk
• →Habous quarter and central market
• →Buy SIM card and stock up on cash

Get to Hassan II Mosque for the morning guided internal visit (£11–12, book direct or via GetYourGuide; non-Muslims can only enter on a tour). Then take the ONCF train to Rabat (about £3, 1 hr). In Rabat walk the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and Hassan Tower, and the Bab Challah area — all free or a couple of pounds. In the late afternoon travel on by train to Tangier or Kenitra then a CTM bus to Chefchaouen (total roughly £12–16, 4–5 hrs) — check ctms.ma schedules the day before. The commercial tour drives this in a day; a DIY version means a long but very doable travel day.

🚌Train Casablanca–Rabat + train/bus to Chefchaouen, ~£16

🛏Budget guesthouse in Chefchaouen medina (lots of steps — pack light), £15–20

• →Hassan II Mosque interior tour
• →Kasbah of the Udayas
• →Mausoleum of Mohammed V
• →Bab Challah

Start early with a self-launched wander of the blue medina: Outa el Hammam square, the 15th-century kasbah (£1.50), the Great Mosque, and the Spanish mosque viewpoint for photos. Then take a CTM/Supratours bus towards Meknès/Fez (about £9–12, ~4 hrs). To see Volubilis Roman ruins, break the journey: bus to Meknès, then a grand taxi round trip to Volubilis (£12–16 shared) and the guided site entry £6 (get a local guide at the gate for £5–8, or audio guide). Continue by train or bus to Fez in the evening.

🚌Bus Chefchaouen–Meknès + shared grand taxi to Volubilis + bus/train to Fez, ~£20

🛏Riad or hostel in Fez medina, £15–20

• →Chefchaouen medina self-launched walk
• →Kasbah fortress
• →Spanish mosque viewpoint
• →Volubilis Roman ruins with local guide

Book a licensed medina guide the day before — either through your riad (usually £25–35 for a half day) or via GetYourGuide. You'll cover the Royal Palace gate, Bab Boujloud (Blue Gate), Bou Inania Medersa (£1–2), the Nejjarine Fountain and wood museum, the Chouara tanneries (viewpoint tip £1–2), the Qarawiyyin mosque and university courtyard, and the Mellah Jewish quarter. Do the tanneries and souks early before the tour groups arrive. Expect touts near the tanneries offering 'free' tours that end in carpet shops — decline politely.

🚌Walking day; petit taxis in the evening £2–3

🛏Riad or hostel in Fez medina, £15–20

• →Licensed medina guide half-day
• →Bou Inania Medersa
• →Chouara tanneries viewpoint
• →Mellah and Borj Nord views

Take the CTM or Supratours bus from Fez to Merzouga/Rissani (about £15–18, 8–9 hrs — leaves early, so book two days ahead). The route itself covers what the tour drives: Ifrane, the cedar forest near Azrou (Barbary macaques), Midelt and the Ziz Gorges — sit on the right-hand side for the best views. From Rissani/Merzouga a local shuttle or taxi to the dunes village is £3–5. Book a desert camp plus camel ride directly with a Merzouga camp (many on Booking.com or via GetYourGuide, £35–50 per person including camel trek, dinner, breakfast and Berber music). Head out by camel for sunset and sleep under canvas.

🚌CTM/Supratours bus Fez–Merzouga ~£17 + local transfer £4

🛏Desert camp near Erg Chebbi, £35–50 pp including dinner/breakfast

• →Middle Atlas and cedar forest views from the bus
• →Azrou and Midelt stop
• →Camel trek into Erg Chebbi
• →Berber dinner and music at camp

Wake for sunrise over the dunes, have a Berber breakfast, then camel or 4x4 back to Merzouga village. Take a shared grand taxi or local bus to Tinghir (Todgha) — about £6–10, 3 hrs; the gorge itself is a short taxi ride from town (£3–4). Walk the canyon floor between the 300m walls, lunch at a simple café, then continue by shared taxi to Boumalne Dades (£4–6). Stay in a family guesthouse in the Dades Valley and watch the sunset light up the rock formations.

🚌Shared grand taxis Merzouga–Tinghir–Boumalne, ~£15

🛏Family-run guesthouse in Boumalne Dades, £15–20

• →Sunrise on Erg Chebbi
• →Todgha Gorges canyon walk
• →Dades Valley viewpoints

Take the morning shared taxi or local bus along the Dades Valley to Kalaat M'Gouna (£4–6) — optional stop at a rose cooperative and rosewater distillery (free entry, cheap and lovely). Continue to Ait Benhaddou by shared taxi/bus (£5–8). The ksar is free to enter; a local guide is £8–10, otherwise wander the earthen lanes yourself and walk to the granary at the top for views. Cross the river and take a taxi on to Ouarzazate (£3–5). Optional: Atlas Film Studios (£3.50) or an hour at Kasbah Taourirt (£2).

🚌Shared taxis/local buses Dades–Kalaat M'Gouna–Ait Benhaddou–Ouarzazate, ~£15

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Ouarzazate, £15–20

• →Kalaat M'Gouna rose cooperative
• →Ait Benhaddou ksar
• →Kasbah Taourirt
• →Atlas Film Studios (optional)

Take a shared taxi or local bus south through the Draa Valley palmery via Agdz (£6–9). Stop in Zagora for lunch, then continue to Tamgroute — home to a 16th-century Koranic library and an underground kasbah (small entry fees £1–2) and a pottery workshop. Arrive in M'Hamid in the late afternoon and check into a desert guesthouse or camp (£20–30). Walk out to the dunes for sunset; this is the quieter, wilder side of the Sahara compared to Merzouga.

🚌Shared taxi / local bus Ouarzazate–Zagora–M'Hamid, ~£18

🛏Desert camp or guesthouse in M'Hamid, £20–30

• →Draa Valley palm oases
• →Tamgroute Koranic library and kasbah
• →Pottery workshop
• →Sunset on M'Hamid dunes

Book a day earlier in M'Hamid: a Berber agency will run the 60km 4x4 transfer to Erg Chigaga and a camel trek out on the dunes (£60–90 per person, usually including transfers, a one-hour camel ride, dinner and a basic tented camp — cheaper when shared with 3–4 travellers). En route you pass the Sacred Oasis and cross the Iriki dry lakebed. Compare two or three agencies in town for price and check whether water and washing facilities are available — the cheapest camps have outside bathrooms. Sunset on the 300m dunes is the highlight of this whole route.

🚌Shared 4x4 from M'Hamid to Erg Chigaga, included in excursion price

🛏Tented camp at Erg Chigaga, included in the 4x4 package

• →Off-road transfer across Iriki lakebed
• →Sacred Oasis stop
• →Camel trek on Erg Chigaga
• →Sahara sunset and camp dinner

Return by 4x4 to M'Hamid (breakfast at camp), then take the local shared taxi or bus to Foum Zguid and on to Tazenakht (£8–12, around 5 hrs). Tazenakht is a carpet-weaving town — a cooperative visit is free and no-pressure compared to the big-city medinas. Shift to the Souss side of the Anti-Atlas: a shared taxi or bus from Tazenakht through Taliouine to Taroudant (£6–10). Taroudant's red walls and quiet souks are a relaxed contrast to Marrakech — an evening wander is one of the nicest free things in southern Morocco.

🚌4x4 return included + shared taxis Tazenakht–Taroudant, ~£10

🛏Budget riad or guesthouse in Taroudant, £15–20

• →Foum Zguid
• →Tazenakht carpet cooperative
• →Taliouine saffron country
• →Taroudant ramparts and souks

Local bus to Agadir (£3–4, 1.5 hrs) — a quick stop on the promenade, a cheap fish lunch at the port, then catch the CTM or Supratours coastal coach to Essaouira (£9–12, 3.5 hrs). Arrive in time for the sunset on the ramparts and a grilled-sardine dinner at the port for £6–8. Book the coach a day ahead — the afternoon service fills up in high season.

🚌Bus + CTM coach, ~£14

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Essaouira medina, £15–20

• →Agadir promenade and port lunch
• →Coastal drive views
• →Essaouira ramparts at sunset

Morning in Essaouira: walk the Skala ramparts (free), watch the blue boats in the port, browse the quieter-than-Marrakech souks and hash out a surf lesson if you fancy it (£20–25). Then take the CTM or Supratours bus to Marrakech (£8–10, 2.5 hrs) — sit on the left for the argan and argan-goat scenery. Check into a medina riad, have dinner in the Djemaa el-Fna food stalls (£5–8), and walk the square at night with its storytellers, musicians and juice carts.

🚌CTM/Supratours bus Essaouira–Marrakech, ~£9

🛏Medina riad or hostel in Marrakech, £18–25

• →Essaouira Skala and port
• →Surf lesson (optional)
• →Djemaa el-Fna food stalls and evening atmosphere

Buy the Jardin Majorelle ticket online in advance (£10–12; while the Jardin Majorelle gardens are being renovated, check whether Jardin Marjorelle/Villa Oasis is open on your dates) and go first thing to dodge queues. Then walk to the Koutoubia Tower (free), the Saadian Tombs (£8) and Bahia Palace (£6) — a combined city pass can save a few pounds. Lunch near the square, then spend the afternoon in the souks and the souk Semmarine, haggling for leather and lanterns; hire a local medina guide for two hours (£20–25) if you don't want to get lost.

🚌Walking and petit taxis, ~£4

🛏Medina riad or hostel in Marrakech, £18–25

• →Jardin Majorelle
• →Koutoubia Tower
• →Saadian Tombs
• →Bahia Palace
• →Souk Semmarine and the souks

Breakfast at the riad, then take the airport bus (line 19, about £3, 20–30 min) or a petit taxi (£6–8) to Marrakech Menara for your flight. If you're flying out of Casablanca instead, the ONCF train from Marrakech to Casablanca is about £10 and 3.5 hrs, plus the airport train. Leave buffer time — Moroccan roads and flights run on their own clock.

🚌Airport bus or petit taxi, ~£4 (or train to Casablanca ~£12)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last medina breakfast
• →Airport transfer