8-Day Self-Launched Morocco Loop: Casablanca to the Sahara & Marrakech

Start early at Hassan II Mosque (exterior free; interior guided visits ~£12 and only at set times — book online the day before). Walk the Art Deco seafront, then take the tram or a petit taxi to Casa Voyageurs station for the hourly ONCF train to Rabat (~£3, 1hr). In Rabat see the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free) and the Oudaya Kasbah with its blue-and-white lanes. From Rabat Ville catch an afternoon CTM/Supratours bus to Chefchaouen via a change in Tangier or direct CTM (~£12–15, 5–6hrs). Arrive after dark and wander the blue medina — it's beautifully quiet at night.

🚌ONCF train Casablanca–Rabat ~£3; CTM bus Rabat–Chefchaouen ~£12–15 (6hrs)

🛏Budget riad/guesthouse in Chefchaouen medina (double ~£25–35/night)

• →Hassan II Mosque exterior & seafront
• →Hassan Tower & Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free)
• →Oudaya Kasbah & Andalusian gardens (free)
• →Evening walk in the blue medina

Climb to the Spanish Mosque at sunrise for the classic view over the blue town (free), then take the morning CTM bus to Meknes (~£8, 4hrs). Store your bag at the station and hop a grand taxi (~£8 return for the car) 30km out to Volubilis — the Roman ruins cost ~£6 entry and are best in late-afternoon light. Back in Meknes, see Bab al-Mansour, the Heri es-Souani granary and Sahrij Souani basin (~£6 combined ticket) and the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum (free for non-Muslims). Evening train to Fes (~£3, 45mins), then a petit taxi into the medina.

🚌CTM bus ~£8; grand taxi to Volubilis ~£4 pp; ONCF train Meknes–Fes ~£3

🛏Riad/guesthouse in Fes medina, 2 nights (~£25–35/night)

• →Sunrise at Spanish Mosque viewpoint
• →Volubilis Roman ruins (~£6 entry)
• →Bab al-Mansour & Heri es-Souani (~£6)
• →Moulay Ismail Mausoleum (free)

Hire a licensed local medina guide through your riad or GetYourGuide (~£25–30 for a half day, split with anyone you meet — a guide genuinely saves you hours of getting lost here). Cover Bab Boujloud, the Bouanania and Attarine medrasas (~£2 each), the Najjarine fountain and museum, the Chouara tanneries (view from a terrace, tip ~£1) and the Kairaouine mosque courtyard (non-Muslims can't enter the prayer hall). Lunch on a camel-meat or tagine plate near R'cif (~£4). Finish with the Mellah and the Marinid tombs for sunset panoramas over the city.

🚌Walking (medina is pedestrian-only); petit taxi to Bab Boujloud ~£1

🛏Riad/guesthouse in Fes medina

• →Guided medina walk (~£25)
• →Bouanania & Attarine medrasas (~£4)
• →Tanneries terrace visit
• →Marinid tombs sunset viewpoint

The long one. Take the CTM bus from Fes to Merzouga via Meknes/Errachidia (~£12–15, 7–8hrs) or, if timing is tight, an ONCF/CTM combo to Midelt and onward. You'll pass Ifrane's alpine chalets and the cedar forest at Azrou (Barbary macaques by the roadside — hold onto your snacks) and cross the Ziz Valley gorges. From Merzouga village, your pre-booked desert camp sends a 4x4 to the edge of the dunes (arranged with the camp, ~£5). Camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset (~£10–15), tagine dinner and drumming under the stars at a nomad-style camp.

🚌CTM bus Fes–Merzouga ~£12–15 (7–8hrs); camp 4x4 transfer ~£5

🛏Shared nomad desert camp, Merzouga (~£20–30 pp incl. dinner & breakfast)

• →Ifrane & cedar forest stop
• →Ziz Valley viewpoints
• →Sunset camel ride in Erg Chebbi (~£12)
• →Desert camp dinner & stargazing

Up for sunrise on the dunes, then back to Merzouga village for breakfast and a shared grand taxi to Rissani (~£3 pp) for the souk and the fossil-marble workshops. Pick up a shared taxi or CTM to Tinejdad/Tinghir (~£6), then a grand taxi up to the Todra Gorges (~£5 pp) for a short walk between the 300m walls. Continue via Boumalne Dades to your valley guesthouse (~£5 shared taxi) — arrive for sunset over the monkey-fingers rock formations and dinner on the terrace.

🚌Shared grand taxis Rissani–Tinghir–Todra–Dades ~£19 total

🛏Valley guesthouse in Dades (~£20–28/night, half board)

• →Desert sunrise walk
• →Rissani souk & fossil workshop
• →Todra Gorges walk (free)
• →Dades Valley viewpoints

Another big road day, but spectacular. Shared taxi down the valley through Kalaat M'Gouna and the Rose Valley, stopping at Skoura's palm oasis, then on to Ouarzazate — the Atlas Film Studios tour is ~£7. A shared taxi or local bus covers the 30km to Ait Ben Haddou (~£3), where the ksar is free to enter (paid interior houses ~£2). Then the long stretch over the Tizi n'Tichka pass: CTM or Supratours Ouarzazate–Marrakech (~£8, 4hrs). Drop your bag in a medina riad and eat in Jemaa el-Fna.

🚌Shared taxis + CTM bus Ouarzazate–Marrakech ~£8; total ~£22

🛏Riad/guesthouse in Marrakech medina, 2 nights (~£28–38/night)

• →Rose Valley & Skoura palm oasis
• →Atlas Film Studios (~£7)
• →Ait Ben Haddou ksar (free)
• →Tizi n'Tichka pass views

Buy a combined ticket at Bahia Palace (~£6, includes Saadian Tombs and Badii Palace within 2 days) and work your way through the medina on foot and by petit taxi (~£1 a hop). Koutoubia Tower is free outside. Book Majorelle Garden + Berber Museum online in advance (~£13 — slots sell out) and add the YSL Museum next door if you like (~£10). Afternoon in the souks; don't pay a guide, just accept the getting-lost. Evening on Jemaa el-Fna with grilled skewers and a fresh orange juice (~£5 total).

🚌Walking + petit taxis (~£3 total)

🛏Riad/guesthouse in Marrakech medina

• →Bahia Palace & Saadian Tombs (~£6)
• →Majorelle Garden entrance (~£13)
• →Souk browsing
• →Jemaa el-Fna food stalls

Morning mint tea and a last wander in the souks, then the ONCF train from Marrakech station to Casablanca (~£8, 3hrs, roughly hourly). If your flight is late, leave your bag at the station and revisit the Hassan II Mosque area or the Marché Central for a final seafood lunch. Train/tram to Mohammed V airport (~£1.50) in good time.

🚌ONCF train Marrakech–Casablanca ~£8; tram to airport ~£1.50

🛏None (or an optional airport-area budget hotel ~£30)

• →Souk shopping
• →ONCF train ride
• →Optional Hassan II Mosque interior visit