Imperial Cities & Sahara Discovery — Self-Launched from Casablanca

Land at Mohammed V Airport and take the ONCF train (about 45 min, ~£3.50) into Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port station. Check into a hostel or budget riad near the old medina, then walk the Habous Quarter, United Nations Square, Mohammed V Avenue and the Central Market at your own pace. Book a Hassan II Mosque interior guided tour directly through the mosque's official site (about 140 MAD / £11) — slots sell out, so reserve a day ahead. Sunset from the mosque esplanade is free and spectacular. Eat grilled fish or a tagine in the medina for £6–8.

🚌Airport train ~£3.50; everything else on foot or by petit taxi (£1–2 per hop)

🛏Hostel or budget riad in the old medina, £15–22 per night (dorm from ~£10)

• →Hassan II Mosque guided interior tour (book direct, ~£11)
• →Habous Quarter and Central Market wander
• →Mohammed V Avenue and United Nations Square
• →Sunset on the mosque esplanade

Catch an early ONCF train to Rabat (about 1 hr, ~£5), drop bags at the station lockers and walk to the Hassan Tower, Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Royal Palace gates — all free to view from outside. For Volubilis, either continue by train to Meknes (~£5) and take a shared grand taxi to Moulay Idriss/Volubilis (~£4 each way; site entry ~70 MAD / £5.50), or simplify and book a Volubilis half-day trip from Fez on GetYourGuide or Klook (~£30 including entry) which handles the awkward transport. Evening train or CTM coach Meknes → Fez (about 1 hr, £3–5). Check into a riad in the Fez medina.

🚌Train Casablanca–Rabat–Meknes ~£10 total; shared taxi or day-trip transfer to Volubilis; onward train/coach to Fez ~£5

🛏Riad inside the Fez medina, £18–28 per night

• →Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V (Rabat)
• →Roman ruins of Volubilis — Capitoline Temple and basilica
• →Moulay Idriss Zerhoun viewpoint

Spend the full day inside Fes el-Bali, the world's largest car-free urban area. Join a small-group medina walking tour booked through GetYourGuide or a local guiding association (~£25–35) — worth it because the 9,000-plus lanes are genuinely disorienting and guides unlock the tanneries, Bou Inania Madrasa (entry ~20 MAD) and Dar Batha Museum. Alternatively self-navigate with Maps.me offline: Bou Jeloud Gardens, the Royal Palace brass doors, and the Chouara tanneries from a terrace. Watch for unofficial 'guides' who attach themselves — agree prices up front or decline politely. Dinner at a cheap medina eatery: harira, msemen, bissara for £5–7.

🚌All on foot; petit taxi to the medina gates £1–2

🛏Riad inside the Fez medina, £18–28 per night

• →Small-group Fez medina walking tour (~£30)
• →Bou Inania Madrasa and Dar Batha Museum
• →Chouara tanneries terrace viewpoint
• →Bou Jeloud Gardens and Royal Palace gates
• →Ceramics and zellige workshop visit

The longest travel day, but doable independently: CTM or Supratours coach Fez → Rissani/Merzouga (roughly 8–9 hrs, ~£15–20, book online a few days ahead or at the CTM office). The route over the Middle Atlas and down the Ziz Valley past palm oases is the attraction itself. Pre-book a desert camp package directly with a Merzouga operator (many listed on GetYourGuide/Klook or bookable via your guesthouse, ~£40–55) which typically includes the camel ride into Erg Chebbi, a Berber-tent night with dinner and drumming, breakfast, and 4x4 transfer back to town. Pack warm layers — desert nights are cold from November to February.

🚌CTM/Supratours coach Fez–Merzouga ~£15–20; camel trek and 4x4 transfers included in the camp package

🛏Berber desert camp in Erg Chebbi (included in the camp package)

• →Middle Atlas and Ziz Valley scenery from the coach window
• →Camel ride into Erg Chebbi at sunset
• →Berber camp dinner with live drumming
• →Stargazing in the Sahara

Wake for sunrise over the dunes (free, and the best hour of the trip), then 4x4 back to Merzouga for breakfast. The Merzouga → Ouarzazate leg has no useful public transport, so the practical budget option is a shared 4x4/grand taxi or a seat in a small minivan along the 'Route of a Thousand Kasbahs' — ask your camp or guesthouse to arrange it (typically £30–45 per person, stopping at Todra Gorge and Boumalne Dades). Bigger splurge alternative: a private driver for the day, ~£90–110 split between two. Arrive Ouarzazate in the evening; visit Kasbah Taourirt (entry ~20 MAD) and consider the Atlas Film Studios (~50 MAD / £4) if time allows.

🚌Shared 4x4/minivan Merzouga–Todra–Dades–Ouarzazate ~£30–45

🛏Guesthouse/kasbah stay in Ouarzazate, £18–28 per night

• →Sunrise over Erg Chebbi
• →Todra Gorge walk
• →Boumalne Dades valley viewpoints
• →Kasbah Taourirt
• →Atlas Film Studios (optional, ~£4)

Take a shared grand taxi or local bus from Ouarzazate to Ait Benhaddou (about 30 min, £3–4). Explore the ksar yourself — it's free to enter, with a small fee for the granary at the top — or pick up a local guide at the gate for £8–10. Then catch the CTM/Supratours coach to Marrakech (about 4 hrs, £8–12), crossing the Tizi n'Tichka pass. Arrive in Marrakech and check into a riad or hostel in the medina. Evening: wander Jemaa el-Fnaa for the food stalls and street performers, dinner for £6–8.

🚌Shared taxi to Ait Benhaddou ~£3.50; CTM coach to Marrakech ~£10

🛏Riad or hostel in the Marrakech medina, £18–30 per night (dorm from ~£12)

• →Ait Benhaddou ksar walk
• →Tizi n'Tichka pass viewpoints
• →Jemaa el-Fnaa at night
• →Optional local guide at Ait Benhaddou (~£9)

A full self-launched sightseeing day. Start early at Koutoubia Mosque, then Bahia Palace (70 MAD / £6), the Saadian Tombs (70 MAD) and Le Jardin Secret (80 MAD / £6.50) — buy tickets at the gate or on each site's official site; expect queues by mid-morning. Get lost in the souks around Souk Semmarine for leather, lanterns and spices (haggle hard — start at half the asking price). Optional late afternoon: hammam and massage booked on Klook/GetYourGuide from ~£20, or the free Menara Gardens if you want calm. A small-group medina orientation tour runs ~£20–25 if you'd rather have context first.

🚌On foot; petit taxi across town £2–3

🛏Riad or hostel in the Marrakech medina, £18–30 per night

• →Bahia Palace and Saadian Tombs
• →Le Jardin Secret
• →Koutoubia Mosque and Menara Gardens
• →Souk shopping and bargaining
• →Optional hammam (~£20)

Use the last day for one of the side trips the guided tour offers as optional extras, self-booked: an Essaouira day trip by Supratours coach (~£8 each way, 2.5 hrs) is the best value; alternatively the Agafay Desert sunset quad-and-camel excursion (~£35–45 on GetYourGuide) or the Ouzoud Waterfalls shared minibus (~£25). If you're flying out, note there are direct ONCF trains Marrakech → Casablanca (~3 hrs, £9) and Marrakech → Casablanca Airport (~3.25 hrs, £10) — far cheaper than the €179 private transfer the operator quotes. Allow 3 hours before an international flight.

🚌Supratours coach to Essaouira ~£8 each way, or train Marrakech–Casablanca Airport ~£10

🛏Not included — onward travel or an extra night, £18–30

• →Essaouira day trip (self-booked coach)
• →or Agafay Desert quad, camel and dinner (~£40)
• →or Ouzoud Waterfalls shared minibus (~£25)