Self-Launched Morocco: Tangier to Marrakech, North to South

Arrive in Tangier (ferry from Spain or flight) and if you're early, wander the medina and Zoco Chico square or stroll the promenade before heading to the CTM/Supratours bus station. Take the late-morning or early-afternoon coach to Chefchaouen — roughly 3 hours on winding mountain roads. Check into a small riad or guesthouse in the medina, then climb the 20–30 minutes to the abandoned white Spanish mosque for sunset over the blue town, and finish with mint tea in Plaza Outa el Hammam.

🚌Coach Tangier → Chefchaouen, ~3h, ~£7 (CTM or Supratours); local taxi €2 from station

🛏Medina guesthouse or small riad, dorm or private budget room (~£15)

• →Sunset hike to the Spanish mosque viewpoint
• →Wander medina lanes and Plaza Outa el Hammam
• →Optional: Kasbah of Chefchaouen and its garden ~£2

Do this as a travel day rather than a private car: take the morning bus from Chefchaouen to Meknes (~3.5h), drop bags at the bus station or left luggage, and grab a shared grand taxi or local taxi (~£8 return for the trip) out to Volubilis Roman ruins — 30–40 minutes away — and pay the site entry (~£6). After the ruins, return to Meknes and walk the medina to Bab al-Mansour gate, the Moulay Ismail mausoleum and the Royal Stables (exterior/heritage viewing is free or a couple of pounds). In the late afternoon catch the train or bus to Fez (~1–1.5h, ~£4). Check into a riad in Fez el Bali.

🚌Bus Chefchaouen → Meknes ~£6; shared taxi to Volubilis ~£8 return; train Meknes → Fez ~£4

🛏Riad in Fez medina, budget private room (~£18)

• →Volubilis Roman ruins and mosaics entry ~£6
• →Bab al-Mansour and Meknes medina on foot
• →Moulay Ismail mausoleum and Royal Stables

Book a half-day guided medina walk on GetYourGuide or directly through your riad (~£25–35 for a small group), which covers the Al Attarine Madrasah, the Al-Qarawiyyin area (exterior for non-Muslims) and the Chouara tannery terraces. In the afternoon explore solo: Souk el Attarin for spices, Souk Smata for slippers, the dyers' souk, the mellah in Fez el Jdid, and a medieval fondouk or two. Skip the 'leather shop' hard sell — buy direct from the tannery terrace if you want leather.

🚌Everything on foot; a petit taxi across town is ~£1

🛏Riad in Fez medina, budget private room (~£18)

• →Half-day medina walking tour with local guide ~£30
• →Al Attarine Madrasah entry ~£1.5
• →Chouara tannery visit
• →Browse the souks and mellah independently

Start a 2-night desert excursion booked direct with a Merzouga operator (typical price £75–110 per person including shared 4x4/minivan, one night in a budget Merzouga guesthouse, a camel trek and a bed in a standard desert tent with dinner and breakfast). The long drive east crosses the Ziz Valley and Middle Atlas with a lunch stop in Midelt (~£5). Arrive Merzouga late afternoon, drop bags at the guesthouse, and watch the dunes change colour at sunset. Note: the original tour's luxury camp is swapped for a standard Berber tent to match the budget price point.

🚌Shared minivan Fez → Merzouga via Midelt and Ziz Valley (~7h, included in desert package)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Merzouga (included in desert package) or shared desert tent

• →Ziz Valley and Middle Atlas viewpoints
• →Sunset over Erg Chebbi dunes
• →Lunch in Midelt ~£5

Wake for sunrise on the dunes, then a 1–1.5 hour camel ride back to Merzouga for breakfast and a shower. Optionally add sandboarding or a quad ride (~£20–25) with the operator. Continue via Rissani (quick stop at the market and the famous 'donkey parking') to Khemliya village for tea and a short walk, then on to Tinghir and the Todra Gorge. Walk the gorge floor before dark, dip your feet in the river, and stay in a simple guesthouse in the gorge or in Tinghir village.

🚌Shared transport Merzouga → Todra Gorge (~4h, included in desert package)

🛏Guesthouse in Todra Gorge / Tinghir (~£14)

• →Sunrise camel trek on Erg Chebbi
• →Khemliya village walk and mint tea (small tip)
• →Optional sandboarding ~£10
• →Walk through Todra Gorge and river swim

Take a shared grand taxi or minivan from Tinghir to Ouarzazate (~3h, ~£10–12) via Boumalne Dadès and the Dadès Valley viewpoints, asking the driver to stop at the Kelâat M'Gouna rose cooperative. In Ouarzazate, visit the Atlas Film Studios tour (~£6) and the Cinema Museum (~£4) if you're into film sets. Then a shared taxi or local bus 30 minutes to Aït Benhaddou (~£3) and cross the river to the ksar for sunset — entry to the ksar is free, the collective granary at the top has a small fee (~£1.5). Dinner in a village guesthouse overlooking the valley.

🚌Shared grand taxi Tinghir → Ouarzazate ~£11; shared taxi Ouarzazate → Aït Benhaddou ~£3

🛏Simple guesthouse opposite Aït Benhaddou (~£15)

• →Dadès Valley and Kelâat M'Gouna rose cooperative
• →Atlas Film Studios tour ~£6
• →Cinema Museum ~£4
• →Aït Benhaddou ksar climb at sunset ~£1.5

Catch the local bus or a shared grand taxi from Aït Benhaddou to Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (~4h, ~£9 by bus, more by taxi). Stop off in Taddert for argan oil and roadside tea, and keep an eye out for High Atlas peaks (Toubkal is visible on clear days). Arrive Marrakech, check into a medina hostel or budget riad, and spend the evening in Jemaa el-Fna — cheap street food (grilled skewers, msemen, orange juice) for under £6, plus the storytellers and musicians.

🚌Bus Aït Benhaddou → Marrakech ~£9 (4h) or shared grand taxi ~£18

🛏Medina hostel (dorm) or budget riad double (~£16)

• →Tizi n'Tichka pass and Taddert argan stop
• →Jemaa el-Fna at dusk
• →Street food dinner ~£6

Do a self-launched walking loop of the main monuments, or book a half-day guided tour (~£20) if you want the context. Buy a combined ticket for Ben Youssef Medersa and the Marrakech Museum (~£8), then Saadian Tombs (~£2), El Badi Palace (~£2) and Bahia Palace (~£2.5), with the Koutoubia gardens free to walk through. Afternoon: souk browsing and a hammam (a local neighbourhood hammam is £3–5; a tourist spa is £20+). Dinner at a rooftop overlooking the medina.

🚌On foot in the medina; taxis ~£1–2 per hop

🛏Medina hostel (dorm) or budget riad double (~£16)

• →Ben Youssef Medersa and Marrakech Museum ~£8
• →Saadian Tombs ~£2
• →El Badi and Bahia Palaces ~£4.5
• →Optional half-day guide ~£20
• →Neighbourhood hammam ~£4

Take the morning CTM or Supratours bus from Marrakech to Essaouira (~3h, ~£8). Halfway there's the argan cooperative stop if you're on a coach that makes it — otherwise visit the one in Essaouira's outskirts or just buy direct from a women's cooperative in town. Spend the afternoon walking the UNESCO medina and the Skala de la Kasbah ramparts (free), then breathe in the Atlantic on the windswept beach. Take a local taxi to Diabat (~£8 return) if you want the Jimi Hendrix ruin. Dinner of freshly landed sardines grilled at the port for ~£5.

🚌Bus Marrakech → Essaouira ~£8 (3h)

🛏Essaouira medina hostel or budget guesthouse (~£15)

• →Essaouira medina and Skala de la Kasbah ramparts
• →Beach walk
• →Optional taxi to Diabat ~£8
• →Port fish grill dinner ~£5

Morning on the beach or a last wander through the medina for trinkets and thuya wood boxes, then take the afternoon bus back to Marrakech (~3h, ~£8). If you have time before your flight, the Majorelle Garden and YSL Museum are ~£13 combined and worth a couple of hours — book the garden slot online ahead. Otherwise head to the airport by bus (line 19, ~£3) or petit taxi (~£10).

🚌Bus Essaouira → Marrakech ~£8; airport bus ~£3

🛏Not included — onward travel or optional final night in Marrakech (~£16)

• →Beach morning and last-minute shopping
• →Optional Majorelle Garden + YSL Museum ~£13 (book online)