The Best of Morocco — Self-Launched (Casablanca to Marrakech)

Land at Mohammed V airport and take the train (ONCF) from the airport station into Casablanca's Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port — roughly 40-50 MAD (£3-4), about 45 minutes, every hour. Check into a guesthouse or hostel in the city centre (Casa Port/Anfa area is easiest). Spend the afternoon walking the Corniche and the Habous quarter, and if timings work take one of the guided Hassan II Mosque interior tours (non-Muslims can only enter on a guided visit; ~140 MAD/£11, several slots daily). Evening: a cheap tagine or sandwich at a local spot near the medina. Book tomorrow's coach to Meknès/Fez online with CTM or Supratours tonight.

🚌Airport train ~£3-4; walking + tram/taxi locally

🛏Central guesthouse/hostel, Casablanca (£18-25)

• →Hassan II Mosque exterior and guided interior tour (~£11)
• →Habous quarter and central market wander
• →Corniche walk

Early CTM or Supratours coach Casablanca to Meknès (~4 hrs, 90-110 MAD/£7-9). Drop your bag at the station or a café, then take a petite taxi or shared grande taxi out to Volubilis (~30 km, 20-30 min, ~150-250 MAD each way for the car — share with other travellers to split it). Entry to the Roman ruins is ~70 MAD (£6); a certified local guide at the gate costs around 200-300 MAD and is genuinely worth it for context. Stop at Moulay Idriss Zerhoun on the way back if time allows. In the late afternoon take a train or coach the short hop on to Fez (~45 min-1 hr). Check into a guesthouse in the ville nouvelle (cheaper, quieter, easy taxi access to the medina). For the community-lunch element of the original tour, book a lunch or cooking session with a women's cooperative in the Fez/Meknès area — groups like AFER near Mhaya accept direct bookings, or ask your guesthouse to arrange a cooperative visit.

🚌Coach Casablanca–Meknès ~£8; shared taxi to Volubilis ~£10 share; train Meknès–Fez ~£3

🛏Ville nouvelle guesthouse, Fez (£18-25)

• →Volubilis UNESCO ruins + local guide (~£12 with guide)
• →Meknès medina, Bab Mansour and granaries
• →Optional women's cooperative lunch (~£8-10)

Full day in Fes el-Bali, the world's largest car-free urban area. Either take a licensed medina guide (book through your guesthouse, ~250-400 MAD/£20-32 for a half day — be firm about no shopping stops) or self-navigate with Maps.me. Must-sees: Bab Boujloud, the Madrasa al-Attarine and Bou Inania, the Nejjarine wood museum, the tanneries (view from a leather shop balcony — expect a small tip and mint sprig), and the Kairaouine mosque courtyard (non-Muslims at the doorway). Lunch on a cheap set menu in the medina (£5-7), buy fruit for tomorrow's breakfast. Evening option: dinner in a converted riad (~£25-35) or a hammam in the ville nouvelle (~£15). Book your onward coach to Merzouga/Rissani for tomorrow morning.

🚌Walking; petit taxi medina-ville nouvelle ~£1-2

🛏Ville nouvelle guesthouse, Fez (£18-25)

• →Licensed medina walking guide (~£25 shared)
• →Madrasa al-Attarine entry ~£2
• →Tanneries viewpoint
• →Optional hammam ~£15

Long travel day: CTM/Supratours coach Fez to Rissani or Merzouga (~9-10 hrs with a stop, 180-220 MAD/£15-18) — or break it with a coach to Midelt and an afternoon onward connection if you prefer. The route over the Middle Atlas via Azrou's cedar forests and the Ziz Valley gorges is the highlight. In Merzouga, guesthouses on the edge of the dunes will meet you; book a desert camp or a kasbah-style guesthouse ahead via Booking.com or direct (many include dinner and breakfast, ~£20-30 pp). Tonight, walk up the nearest dune for sunset. Confirm tomorrow's 4x4 and desert-camp arrangements with your host.

🚌Coach Fez–Merzouga ~£16

🛏Kasbah-style guesthouse or desert camp, Merzouga (£20-30 with dinner)

• →Middle Atlas and Ziz Valley scenery
• →Dune sunset walk

Book a half-day shared 4x4 excursion through your guesthouse or a local operator in Merzouga (~400-600 MAD/£32-48 per vehicle, so £10-15 pp if you fill it) to the Khamliya area and the black volcanic desert, visiting a Gnaoua music family for a short performance (small tip expected, ~50-100 MAD) and sharing mint tea with Amazigh nomads. Return for lunch, then take an afternoon grand taxi or local bus to Tinghir/Todra (~3 hrs, 60-100 MAD/£5-8) — the Todra Gorge is worth a late-afternoon wander. Overnight in a guesthouse in Tinghir town or inside the gorge.

🚌Shared 4x4 ~£12; grand taxi/bus Tinghir ~£7

🛏Guesthouse in Tinghir (£15-22)

• →Shared 4x4 Sahara excursion (~£12)
• →Gnaoua music performance
• →Nomad tea
• →Todra Gorge walk

Take a morning grand taxi or local bus to Boumalne Dades (~1 hr), then arrange a taxi up into the Dades Gorge for the classic hairpin-road viewpoints and a short walk along the river (~200-300 MAD/£16-24 for the round trip — share it). Continue by shared taxi or coach to Ouarzazate (~2-3 hrs, £5-8). In Ouarzazate, wander the Taourirt Kasbah (entry ~70 MAD/£6) and, if you like, drop into an Amazigh herbalist shop in town (usually free, you'll be offered tea and oils). Overnight in a budget riad or guesthouse.

🚌Grand taxi/bus legs ~£15 total shared

🛏Budget riad/guesthouse, Ouarzazate (£18-25)

• →Dades Gorge viewpoints and walk
• →Taourirt Kasbah (~£6)
• →Herbalist visit (free)

Morning shared taxi or local bus to Aït Ben Haddou (~30 km, 20-30 min, £2-3). Cross the riverbed and climb to the ksar granary — entry to the kasbah is around 20-40 MAD (£2-3), and a local guide at the gate will offer a tour for ~150 MAD (worth it, and it supports families still living inside). Then take the afternoon CTM/Supratours coach over the High Atlas via Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech (~3.5-4 hrs, 100-130 MAD/£8-11) — sit on the left for the best views. Arrive Marrakech, check into a hostel or riad in the medina or Gueliz. Evening at Djemaa el-Fna for the food stalls, storytellers and acrobats (free to wander).

🚌Shared taxi to Aït Ben Haddou ~£3; coach to Marrakech ~£10

🛏Medina hostel or budget riad, Marrakech (£20-30)

• →Aït Ben Haddou kasbah + local guide (~£12)
• →Tizi n'Tichka mountain pass
• →Djemaa el-Fna at night

Book a morning Moroccan cooking class through GetYourGuide or directly with a riad-based school (typically £30-45 including market shopping, tuition and lunch — the original tour's class plus a riad lunch is often £50+). You'll shop spices in the souk and cook tagine and salads. Afternoon: pick one or two paid sights — Jardin Majorelle (~200 MAD/£16, book a timed slot online to skip the queue), Bahia Palace (~70 MAD/£6), El Badi Palace (~70 MAD) or the Musée de Marrakech (~50 MAD). Skip the medina spice-shop 'guided walk' unless you've agreed a price in advance. Optional evening hammam (~£25-40).

🚌Walking + petit taxi ~£2-4

🛏Medina hostel or budget riad, Marrakech (£20-30)

• →Moroccan cooking class with market visit (~£38)
• →Jardin Majorelle (~£16)
• →Bahia or El Badi Palace (~£6)
• →Optional hammam

Morning for last souk shopping or a rooftop breakfast, then head to Menara airport — bus line 19 runs to the airport for ~30 MAD (£2.50), or a taxi is ~100-150 MAD (£8-12). If your flight is late, leave bags at the hostel and squeeze in the Saadian Tombs (~70 MAD) or a final orange juice in Djemaa el-Fna.

🚌Bus 19 or taxi to airport ~£2.50-12

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last-minute souk shopping
• →Optional Saadian Tombs