Immerse yourself in the captivating contrasts that define Morocco on this ten-day adventure, taking in the sights of its imperial cities. Enjoy beautiful art and historic Islamic schools, find serenity in a peaceful garden, and get scrubbed clean in a rejuvenating hammam.

This itinerary showcases the best of Morocco for first-time visitors, weaving through the imperial cities of Marrakech, Fes, and Rabat, fitting in a night out in the desert camp and a day trip to the Instagram-famous blue city of Chefchaouen!

Leave the white-knuckled driving to the locals. I link to trains, tours, and hotels to ensure a smooth journey plus have tips for Morocco first-time travelers below.

Marrakech

2 nights

Begin your trip in Marrakech, a top destination in Morocco known for its hustle and bustle amidst a well-developed tourist infrastructure.

The old medina is a maze of alleyways and souks, which can easily overwhelm with motorbikes weaving through packed crowds and the sheer number of things to see. In my experience the merchants were friendly and not overly pushy, so if you find something you love, don’t hesitate to buy and haggle for a better price on goods with a high markup like rugs. Take an evening walking tour to familiarize yourself with the medina while grabbing a few bites on the way.

Set time aside for quick visits to landmarks such as the Madrasa Ben Youssef Islamic school, and the Moorish place Dar el Bacha. Explore the museum while you wait for a table at the café, which serves more than 100 types of coffee.

Outside of the medina are the Yves St. Laurent Museum and adjacent Jardin Majorelle. Buy the combo ticket here. The garden is incredibly popular so reserve tickets in advance and avoid peak times for less crowds. You can easily grab a taxi for the trip there; we paid 25-30 dh each way. For a peaceful alternative within the medina walls, visit Jardin Secret.

At night Marrakech has a vibrant tourist scene, and this means a wider selection of restaurants serving alcohol compared to other Moroccan cities. For some destinations going forward, it’ll be harder to find alcoholic drinks, so be respectful and be prepared to BYOB for a nightcap.

For a fun night out head to Comptoir Darna in the glitzy Hivernage area for dinner, entertainment (bellydancing!), and the bar upstairs afterwards.

Where to stay in Marrakech

Behind heavy doors you’ll often find a riad or dar, traditional homes with rooms looking out to an airy courtyard. Marrakesh has many options for accommodation, but I recommend staying in a riad guesthouse to receive the best introduction to Moroccan culture and hospitality.

Just make your life easier by staying close to the gates of the old town walls, such as the one near Koutoubia Mosque. No cars are allowed in the medina, so staying near one of the gates enables you to come and go as you please:

• $ Hostel Laksour is a well-located hostel with cheap dorm beds.
• $$ Riad les Reves d’Amelie has cheerful decor in a good location, Riad Nelia gets points for the Instagram-famous pool, and Riad Malika mixes modern and traditional touches.
• $$$ Riad Wow for the opulent decor, Riad Alma for contemporary elegance, or La Sultana for five-star luxury

Agafay

1 night

A night out to Agafay is an escape from urban chaos. Surrounding Lalla Takerkoust, it’s debated whether Agafay is truly a desert, but you’ll sure be able to do desert things—ride camels, rent quad bikes, and visit Bedouin villages—just thirty minutes away from Marrakech.

Request a sunset camel ride and thank me for later. For an easy day trip from Marrakech, book a guided tour that includes camel ride, dinner, and roundtrip transportation.

But why not stay in a camp and unplug for a night under the stars? They’ll be able to arrange transport and any other activities for you.

• $ Selina is the only desert camp that offers shared dorms in addition to private rooms.
• $$ The dome tents at Agafay Valley provide the best views. You’ll need a 4×4 (or better, private driver) to get out to Kalyptus but the serene luxury experience is worth it.
• $$$ Inara for boho vibes and luxury tents overlooking the dunes

After a night in Agafay you’ll drive back to Marrakech and take a long but scenic seven-hour train ride to Fes (Tip: Reserve seats on the right side of the train car for the best views).

If you don’t want to spend all day traveling you could book the CTM night bus which departs Marrakech at 1:45 am and arrives in Fes at 9 am.

Alternative: Sahara Desert

Instead of Agafay, you can alternatively take a two-night guided tour through the Sahara Desert that ends in Fes. It’s an easy and economical way to get there incorporating interesting stops and activities. Book this tour which includes sunset and sunrise camel rides in the price.

You can also add on sandboarding or an ATV ride experience.

Fes

3 nights

The legendary medina awaits in Fes, located in the heart of Morocco. As you head into higher altitude, and you’ll notice it’s a bit cooler than the desert or coastal areas.

The medina is the largest car-free urban area in the world, so unlike Marrakech you don’t need to dodge the motorbikes zooming through the alleyways. The bustling souks seem to overflow into each other, and that’s before you add the throngs of humans.

Taking in the medina and its historical sites demands at least half a day, and I 1000% recommend getting your bearings with the help of a guide. In Fes you’ll run into a lot of guides who take you to places where they earn a commission, even the ones arranged by your accommodation! Therefore, it’s essential to book a well-reviewed walking tour.

Looking to buy something? Haggling is expected and you’ll have to stay calm while resisting pressure from pushy salesmen.

Beware the touts that may ask if you are lost; ignore them if they won’t leave you alone. They will either want to take you somewhere where they will earn a kickback, or ask for a tip from you directly.

Which brings us to Fes’ most well-known site.

The Chouara Tannery is a must for a look into one of Fes’ most traditional crafts, leather processing. The smell of leather in various stages of treatment is an entirely other thing. See, it’s a centuries-old art involving dying in large stone vats and organic materials, which include pigeon poop and cow urine.

Observe the extremely manual process, from softening to dyeing, in the balconies of the workshops above. Most shops offer free entry since they want you to buy something, and feel free to say no to the sales pitch.

The smell is indeed pungent, but not unbearable. If the tannery gives you a sprig of mint to help mask the smell, and you can give them a small tip as courtesy.

Where to stay in Fes

If you stay in the medina, look for a guesthouse near the gates (Bab Rcif and Bab Boujloud are popular options) so you don’t have to carry your bags too far on foot:

• $ Dar Saida has simple, colorful rooms
• $$ Riad Al Makan or Dar Elinor for traditional spaces with scenic rooftop terraces
• $$$ Riad Fes, Karawan Riad, or Dar Lys to start and end the day in style

You’ll want to stay a couple of night in Fes as a base for day trips, which here are an early bird special – sunrise start, sunset finish. Ultimately they provide a convenient way to get around.

Day trips from Fes

Chefchaouen is the dreamy town where you’ll find streets painted blue from ground to roof. Nestled up in the Rif Mountains about 3 hours from Fes, this tour is the easiest way to get there and includes a guided walk in Chefchaouen.

You’ll have limited time to visit, so eat lunch quickly so you can maximize time wandering around the passageways.

The trip is long and in my opinion worth it, but if you want to stay closer you can check out another Moroccan imperial cities, Meknes. This tour combines the visit Roman ruins of Volubulis and the hilled town of Moulay Idriss.

Rabat

2 nights

The train ride from Fes to Rabat is three hours, so this itinerary calls for two nights in Rabat in case you’re getting in late. You might only need one night here, and I recommend at least half a day to take in Rabat’s calm city setting especially if you’re shopping.

After a long travel day, settle into your hotel or head out for a night on the town. Rabat is easy and safe to get around on foot. You can start at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V early in the day to avoid tour bus crowds.

Afterwards walk past the Hassan II Tower down to the Bouregreg waterfront promenade, heading towards the Kasbah des Oudayas. On the way you can stroll through the serene Andalusian Gardens and observe the exhibits at the Museum of Adornment should you be curious about caftans (I was!).

On your walk alongside the river, you may have noticed a town across the way. That’s Salé, and if you’re interested in buying ceramics and pottery you have to visit the Complexe Artisanal Oulja. While connected to Rabat by bridge, a fun way to get to Salé is by boat, which leave regularly from the docks near the Le Dhow ship.

On the other side of Kasbah des Oudayas, you’ll emerge at a hillside cemetery. At the water below is one of the places in Rabat you can surf. Get lessons and equipment rental from Ilyana Surfhouse or Medina Surfing Association.

The last place to explore is the old market of Rabat, centered around the Avenue des Consuls where seafarers and traders from all parts of the world once congregated. While you won’t find the vast selection of Marrakesh or Fes, the Rabat medina is much less chaotic so if you want to avoid haggling but still get fair prices, do your shopping here.

Where to stay in Rabat

Rabat has a mix of chic, lowkey riads and traditional hotels:

• $ Dar Oussama has cheap twin rooms and dorm beds right in the heart of the medina.
• $$ Euphoriad for the stylish, updated rooms or NJ Hotel Rabat for its location near museums and the Rabat Ville central train station
• $$$ Tour Hassan Palace offers a grand, old-school vibe from service to setting

Casablanca

1 night

Many will find convenient return flights home from Casablanca. Tourists often skip the capital city, but it’s an interesting place to see the remnants of Morocco’s French colonial past and Art Deco architecture.

If there’s only one thing you do here, it’s the Hassan II Mosque. It was constructed in 1993 and is the second-largest mosque in Africa, capable of holding over 100,000 people. Located right on the waterfront, it’s an incredible building and one of the nicer areas in Casablanca to walk around.

You can visit through official tours booked through the Mosque’s ticket office. There’s a small museum behind the ticket office that you can visit while you can wait for your tour to start. If you need transportation to the Mosque, you can prebook through an all-inclusive tour at a decent price.

Also, don’t miss the opportunity to get a traditional hammam treatment at the Mosque’s beautiful, traditional bathhouse.

Where to stay in Casablanca

Even if you’re just staying for a night, you’ll want a good rest before your flight. My picks for a quick stay in Casablanca are:

• $ Odyssey Boutique is centrally located with streamlined rooms near the Art Deco district.
• $$ Balcony suites at CasaEdition or Hotel MellibeR have direct views of Mosque Hassan II
• $$$ Hotel Le Doge in the hip Gauthier neighborhood is funky and vintage, plus there’s a spa.

This brings you to the end of your Moroccan adventure.

Morocco is known for its bustling cities because of the famed medinas, but it’s somewhat underrated for its outdoor offerings. You can easily modify this itinerary by replacing city time with treks through the Atlas Mountains and visits to Berbere villages.

Craving a beach escape? Try Agadir or Essaouira.

Tips for your first trip to Morocco

• Language: Locals speak Arabic, but some know French, English, and local languages like Berber. It’s not hard to get around.
• Currency: Dinares (dh) is the local currency. While many places take card, always carry cash especially for medina shopping.
• ATMs & credit cards: Morocco might be one of the places I recommend changing currency at the airport instead of using the ATM; the rates are good and one of the ATMs ate my friend’s card when going to retrieve cash. Remember to reject the offered exchange rate when charging with your credit card; travel credit cards will likely offer a better rate and no fees.
• Getting around: To get around cities, you can book tickets on Morocco’s national train ONCF in advance. There’s one high-speed route between Casablanca and Tangier. Using taxis to/from airports is affordable and reliable.
• Local transportation: Taxis are inexpensive, but always negotiate prices beforehand and aim to have exact change (majority of my short rides between attractions/neighborhoods cost 15-50dh). Rideshare services are available, but be aware that taxis are actively hostile towards them.
• Dress code: Locals won’t necessarily be surprised by tourists and their exposed skin but if you can, avoid overly revealing outfits.

Morocco is full of friendly locals and while enjoying traditional customs is quite modern and welcoming. When I traveled solo, I did not receive any special treatment nor aggressive behavior. But a girl friend and I did get harassed by kids on the street, so there’s that.

Whether it’s beautiful historic cities, oases in the desert, or a beach vacation you seek, Morocco has it all.