Embark on a captivating journey through the vibrant tapestry of Morocco’s landscape, culture and cuisine with this one week itinerary filled with bustling souks, Sahara desert stargazing, and unique Moroccan experiences.
Practicalities for Morocco
Currency: Moroccan Dirhams (MAD)
Recommended length of stay: 1-2 weeks (but you could spend much longer..)
Month of our visit: July (Note: this is one of the hottest times to visit Morocco, but it worked best with our world trip itinerary. During this season you can’t book tours to visit some of the dunes because of the heat, so keep that in mind! It was also EXTREMELY hot during our visit, so we recommend trying to go during a cooler month!)
Languages: Arabic, French, Berber (and many more)
CDC’s Recommended Vaccinations: Click here!
Packing List for Morocco
- Light, loose tee shirts
- Light, loose long pants
- Lightweight dress
- Cotton overshirt or wrap to protect from the sun
- Sunglasses
- Large sun hat
- Bathing suit
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Sandals
- Adaptor
- Passport and cash
Day 1-3: Land in Marrakech
There are direct flights to Marrakech from all over Europe. If you’re coming from the States, try looking for direct flights to major airports such as London, Paris or Zurich and book a separate connecting flight to Marrakech to save some dollars!
We stayed at the Palais Khum in the Medina which was an amazing experience! The hotel is extremely beautiful and built in the traditional Moroccan style, with 5 start service and a beautiful indoor pool which allowed us to beat the heat in the afternoons. It is also in a great location for exploring the souks.
The number one thing you must do in Marrakech is visit the Jemaa el-Fnaa market. This market is actually on the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We felt like we had stepped into a movie and were instantly surrounded with snake charmers, fortune tellers, singers, dancers, preachers, story tellers, monkeys, and all manner of food and drink. We visited both during the day and night time and it was packed both visits!
Another experience that we highly recommend while in Morocco is the traditional hammam bathing experience, and Marrakech has lots of great options. We visited the Spa by Beldi at the Beldi Country Club, and opted for the traditional hammam and scrub followed by a hot orange blossom oil massage which was fantastic. A couple of other famous hammams in Marrakech include Les Banes d’Orient and La Sultana.
Part of the attraction of Marrakech is wandering around the souks and almost losing yourself in the narrow alleyways exploring. Le Jardin Secret is an absolutely divine palace containing a variety of botanic gardens and artwork. It feels like a very traditional Moroccan garden and is a lovely place to walk around. Walk by the Koutoubia mosque as the tower is iconic (it’s nearby the night market). We also suggest wandering around the Badi Palace which dates back to the 16th century (bring water as there are no facilities and little shade).
We found lots of great food in the Medina, and recommend trying Nomad Marrakech, Le Trou Au Mur, Cafe Des Epices, and Dar Moha. Check out L’Mida for sunset, and Le Bistro Arabe for evening drinks and jazz.
Day 3: Begin your Atlas Mountains journey
After quite a bit of research, we decided the best way to journey through the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara would be to embark on a formal tour with a guide. There are lots of different options when it comes to tours of Morocco, however we went with Next Stop Morocco and were so happy we did! We opted for the private tour, because we wanted to keep some flexibility that doesn’t always come with group tours.
The Atlas Mountains are extremely famous due to the amount of movies that have been filmed in the area. They are extremely windy and you’ll have to traverse the Tizi n’Tichka Pass to get across them (we were happy to have an experienced guide driving us). We also visited the Ait Benhaddou kasbah which is one of the most famous kasbahs (or fortress) in the area. After driving through Ouarzazate and checking out the Cinema Museum, in the late afternoon we checked into the Auberge Chez Pierre, where we were treated to a multi-course dinner that was absolutely fabulous (and probably one of our best meals)!
Day 4: Drive to the Sahara
This was definitely our favorite day of the trip. We traveled from Dades Gorges to view Todra Gorge then on to the Sahara desert and completed our trip on camel-back! This was harder than you might think. Our Berber guide took us through the sandy Erg Chebbi dunes where we watched the sunset, then headed to the luxury desert camp to have a sumptuous feast. After dinner we played music and danced with the Berbers, and once all the lights were out we watched the stars. Star gazing in the Sahara desert is in our top 3 experiences EVER and we highly highly recommend it!
By the way, our luxury tent definitely was “glamping” rather than camping. It had electricity, running water (shower, toilet) and even USB ports to charge your phone next to the bed!
Day 5: Drive back to Marrakech
The drive back to Marrakech from Erg Chebbi is a long one – about 9 hours with stops. If you’re short on time, you can drive back to Marrakech and leave directly to Casablanca. However the journey back from the Sahara is very long and we wanted to break up the commute a bit, so took the opportunity to stay in Marrakech again. We stayed in the Medina again because we weren’t done exploring the souks! By now, you’ve probably indulged in some Moroccan tea, but keep in mind this is something you must do before you leave Morocco!
Day 6-7: Train to Casablanca
The train from Marrakech to Casablanca is quick and convenient trip taking a little over two and a half hours, and allows you to see much of the Moroccan landscape. We recommend staying at the Movenpick which is in a great starting point for a walk-about of the city. It also has a nice (but small) rooftop pool with beautiful views over the city, and a convenient poolside restaurant that we grabbed a bite at. You’ll need to taxi from the train station to the hotel, but no need to pre-book the ride.
From the Movenpick, wander through the Arab League Park to see locals exercising and enjoying their day. On the other side of the park is the iconic Sacred Heart Cathedral. Visit the Villa of Arts to see contemporary art offerings, and check out the central marketplace by the United Nations Square to see a more modern version of the traditional souks.
If you have more time, there are lots of other parts of Morocco to visit. We were limited on time so we’ll have to save them for another trip! Particularly, we would love to check out the Erg Chigaga dunes, the beachside resorts in Essaouira, the port city of Tangier, and of course the blue city of Chefchaouen. We’ll have to save these for our next visit to Morocco!
Check out our itinerary page here for more inspiration!