Planning
Morocco 7-Day Itinerary
Seven days is enough for a meaningful first trip. The question is what you're choosing between — and what you're willing to leave for next time.
Before you plan anything
Morocco is larger than it looks on a map. Marrakech to Fes is eight hours by train. Marrakech to the Sahara dunes at Merzouga is nine hours by road.
The most common mistake in a first-week itinerary is trying to combine north and south — Marrakech, the desert, Fes, Chefchaouen, Tangier — in seven days. Each leg is a half-day of travel. You spend the week in cars and trains and see nothing properly.
The better approach is to choose one circuit and do it well. Two routes below — one south-focused, one north-focused. Both work in seven days. Neither includes everything.
Route A
Marrakech and the South
For people drawn to landscape, kasbahs, and the desert threshold. No Sahara dunes in 7 days — but the kasbah road and the Dades Gorge.
Marrakech
Arrive, settle, and spend three days in the medina. Day 1: Jemaa el-Fna and the Koutoubia — get oriented. Day 2: Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Ben Youssef Madrasa — the monuments. Day 3: the souks without a destination — the spice market, the copper quarter, the leather workers near Bab Debbagh. Evening: Jemaa el-Fna after dark.
Marrakech → Ouarzazate
The road south crosses the High Atlas via Tizi n'Tichka (2,260 metres). Stop at Aït Benhaddou — the UNESCO kasbah used in dozens of films. Overnight in Ouarzazate. 3.5 hours driving.
Ouarzazate → Dades Valley
The Dades Gorge is 120 kilometres east of Ouarzazate — a canyon carved by the Dades River with kasbahs built into the cliff faces. The road through the gorge is one of the best drives in Morocco. Overnight in the gorge.
Dades → Fes (or back to Marrakech)
If you have 7 days and want Fes, this is a long day (6 hours via Midelt). Alternatively, return to Marrakech via Ouarzazate — beautiful in reverse. If doing the Sahara properly, add 2 days to reach Merzouga before doubling back.
Fes or Marrakech
Final day in your base city. The Fes medina requires at least two days to begin to understand — one day gives you a surface reading. If returning to Marrakech, use the last day for what you missed: a hammam, the Mellah, the Museum of Photography.
Route B
The Imperial Cities
For people drawn to history, medinas, and Islamic architecture. Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen — three distinct cities, three distinct registers.
Marrakech
Two focused days: the monuments (Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Ben Youssef Madrasa) and the souks. Evening both nights at Jemaa el-Fna. Two days is enough to establish your bearings.
Marrakech → Fes
Train from Marrakech to Fes — 8 hours, first class around €25. The train goes via Casablanca and Meknes. Arrive in Fes by evening. Alternatively, fly (1 hour, connection through Casablanca). The train is the better experience.
Fes
Two full days in Fes el-Bali. Day 4: Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, the Chouara tanneries (best viewed from the leather shops above), Bou Inania Madrasa. Day 5: get lost in the Andalusian quarter. The Fes medina is 9,400 streets — the largest intact medieval city in the world. You cannot see it all. Pick a direction and walk.
Fes → Chefchaouen
3.5 hours by bus or private transfer. Chefchaouen requires one night — the blue medina, the Ras el-Ma spring, and the kasbah museum. The blue paint is recent (20th century) and widespread — do not believe it is ancient. The town itself is old; the color is not.
Chefchaouen → Tangier or back
Tangier is 2 hours from Chefchaouen. Fly home from Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport or return to Casablanca (4.5 hours) for international connections. Tangier deserves a separate trip — it is a city with its own logic that rewards time.
If you want the Sahara
The Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga are 550 kilometres from Marrakech. A proper desert trip — Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Draa Valley, Merzouga, return — takes three days minimum and is better as four. Build your week around this as the centerpiece, not as an addition.
3-day Sahara tour from Marrakech →Build your own
Not sure which route fits?
Answer five questions and get an orientation specific to your trip — which cities, what order, what you'll understand when you arrive.
Get my orientation →