A Guide to Morocco
- Liesl
- Jan 15, 2019
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 26, 2020
7 Days in Morocco
If you’re looking for an itinerary to see and experience as much of Morocco as possible within only a week, you’ve come to the right place! Following this plan we got to visit the busy port city of Tangier, the stunning blue city of Chefchaouen, Fes, the majestic Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert (where we went on camel rides, watched the sunset over the desert, and went “glamping”), the amazing city of Marrakesh, and ended up in the largest city of Morocco, Casablanca. So, how on earth did we manage to see so much of this vibrant country in only a week?!
We decided on a combination of exploring by ourselves and a 4-day tour with Premium Morocco Tours. We picked this tour company because of their excellent reviews online, and also because they can customize the itinerary to suit your needs. This is not a tour with a group, but a private tour in a comfortable Land Cruiser with a professional guide (whom is also the driver.) They plan accommodation and most meals for the duration of the tour, and also everything else like camel rides, places to stop along the way, and also the guides for private walking tours in certain cities. We really liked that they took care of everything, and that we could literally just sit back and enjoy the tour. We became good friends with our guide, Khalid, and highly recommend him and this company for your trip to Morocco.
Here is the 7-day itinerary of our travels through Morocco. We would highly recommend this plan if you are also limited for time, but still want to see and experience as much of Morocco as possible.
Day 1: Tangier
Walking around Tangier.
Transportation: We arrived via FRS Ferry from Spain (Tarifa to Tangier). The journey was comfortable, well-organized and only took an hour. Get more information and buy your tickets here.
Accommodation: We stayed at the beautiful Kasbah Rose Guest House, which we can highly recommend for its convenient location, cleanliness and AMAZING view of Tangier.
See & Do: The owner of the guest house recommended a private walking tour for us of Tangier and the medina (old part of the city with many narrow and maze-like streets). Our tour guide (a local whom grew up in this medina) was fantastic, knowledgeable and funny. We spent about two hours walking around Tangier and the markets.
Food: We recommend Las Chicas, Al Maimouni and A l’Anglaise.
Highly recommend Kasbah Rose Guest House in Tangier. Just look at this view!
I wanted to buy ALL the baskets...
Many intricately decorated doorways to photograph in Tangier.
Make sure you have space in your suitcase for rugs from Tangier.
You can find anything and everything in the medina.
I can't get enough of these photogenic doorways.
View of Tangier from Al Maimouni where we had dinner. (Order the tagine!)
Day 2: Tangier to Chefchaouen
Admiring the beautiful "Blue City", Chefchaouen.
Transportation: Our guide and driver, Khalid, picked us from our guest house and we started our 4-day tour with Premium Morocco Tours.
Accommodation: The tour company arranged our accommodation in Chefchaouen, Dar Echchaouen, a beautiful (and very well located) hotel. It even had a pool!
See & Do: Our guide took us on a walking tour of the absolutely stunning town of Chefchaouen, called “The Blue Pearl”, because of all the blue-painted buildings. The medina is vibrant, busy and beautiful! *TIP* If you can't seem to take any photos without having hordes of people in the background, I suggest going to the medina at around 8am, because that's before the markets open and these beautiful blue alleys are completely deserted.
Food: We recommend Café Sindibad for lunch. It has a nice view, friendly staff and good food. Dinner was included in our room rate at the hotel, which was delicious.
Lots of treasures to be found in Chefchaouen's medina. These towels are the perfect souvenirs to take back home!
Thanks to my #InstagramHusband for working especially hard in Chefchaouen.
Is this place even real?!
Lunch and mint tea at Cafe Sindibad.
We met so many cats in Chefchaouen!
You have to wake up early in the morning to take photos here without other people in it.
Shopaholics beware! Lots of pretty things for you to get your hands on in Chefchaouen.
Day 3: Chefchaouen to Fes
Ceramics and pottery showroom in Fes.
Transportation: We enjoyed a relaxing and scenic drive with our guide to Fes.
Accommodation: The tour company organized our accommodation at a beautiful riad (a traditional Moroccan house) in Fes, Riad Dar Skalli.
See & Do: A private 3-hour tour with a Fes local was arranged for us to visit some famous sites, have a tour of the old medina, and a tour of a local pottery and ceramics factory.
Food: We had lunch with our guide where we enjoyed traditional pastilla. A lovely dinner was included at our riad.
Our home in Fes, Riad Dar Skalli.
Welcome snacks and mint tea at Riad Dar Skalli.
The smelliest place you'll ever go, the Chouara Tannery in Fes' medina.
One of my favorite traditional Moroccon dishes, pastilla.
Day 4: Fes to Sahara Desert
These cuties took us to our camp for the night in the Sahara Desert.
Transportation: It's a long drive from Fes to the desert, but we got to sit back and rest while our guide took the wheel. To get to our camp in the desert, our transportation were camels.
Accommodation: A desert “glamping” experience was arranged for us as part of our tour. Our tent was luxurious, private, and even had a modern bathroom inside.
See & Do: Included in our tour was a camel ride out into the desert with a guide to our tented accommodation for the evening. (Our luggage was delivered by car.) Hike up one of the dunes to watch the most magical and romantic sunset over the Sahara Desert. We joined a drumming and dancing circle with the other guests and staff, which was so much fun. Stargaze after 10pm when they turn off all the lights in the camp.
Food: We had a roadside BBQ lunch on our way to the desert, and an amazing traditional dinner was served at the camp.
What a good boy!
Our camel trek took 1.5 hours from the starting point to our camp. It was definitely an "is this really happening right now?" experience.
Desert as far as the eye can see.
Day 5: Sahara Desert to Marrakech
Driving through the mountain pass was quite tedious, but that view though!
Transportation: A very, very long (and winding) drive through the mountains. Once again we got to sit back and relax while our guide focused on the road.
Accommodation: This was where our tour ended with Premium Morocco Tours, and we booked Riad BE Marrakech, an absolutely STUNNING riad in Marrakech, as our accommodation for the next two nights.
See & Do: We stopped at quite a few places on our way to Marrakech, including the Dades Gorges and Aït Ben Haddou at Ouarzazate (which is a Game of Thrones filming location).
Food: Our guide invited us to his family’s traditional Berber home for lunch. They prepared a delicious chicken tagine; we felt very lucky to have this authentic Berber experience. Even though the family doesn't speak English, they were welcoming and friendly, and eagerly showed us their home and yard.
Walking through the Dades Gorges.
We stopped at Aït Ben Haddou, which is used as a filming location in Game of Thrones.
THE most beautiful place I've ever stayed in, Riad BE Marrakech.
Seriously, I want to live here! Riad BE Marrakech.
Riad BE Marrakech. The rooftop is gorgeous, too!
Day 6: Marrakech
Another lazy afternoon at Riad BE Marrakech's AHHHmazing pool.
Transportation: We walked a lot, and also took taxis, which was very affordable.
Accommodation: We spent another night at Riad BE Marrakech.
See & Do: There's so much to do and see in Marrakech! We visited the Marjorelle Gardens, Bahia Palace and explored the medina. We would have loved to visit Ben Youssef Mosque but it was closed for renovations. And if we had more time in Marrakesh, I would have liked to go to Le Jardin Secret and Jemaa el-Fnaa.
Food: Breakfast was included in our room rate, and we enjoyed it on the riad’s rooftop. For lunch we picked Atay Cafe Food, which is not only a stunning restaurant, but the view of Marrakech and the Koutoubia Mosque can’t be beat! We spoiled ourselves to cocktails at La Mamounia and an amazing dinner at El Fenn.
A visit to the Marjorelle Gardens in Marrakech is a must.
Marjorelle Gardens
We loved Bahia Palace, a gorgeous building to visit.
The tiles at the Bahia Palace are insane!
Every corner of Bahia Palace is just stunning.
Exploring the medina in Marrakech.
Lunch with a view (of Koutoubia Mosque) at Atay Cafe Food
Atay Cafe Food is a little oasis in the middle of the medina.
Atay Cafe Food
Enjoying drinks poolside at La Mamounia.
Dinner at El Fenn on the rooftop.
Riad BE Marrakech. Isn't it dreamy?
Lots of photogenic details at Riad BE Marrakech
Delicious breakfast served on the rooftop at Riad BE Marrakech
Day 7: Marrakech to Casablanca
View of Hassan II Mosque from our room at Melliber Appart Hotel.
Transportation: We took a 3-hour train from Marrakech to Casablanca. It was hot and tedious, but affordable and probably the quickest way to get there. You need a local credit card if you want to purchase tickets in advance, or you can buy it the day of. Premium Morocco Tours helped us to purchase our tickets in advance.
Accommodation: On our last night in Morocco we stayed at Melliber Appart Hotel, which we chose because of its close proximity to the must-see sight in Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque.
See & Do: By this time we were exhausted from our trip, so we only saw the mosque. If we weren't so tired, we would have taken the time to visit Rick's Cafe, which was designed to recreate the bar made famous by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the classic film, Casablanca.
Food: We ordered room service from our hotel for dinner, and had breakfast at the airport the next morning.
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Know Before You Go
Visa: Check here if you need a visa to enter Morocco. (If you need one and you live in Taiwan, you have to apply through the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Japan through mail.)
Currency: The Moroccan Dirham is a closed currency and can only be bought after arriving in Morocco at airports, ports, some banks and some hotels.
SIM Card: Get a SIM card after you arrive in Morocco, at the airport and at ports. You can also buy it in the markets.
Shopping: Leave space in your suitcase for shopping! (Go for pottery, rugs, Argan oil, leather goods, textiles and ceramics.)
Packing: When packing clothes, consider light and breezy fabrics like linen. Morocco is a moderate Muslim country, so it is more appropriate for women to cover their legs and shoulders when out in public.
Safety: We never felt unsafe while in Morocco. I would say avoid driving, keep an eye on your belongings, don't walk around alone at night, women should dress more conservatively and not travel alone.
Morocco is one of the most amazing countries I've ever visited; I was blown away by the incredible landscapes (which changes dramatically every hour you drive) and the locals, whom are very friendly, helpful and humorous. Did you know that most locals speak multiple languages, including English, French, Arabic, Berber and Spanish? I really felt so welcomed by the people there, never felt unsafe, and most definitely will come back to Morocco one day to also visit the coastal town of Essaouira and Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
If you have more questions about visiting Morocco, please feel free to email me! I know that planning a trip there can be overwhelming, so I'm happy to help while all the information and details are still fresh in my memory. Get in touch at hello@astyelalike.com
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