The Ultimate 1 Week in Morocco Itinerary

Planning the right 1 week in Morocco itinerary can be exhausting and tricky because there are so many places you can visit: from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast all the way to the Sahara desert. This Morocco travel guide is covering one week in Morocco which is an ideal amount for your first time there. With this itinerary you’ll be able to check the best spots in Morocco, so let’s get started! 

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

Heads up! Some links in this blog are affiliates. If you click and buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, I only recommend stuff I’ve tested or trust. You can read more about our affiliate disclaimer here.

How to Get to Morocco

From Europe it’s quite easy to get to Morocco as there are many low-budget flights that fly to different cities, such as Marrakech, Tangier, Agadir.

If you’re coming from other locations, then the best option is to fly to Casablanca which is the main international airport in Morocco. Usually you can find direct routes from cities such as New York, Doha, Montreal, or with one stopover from other major cities.

✅ Check the flight prices here.

How to Get Around Morocco

There are 3 ways you can get around Morocco, depending on what type of traveller you are.

Renting a Car

My personal recommendation is to rent a car, especially if you love road trips. Contrary to what many people think, it is very easy and fun driving in Morocco. The roads are good, the scenery beautiful and it is really the most convenient way of getting around. Especially if you’d love to spend some time in the Sahara Desert, which is exactly what we did and what I’ll cover in this itinerary.

📖 Read my Is Morocco Good for a Road Trip: Guide to Driving in Morocco blog post.

Guided Tour

If you don’t love road trips or don’t feel comfortable driving in North Africa, then the second best way is to join a guided tour. There are many day trips and even multi-day tours, especially from Marrakech which you can take and have everything organised for you.

📖 Check my 5 Best Morocco Desert Camping Tours: Sahara Experience blog post.

Local Transportation

And lastly, you can use local transportation and travel independently.

Where to Stay in Morocco

Here are the best hotels in Morocco for this exact itinerary, covering Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga (Sahara), Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech.

Where to Stay in Tangier

Tangier surprised me the most. I didn’t expect much from the White City, but I loved it a lot and would love to be back, though it feels more European than North African.

Where to Stay in Chefchaouen

My favourite colourful place in the world. Chefchaouen is not to be missed! 💙

Where to Stay in Fes

People either love or hate Fes. Sadly, I didn’t have the best experience there, but my favourite hotel in Morocco was exactly there. For this itinerary, it makes sense to make a stop at Fes, and who knows, maybe you’d end up liking it.

Where to Stay in Merzouga

You have to go to Merzouga when in Morocco! Being in the desert was the best experience I’ve had in Morocco and one of my favourite travel moments ever!

📖 Read my detailed Best 10 Sahara Desert Camps in Morocco blog post for more.

Where to Stay in Ait Ben Haddou

Welcome to Ait Ben Haddou aka Yunkai! Yes, this beautiful little UNESCO village has been a filming location of not only Game of Thrones, but of many other movies and tv shows, such as the Gladiator. It is a must visit in Morocco because of its unique architectural style and cultural importance.

Where to Stay in Marrakech

I loved the vibes in Marrakech and can’t wait to be back there!

When to Visit Morocco

Morocco is a diverse country with different climates. Generally, the best time to visit Morocco is in the shoulder season; from March to May and from October to December.

However, Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts are good to visit throughout the year, even in the summertime. Only don’t go to Marrakech and the desert area in the summer because it gets really hot. Even in late October we had 35 C (95 F) temperatures!

How Many Days in Morocco is Ideal

If you want to explore every corner of Morocco, then you have to spend 2 weeks there. However, if you’re shorter on time, but still want to visit the highlights of Morocco, then one week is great, but ideally you need 10 days.

If you’re travelling from Europe, then you can even do shorter city breaks because the flights don’t take long and Morocco is very well connected with a lot of cities in Europe.

Morocco 1 Week Itinerary Google Map

This is how this 1 week in Morocco itinerary looks like. As mentioned already, we did a road trip, but you can also follow the route for other transportation options.

Day 1: Tangier & Chefchaouen

We started our journey through Morocco in Tangier, a city on the Mediterranean coast, also called The White City. After we checked the highlights we drove to Chefchaouen aka The Blue City where we spent the second half of the day.

If you’re renting a car, do note that for this itinerary, you’ll have to pick up your rental car at Tangier Airport, but return it at Marrakech Airport. This will add about £50 extra to your rental quote. 

Grand Socco

On your way towards Medina, you will pass by Grand Socco, officially called Place du 9 Avril 1947. It is a historic quasi-circular roundabout square separating the old medina from newer developments in downtown Tangier.

There’s also a beautiful colourful mosque there, but sadly, with the only exception of the mosque in Casablanca, non-muslims can’t enter mosques in Morocco, so we could only admire them from the outside. As someone who loves architecture, this was disappointing and I hope they change this rule in the future.

Tangier Medina

Medina is a walled city and a historical district in a number of North African cities. The reason why Tangier is called the White City is because all the buildings, especially in Medina, are white coloured.

There’s no particular route to follow, but the best is to enter through Bab Al Fahs Gate and exit at the Bab Al Bahr.

Medina’s of Morocco are like mazes, especially in Fes, so don’t get surprised if you get lost a bit. Also, make sure to pet a cat when you see one. They are literally all around, I was in heaven!

Unfortunately, that morning was quite rainy, so our idea to have some drinks at the rooftop bar failed, but in case you’ll have better luck, I recommend Cafe Hafa – a historical cafe opened in 1921 with gorgeous sea views.

Port de Tanger Ville

This is a waterfront area of Tangier, perfect for walking next to the sea. It reminded me of Ocean Drive, though it is wider.

You will find a large mosque at Port de Tanger Ville, which is one of the most beautiful mosques I’ve seen in Morocco.

P. S. Google Maps is quite deceiving here, so don’t mix it with the Grande Mosque which is in the heart of Medina and not that obvious to the eye. You’d notice that Google Maps shows photos of the waterfront mosque as if it were a Grand Mosque, but it’s not. This Port de Tanger Ville mosque is on a big square next to the sea, once you exit Medina.

Chefchaouen Instagram Highlights

Then it’s time to head to the Blue City of Chefchaouen, also called The Blue Pearl. It will take you around 2h drive to get to Chefchaouen. It’s a small town with approximately 42,000 citizens.

I saw photos of Chefchaouen before I went there and I expected it to be beautiful, but I was left in awe. The blue colour of houses is so vivid, it looks like a fairytale place.

Because it’s a very small town, there’s not much to do, apart from stopping every few seconds to take photos (and pet cats). It’s a very instagrammable place, and if you’re into beautiful photography there are some spots you cannot miss.

Casa Aladdin

After you spend some time exploring Chefchaouen, it is time for tea or coffee. For that head to the restaurant/bar with the best views of Chefchaouen – Casa Aladdin. There are 3 stories from which you can enjoy the views, but if the weather allows, go to the very top where you’ll find an open rooftop area. The views are really amazing. 

Chefchaouen Kasbah

After you refreshed yourself and soaked up some really nice views, go and explore Kasbah, a fortress of Medina. You’ll find great views there as well. The entrance is about €6 pp, which is pretty cheap.

✅ This is one of the highest rated walking tours of Chefchaouen you can take to see the highlights with a local guide.

Dinner Time

Then it’s time for dinner. Most of the restaurants are on the main square. I highly recommend Restaurant Hamsa, but be aware that you’ll share your dinner with cats!

Day 2: Fes

If there is one place in Morocco I didn’t like at all, that is Fes. However, for this itinerary Fes is a good logistical stop (and I know of people who liked it). Nevertheless, I did very much enjoy my stay at the traditional Riad Rcif!

Stay at Riad Rcif

Riads are another type of traditional Moroccan house with an open central courtyard. What is so great about Riad Rcif is that it is a 13th century palace now turned into a hotel. I paid £102 a night with breakfast for the two of us, so you are practically staying in a palace for 100 pounds, INSANE! 

✅ BOOK YOUR STAY HERE

Lunch at the Ruined Garden

Ruined Garden is one of the best and most beautiful restaurants, not only in Fes, but in Morocco! Yes, Fes does have a lot of beautiful places, it’s the scammy people who ruined the vibes for us. In the restaurant though everyone was nice and you felt like you ended up in some hidden secret oasis.

Try the chicken tagine, it was melting!

Fes Medina

Medina of Fes is a true maze. Some parts weren’t really giving the best vibe, it was kind of dodgy. With that, if you’re travelling solo or with girlfriends, don’t walk in Fes Medina at night. Some parts get really dark even in the middle of the day. And despite the fact I was with my husband all the time, I didn’t feel that safe in some areas. So, just apply common sense.

Some shops look really cool, but overall this was my least favourite Medina in Morocco.

Most people come here to check the famous tannery, but honestly, the smell of the leather was so strong and bad even from the shops selling the finished products. I can’t even imagine how awful it smells at the tannery. I saw videos where you get a mint to breathe to minimise the smell. But honestly, for an Instagram photo or video, this was not worth it and we skipped it. I don’t regret it all.

💡And now a short note about the scams in Fes. Basically, because the layout of Medina is awful, locals are using this opportunity to scam you that you’re going in a different way, only to then offer their help to guide you to wherever you want to go. And the age here is irrelevant – from kids to adults, everyone is trying to scam you. They tried that with us on multiple occasions, especially for the tannery even though we never told them where we would like to go. They just know tannery is the most popular place of Fes and they are deliberately sending you the wrong way. They would then follow you to offer their “help” and would afterwards ask you for the tip!

We knew where the tannery was and they were not showing in that direction!

✅ Because of that, consider taking this private walking tour of Fes highlights, to save yourself some trouble.

Bou Inania Madrasa

Bou Inania Madrasa is a gorgeous madrasa (Islamic educational institution) that was built in the 14th century. If there is one sight you need to check in Fes, that’s the one!

Coffee & Cake at Fondouk Bazaar

Fortunately Fes doesn’t like nice places to eat and drink. I highly recommend Fondouk Bazaar for great cakes, refreshing mocktails and good coffee. Oh, and the great views!

Day 3: Sahara Desert (Merzouga)

The next 2 days were the highlight of my trip to Morocco. I’m so glad I didn’t put this off because of the long distance from major Moroccan cities because spending two nights in the largest hot desert in the world, under the stars, is the ultimate bucket list experience.

If you can, definitely go to Merzouga because you will not regret it!

📖 Read my How to Visit the Sahara Desert in Morocco – Travel Guide blog post.

Getting to Merzouga

Your 3rd day on this one week Morocco itinerary will mainly pass on driving/getting to Merzouga. Expect around 7h-8h of pure driving. We made a lunch stop and a few short ones, so the total time we spent in the car was 10h.

And yes, it may seem like a lot, but if you’re in love with road trips, you will really enjoy this one! My husband and I are never in a hurry and we always think of road trips as an activity, rather than something you have to do. We turn on the music on Spotify, sing, talk, do the drive in turns, make stops whenever needed and we just have fun! We enjoy the views, and on this road, you won’t lack them! If you’re coming from Marrakech, you’d pass by High Atlas Mountain, and from Fes, you’d drive around gorgeous lakes and oases. The beauty of a road trip is that you can make a stop if you spot something nice, like we did with this green oasis below.

Dinner at the Camp, Dance by the Fire & Watching the Sky

After you finally reach Merzouga and your camp/hotel, you’d have dinner and then chill. Most luxury camps will have different entertainment activities after dinner. At Merzouga Luxury Camp the berbers lit the fire and then they sang and danced, and us together with them. It was so magical and at times unbelievable.

But the best part of our first evening was when we lay on the sand and just looked at the sky. It’s a pinch me kinda moment.

Day 4: Sahara Desert (Merzouga)

This was truly the best day on our Morocco trip! It was fun, adventurous, but also reflective. We booked all our activities with the hotel and pretty much opted for everything they offered (activities listed below). It cost us €110 pp.

If you’re going on a guided tour, then this will already be included in your tour price.

📖 Check my 5 Best Morocco Desert Camping Tours: Sahara Experience blog post.

Camel Ride for Sunrise

Firstly, I’ll start by saying that I am not a morning person and I extremely rarely wake up for sunrise or to be somewhere super early to beat the crowds.

But this time I knew I had to do it purely for the lifetime experience. The desert is very calm and quiet anyway, but for sunrise, when there’s almost no one around, beside a few berbers and camels, it gets really magical. We woke up around 6 am and started our camel ride at 6:45 am. It was dawn when he headed towards the dunes.

💡Before you ask: Camels are in a really good shape here (unlike in Egypt where we didn’t want to ride them!), and this is where they like to be. Berbers take good care of them, so I didn’t feel at all like this was something unethical. It was strangely normal, you can feel they’re the one with the desert. And somehow I was too.

On this tour it was only me and Slaven and three ladies with a little boy. So, it was super private. Oh, and some stray dog followed us.

The ride took about 20 minutes and we had some 5-10 minutes before the sunrise, so we got off the camels and climbed one dune where we’d watch the sunrise. The ladies with us went to the other one, so you can really be alone and at peace while watching the sunrise.

The feeling when it got up was just pure magic. And you could instantly feel the warmth of the sun (it was otherwise freeeezing in the morning, so dress accordingly!).

We enjoyed the sunrise for about 15-20 minutes and then got on our camels and rode another 20 minutes to the camp where we had breakfast.

Visit to the Nomadic Village

After breakfast, our local guide picked us up at the camp and we got into the jeep to do a number of activities. First one was to visit the Nomadic Village, which is between the dunes and Black Desert and very close to the border with Algeria (we actually saw the Algerian desert side when we were driving).

Previously this border was open, especially in the past when nomadic people travelled from one place to another. Right now they have a base, but they live a very simple life. Usually they have 4-5 tents. One is a kitchen, one is for baking, one tent that serves like a living room, one tent where they sleep during summer and one for the winter period built with stronger materials to keep them from cold. There are also 2 cages where they keep chickens and goats.

I was happy to hear that their kids go to the local school, so they get at least a primary education. And I was surprised by the fact that their life expectancy is about 75 years old, quite similar to the western standards.

They invited us to their tent to have mint tea (very strong btw!) and later they made us a vegetarian pie. We got both because we didn’t want to be impolite even though the hygiene rate might be questionable here. But we were fine and it was such a nice experience.

You can see more in my Instagram post:

Black Desert, Abandoned Village & Quartz Tunnel

Next up on our itinerary was to check some of the best views in Black Desert, especially where Black Desert meets the Sahara dunes.

The reason it’s called the Black Desert is because it’s mainly rock formation. This part is very popular with fossils. You can see a lot of fossil souvenirs that vendors sell, but I am not 100% how authentic they are.

Our guide then brought us to the Abandoned Village. Today these people live in Merzouga village.

And finally we’ve got to see the quartz tunnel where they excavate it to make souvenirs, jewellery etc.

Berbers Show, Rug Shop & Jeep Adrenaline Ride

It was starting to be very hot in the desert, so we went to Merzouga village to cool off a bit.

First stop was inside a restaurant where we didn’t eat, but instead we watched the berbers show – playing the instrument and singing.

It was a fun experience complemented by the mint tea after which we went to see the best rug shop in the village. We didn’t buy anything, but in case you’d be interested, they can also ship the rug to your home address, so you don’t carry it with you!

And then lastly was the time to go back to our camp, but before we had a crazy jeep ride through the dunes with our guide. And yes, it was intentional.

Lunch & Chill Time

Once we got back to our camp we had lunch and then had a few hours to kill before our last paid activity.

It was so funny to see that there were cats even in the middle of the desert – Morocco is really full of them!

We played with them and tried to have a nap outside, but it was too hot. And inside our tent was unbearable, you can’t really breathe because it gets so heated by the sun! At this point we felt that it would’ve been great if we booked something with the pool, but we really wanted to be as connected to nature as possible. It was still the right decision despite the heat we had to survive for 3-4 hours!

Quad Drive for Sunset

As we started the day with the sunrise, this only meant one thing – we had to end it with sunset!

Quad drive is the most popular sunset activity in the Sahara desert. This is the only time we actually saw people from other camps too because everyone seems to be doing it – not surprised because it’s super fun!

We opted for one quad – Slaven was driving and I was holding onto him.

💡The way we’ve done it is actually not recommended, so we had to sign a form that it’s our liability in case something happens. We almost fell once, so really be extra careful and only do it if you’re a good driver. I was surprised how fast this thing can go. And you’d be driving in the dunes, going up and down, driving on the very edge, so it’s definitely not for the beginners.

Plus, the only instructions we’ve got was how to start and stop the quad and our guides were 2 teenage boys! (they were very good drivers though and helped us and the other 2 couples that were with us whenever someone got stuck lol!)

The quad drive filled us with adrenaline for sure! But the best part was when we got to one very high Erg Chebbi dune and watched the sunset. Another pinch me kinda moment. ❤️

P. S. Once you experience the sunset in the desert, no other one would ever be able to beat it.

Dinner Time & Watching the Sky

After the sun goes down and before it’s dark outside, you’ll get on your quad and drive back to the camp. Then it’ll be time for dinner, followed by the very same entertainment activities like the night before.

We skipped the dance by the fire this time and just lay on the sand again to watch the sky full of stars before us.

Day 5: Ait Ben Haddou

Fun fact about me: I am a big fan of Game of Thrones (though I am very disappointed with how it ended). And whenever I am travelling somewhere where I know GOT was filmed, I know I have to visit. In Morocco you can visit Essaouira aka Astapor or Ait Ben Haddou aka Yunkai. However, this Morocco itinerary doesn’t include Essaouira nor any other city in the Atlantic Ocean, but that’s why it does include Ait Ben Haddou, which is even better, it is such a beautiful place!

From Merzouga it will take you about 5.5 hours to get to Ait Ben Haddou without any stops.

We did have a lunch stop in Nkob, a small village on the way to Ait Ben Haddou. We saw great Google reviews from other tourists, so we knew it’s a safe and good enough place to eat. And we were not wrong. The barbecue was so good and freshly grilled next to you.

The place is called Restaurant Ennakb. It was next to the primary school where a bunch of little kids were curiously watching us. My husband then went to buy a big bag of sweets and we treated them to it. The happy look on their faces was so cute and heartbreaking at the same time. I couldn’t stop thinking how some of them don’t even have that little to get a chocolate.

The Fortified Village of Ait Ben Haddou

Ait Ben Haddou is a small fortified village in Morocco located between Merzouga and Marrakech, and therefore a perfect stop in this one week Morocco itinerary. It’s a perfect example of earthen-clay architecture style (exactly how I imagined Africa). Because of this preserved uniqueness it was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Beside GOT, Ait Ben Haddou was used as a filming location for many other movies and TV shows, such as GOT, Gladiator, Mummy, Prince of Persia to name a few!

The village is very small, so you won’t need too much time there. It’s perfect for just wandering around, though I will list some of the main things you can do in Ait Ben Haddou.

Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah

So, there are 2 entrances into Ait Ben Haddou. One is from the bridge and the second one is at the river viewpoint. You can only get through that one when the river is dried out like it was in our case (photo above is at the river entrance).

And it’s here when we finally succumbed to one of the Moroccan scams!

💡Practically, there were 2 guards at the entrance telling us that we can only enter if we pay for it. I knew I read nothing about the entrance fee for the village itself, so I was arguing with them. We even asked the guide of one of the groups that showed up if we had to pay for the entrance and he confirmed. At that point I got so confused and we decided to pay because it was anyway very cheap, but hey, the principles, right!?

Anyways, once we paid we realised they charged us for the entrance for the Kasbah (the fortress) and they never said the fee was for that! Our mistake was that we didn’t make a few more steps and then we would have seen there’s a free tight passage into the village, because from where we were standing, it seemed like there was nowhere else to go.

I don’t even need to mention how angry we were first at ourselves for not trusting our gut and then at them for scamming us! This sadly kind of ruined the vibe of Ait Ben Haddou for us, but I loved the architecture and I’d love to give it one more chance now when I know about the scam. If we have had a better experience, I am quite sure we would have felt differently about it.

Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou is in bad shape, we were not feeling safe climbing it. The views were nice, but they are far better from the free viewpoint!

I put it on the list because it is the only attraction of Ait Ben Haddou and it’s cheap, so if you’d like, you can visit it too.

Ait Ben Haddou Viewpoint

The viewpoint was my favourite part of Ait Ben Haddou. You can’t miss it because it’s the highest possible place you can climb to in the village. Yes, Ait Ben Haddou is a surprisingly hilly place!

From one side of the viewpoint, you have the village in front of your eyes and you can see the built-in location they used for the Gladiator.

On the other side is the gorgeous view of the High Atlas Mountains, which I loved even more.

Coffee with a View

There’s only one cafe inside the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou and it’s La Table de la Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou.

That’s the cafe you see all over Instagram. We only peeked inside and it looked amazing, but as we were still pretty annoyed with the scammers from the beginning, we didn’t feel like chilling. I think that’s another mistake we made because if we allowed ourselves to rest and unwind, we wouldn’t be so stressed anymore.

So, I would definitely encourage you to take a break there.

Day 6: Marrakech

Final stop in this 1 week Morocco itinerary is Marrakech, one of the imperial cities alongside Fes. Drive from Ait Ben Haddou to Marrakech will take around 3.5h with no stops. And this will be another epic road trip because you will be driving through the High Atlas Mountains!

Unfortunately because of the earthquake that happened in September 2023 Marrakech was damaged and a lot of places were either closed or they just reopened. We had 2 hotels cancelling our stay because they were affected by the earthquake, therefore I only planned 1 afternoon in Marrakech which is nowhere near enough for this beautiful and bustling city!

Most of the sights have opened when I was there (end of October 2023) apart from the Koutoubia Mosque that was still undergoing reconstruction. With that said, I didn’t do much in Marrakech, so I will mention what you can do here in half a day, but kindly note that you’ll need at least 1 full day in Marrakech to cover most of the things, ideally 2 full days. I know I will be back to this amazing city.

✅ You can also check this Half-Day Guided Tour in Marrakech to make the most of your day with a guide (especially if you’re on tight schedule like we were).

Marrakech Medina

I loved Medina in Marrakech the most! It is beautiful, in red bricks (which is why Marrakech is called the Red City) and it’s not a maze like in Fes. It also felt super safe. Overall, the best people we met in Morocco were in Marrakech!

Definitely stroll around, bargain and soak up the vibes.

For lunch I recommend Terrasse Mama. Because of the many rooftop restaurants and cafes, Marrakech reminded me of Istanbul. The vibe was similar too.

Koutoubia Mosque

Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in Marrakech and the most famous one. It was built in the 12th century.

As mentioned, the mosque was under reconstruction because the tower was damaged in the earthquake. The square was barricaded for safety, but even if everything were open, non-muslims are sadly not allowed to enter.

I liked the mosque, but I prefer the Ottoman style more over the Moroccan one.

Souk El Bahja

Bahja Square is the heartbeat of Marrakech. It is full of vendors selling anything and everything, street food and fresh juices. It is the busiest place in the city.

I saw a little boy there selling tissues while doing his homework for school and my heart broke. I bought the tissues from him in a hope that his future would look brighter. What harsh living conditions! Sometimes we forget how privileged we are.

Le Jardin Restaurant

For dinner, I recommend Le Jardin. It’s such a wonderful restaurant with great food and a perfect way to end your 1 week adventure in Morocco.

Is Morocco Worth Visiting

As you can see Morocco is a very diverse country with stunning landscapes, world’s largest desert, unique architecture, great food and full of UNESCO sites. It is also very affordable and easy to visit, especially if you’re coming from Europe. Apart from the dodgy vibes in Fes and one scam incident in Ait Ben Haddou, I felt safe there, and while my not favourite country in the world, it is still very much worth visiting Morocco.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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1 Week in Morocco