A week from Casablanca to Marrakech through royal cities, mountain passes, ksar country and the Sahara. The most driving of the seven-day options — and on this one the drive is half the point.
- Duration
- 7 days / 6 nights
- Route
- Casablanca → Marrakech
- Pace
- Two seven-hour days, the rest short
Overview
A week from the Atlantic through royal cities, mountain passes, ksar country and the Sahara. It has the most driving of the seven-day options — and on this one the drive is half the point.
Photos
Route
- 1Casablanca
- 2Rabat
- 3Fes
- 4Sahara
- 5Aït Benhaddou
- 6Marrakech
Highlights
- Royal cities, passes and ksar country in seven days
- Includes a night on the Sahara
- Aït Benhaddou on the approach to Marrakech
- The most driving of the 7-day routes, by design
Day by day
A representative plan. Every trip is adjusted to your dates, your pace and what you want to see.
1
Day 1
Arrival in Casablanca
Your driver meets you at the airport and you are in the city well within an hour. If the flight lands in the morning, the Hassan II Mosque is the one thing worth doing today.
Short first day on purpose. The long ones arrive later in the week.
2
Day 2
Casablanca to Rabat
About an hour up the coast. The afternoon covers the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower, which sit a short walk apart.
This is the shortest transfer of the week, and the sightseeing is done well before dinner.
3
Day 3
Rabat to Fes
About two and a half hours inland to Fes. Your riad sits inside the car-free medina, so the car stops at the nearest gate and you walk in with the bags.
The rest of the afternoon is walking: Bab Boujloud, the first lanes, and dinner inside the walls.
4
Day 4
Fes to Merzouga
The first long day, and it is genuinely long: about seven hours from breakfast to the dunes. The road runs south through the Middle Atlas, past Ifrane and Azrou, then across the steppe to Erfoud and Merzouga.
With two or three stops for photos and lunch you arrive in the late afternoon. This drive is normally split over two days, and on a seven-day week there is no day spare for it, so we do it in one go.
5
Day 5
Merzouga to Ait Benhaddou
Sunrise on the dunes, a camel back to the hotel, breakfast, then the road north. This is the other long day: about four hours to Todra Gorge, then three more through the Dades and Ouarzazate to Ait Benhaddou.
The ksar is at the end of it, and you walk up before dinner. Everyone sleeps early on this one.
6
Day 6
Ait Benhaddou to Marrakech
About three and a half hours west, climbing the Tizi n'Tichka pass and dropping onto the plain. Stop at the top for the view back over the mountains you have just crossed.
Marrakech is reached by mid-afternoon, and the evening is Jemaa el-Fna. Your riad is inside the medina.
7
Day 7
Marrakech
The last day is a morning in the souks and around the Koutoubia if the flight is late, or nothing at all if it is early.
Most people on this trip fly out of Marrakech. If you are continuing to Casablanca, it is about two and a half hours.
Good to know
Pace and driving
Two of the seven days are about seven hours in the car: Fes to Merzouga and Merzouga to Ait Benhaddou. The other five are short, and Rabat at about an hour is the easiest.
Best season
Spring and autumn suit this route. Take a jacket for the desert night in winter, and expect a long hot day on the two desert drives in summer.
Who it suits
A first look at the imperial cities plus one night on the dunes, inside one week. It suits people happy to sit and watch the road more than people who want to walk all day.
What's included
- Private vehicle and driver for the whole itinerary
- Accommodation each night, with breakfast
- Airport transfers at the start and end
- A local guide in the medinas where a guide adds most
- A named contact in Marrakech throughout your trip
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches, dinners and drinks unless listed
- Entrance fees to monuments and sites
- Tips for your driver and guides
- Travel insurance
7-Day Morocco Tour: Casablanca to Marrakech
Our Marrakech-based team designs tailor-made Morocco trips around your dates, budget and travel style.
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Further reading
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