Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published
We spent 24 days in Morocco, from 26 August to 19 September 2022, travelling north to south: 3 days in Tangier, 3 in Chefchaouen, 3 in Fes, then down the Atlantic side through Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira to Marrakech, over the High Atlas to Ouarzazate, through the Draa Valley via Zagora and Tamgroute to two nights in the dunes at Erg Chigaga, and back to Marrakech for 5 days. The order works because Tangier is where the ferry from Spain lands and Marrakech is the gateway to the deep south. Below is every stop with its days, how to get between them, what the heat was like, and what we would change.
• Tangier, 3 days (26–29 August). We came over from Tarifa in Spain; see our Tarifa to Tangier ferry guide. The Kasbah, the Petit Socco and Cap Spartel, all in our Morocco guide.
• Chefchaouen, 3 days. The blue medina in the Rif, the Kasbah tower and the Spanish Mosque viewpoint. Our 2 days in Chefchaouen itinerary covers it.
• Fes, 3 days (1–4 September). Fes el-Bali, the Chouara tannery, the Bou Inania madrasa and the Marinid Tombs at sunset. See our Fes guide.
• Rabat, 2 days. The Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the blue-and-white Kasbah of the Udayas and the Chellah.
• Casablanca, 1 day. One night, mostly for the Hassan II Mosque, one of the few mosques in Morocco non-Muslims can enter, on a guided tour.
• Essaouira, 2 days. The Skala ramparts, the fishing port and a cool sea wind. See our Essaouira guide.
• Marrakech, 1 night, then Ouarzazate, 1 night. A stopover before crossing the High Atlas to the film-studio town near Aït Benhaddou.
• Zagora and Tamgroute, en route (11 September). The Draa Valley palm groves, Ksar Tissergate outside Zagora, and Tamgroute's green-pottery workshops. See our Tamgroute guide.
• Erg Chigaga, 2 nights (11–13 September). The big, remote dune field past M'Hamid. Our Marrakech and the Sahara guide covers the whole southern loop.
• Ouarzazate, 1 night, then Marrakech, 5 days (14–19 September). Back over the mountains for Jemaa el-Fnaa, the souks, the Bahia Palace and Jardin Majorelle.
These are the usual public-transport options and road times, from operators and route planners. Check current timetables on ctm.ma, supratours.ma and the ONCF site before you plan around a departure.
• Tangier to Chefchaouen: about 110 km. CTM buses take roughly 2.5 hours. There is no train.
• Chefchaouen to Fes: CTM bus about 4 to 4.5 hours; a private driver about 3 to 3.5 hours for 700 to 1,000 MAD (≈ $71–102) per car. Details in our Fes to Chefchaouen guide, which covers the same road in reverse.
• Fes to Rabat: ONCF trains roughly hourly, about 3 hours.
• Rabat to Casablanca: about an hour by train. The Al Boraq high-speed line runs Tangier, Kenitra, Rabat Agdal and Casa Voyageurs; Tangier to Rabat takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Casablanca to Essaouira: no railway reaches Essaouira. Direct CTM and Supratours buses take about 6 to 6.5 hours.
• Essaouira to Marrakech: about 2.5 to 3 hours by CTM or Supratours bus.
• Marrakech to Ouarzazate: about 200 km on the N9 over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m), allow 4 to 5 hours.
• Ouarzazate to Zagora: about 165 km via Agdz and the Draa Valley, 3 to 3.5 hours. Tamgroute is about 18 km past Zagora.
• To Erg Chigaga: the asphalt ends at M'Hamid, then 1.5 to 2.5 hours of 4x4 piste. This is not a rental-car drive; you need a 4x4 with a driver who knows the route. The common way back toward Ouarzazate is the piste west across the dry Lac Iriqui to Foum Zguid, then paved road, a long day either way. See Erg Chigaga vs Merzouga.
If you hire a driver for the desert loop, budget a cash tip at the end; our driver tipping guide has typical amounts.
We travelled from late August to mid-September, which is the tail of summer. Tangier, Chefchaouen and the Atlantic coast were the right places to be at that time: Essaouira's trade wind keeps it around 22 to 25°C while the interior bakes. Marrakech averages a daily high of about 37°C in August and 32.5°C in September (1991–2020 normals).
The desert is hotter. Climate estimates for Zagora put the average September high at around 36 to 37°C, and our Marrakech and the Sahara guide says October to April is the comfortable season for Erg Chigaga. If you go in September as we did, do the long drives early, rest through midday, and treat the dunes as a sunset and sunrise place.
For a cooler version of this route, shift it to October or March to May. Ramadan 2027 is expected from about 8 February to 9 March; see visiting Morocco during Ramadan 2027 for what changes.
Keep: the north-to-south order if you are coming from Spain. Chefchaouen and Fes back to back is the best pairing in the country, and three nights in each was right. Keep two nights in the dunes at Erg Chigaga; one night barely covers the 4x4 time in and out.
Keep: the long final stay in Marrakech. Five days at the end, after the desert, let the city be a place to recover rather than the first shock of arrival. Our Morocco scams guide and souk haggling guide cover the medina.
Change: Casablanca for one night is enough for the Hassan II Mosque and little else. You could fold it into a train day between Rabat and Marrakech instead, since Casablanca is on the line. The Casablanca to Essaouira bus is a long day; going via Marrakech by train and taking a bus to Essaouira from there is a common alternative.
Change: the single Marrakech night before Ouarzazate. It was a stopover, and with the five days at the end it could be dropped in favour of a night at Aït Benhaddou.
• Visa: most Western passport holders, including US citizens, get 90 days visa-free; see do I need a visa for Morocco.
• Money: the dirham is a closed currency, so you get it on arrival; see our dirham and ATM guide and Morocco tipping guide.
• Mosques: most are closed to non-Muslims; the Hassan II Mosque runs guided tours (130 MAD (≈ $13.2) for foreign adults in recent listings; check fmh2.ma). See our mosque dress code guide.
• Shorter version: our 7-day Morocco itinerary cuts this route down to Marrakech and the Erg Chigaga loop.
A week covers Marrakech and a desert trip. Two weeks adds Fes and Chefchaouen. We spent 24 days, which covered Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira, Marrakech and two nights at Erg Chigaga.
Coming from Spain, north to south: Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, then the coast or train to Marrakech, the Sahara from Marrakech, and a final stay in Marrakech before flying out.
By CTM bus, about 2.5 hours for roughly 110 km, or by grand taxi or private driver. There is no train to Chefchaouen.
It is hot inland: Marrakech averages about 32.5°C in September and the Draa Valley around 36 to 37°C. The north and the Atlantic coast are comfortable. October and spring are cooler for the desert.
About 450 km to M'Hamid over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, then 1.5 to 2.5 hours by 4x4. Most trips break it with a night in Ouarzazate or the Draa Valley, as we did in Ouarzazate.
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