Three one-week routes with a map, day-by-day plans, real driving times, where to sleep and what it costs, from the Marrakech team that drives them.
For a first trip, spend 7 days in Morocco on a loop from Marrakech: two days in the city, four days over the High Atlas to a desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes and back through the Draa Valley, and a free last morning. If you can fly home from Tangier, swap the drive back for Fes and Chefchaouen. If the desert is not a must, the imperial cities from Casablanca to Marrakech have the least driving.
Each route below comes with a map, the driving hours for every day, the hotels our tours use and what the week costs. We are a tour operator based in Marrakech and the numbers are the ones we plan our own private tours with.
Route 1Our pickOur pick for a first trip
Route 2The most of Morocco in one week
Route 3No desert, least driving
Pick the route from your flights first. Morocco is bigger than it looks on a map, and the High Atlas and desert roads are slow, so a loop that starts and ends in the same city spends a day and a half driving back.
Switch between the routes, then tap a stop to see where it is. Places with a guide on this site link to it.
Morocco 7-day routes
The question every traveller asks after seeing the map. Each bar is one day; the colours match the driving times on our tours. Route 1 has two long days, Route 2 has the most time in the car, and Route 3 has a single long day between Fes and Marrakech.
Hours on the road, day by day
Route 1 · Our pick for a first trip
Two nights in Marrakech, a kasbah in the Dades Valley, a night in a desert camp at Erg Chebbi and a night in Ouarzazate. The way back runs through the Draa Valley instead of the same road, so you see a different side of the south on the return.
Airport transfer only
Transfer to a riad inside the medina and take a first walk to Jemaa el-Fna. The square is at its liveliest from late afternoon into the evening, when the food stalls, storytellers and musicians set up.
Marrakech riad
On foot in the city
See the Koutoubia Mosque from outside (it is closed to non-Muslims), then the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Majorelle Garden. Spend the afternoon in the souks of the northern medina, among spices, leather, lanterns and textiles, and finish back at Jemaa el-Fna as the food stalls open.
Marrakech riad
About 330 km · 7 h with stops
Climb the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m), stop at midday at Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar on the old caravan route, then continue through Ouarzazate and the Skoura oasis to a kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley.
Kasbah hotel, Dades Valley
About 260 km · 4 to 4.5 h
Walk into the Dades Gorge in the morning, then drive under the limestone walls of the Todra Gorge and down onto the pre-Saharan plains via Tinghir and Erfoud. You reach Merzouga in the afternoon and ride a camel (or go by 4x4) to the camp in time for sunset over Erg Chebbi.
Desert camp, Erg Chebbi
About 440 km · 7 to 8 h (longest day)
Watch sunrise over the dunes, then head south-west via Rissani and Alnif into the Draa Valley, Morocco's longest river valley, with a stop at the green-glazed pottery cooperatives of Tamegroute near Zagora, before turning north to Ouarzazate.
Riad or hotel, Ouarzazate
About 200 km · 4 h
An optional stop at the Atlas Film Studios outside Ouarzazate, then the last crossing of the High Atlas, arriving in Marrakech in the late afternoon.
Marrakech riad
Airport transfer only
A free morning for last souk shopping or a coffee near Jemaa el-Fna before your transfer to the airport.
Do this route as a private tour
7 Days Morocco Tour from Marrakech
from $1,090 per person for two travellers sharing: private 4x4, driver-guide, all six nights, camel trek, dinner and breakfast on nights 3 to 5.
Route 2 · The most of Morocco in one week
The same first four days as the loop, then north instead of back: Fes, the blue town of Chefchaouen and Tangier, with no drive back to Marrakech. It is the most of Morocco you can see in a week, at the cost of only a morning in Fes and the most hours in the car.
Airport transfer only
Settle into a medina riad and walk to Jemaa el-Fna for the evening food stalls.
Marrakech riad
On foot in the city
The Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Majorelle Garden in the morning, the souks in the afternoon.
Marrakech riad
About 330 km · 7 h with stops
Cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass, stop at Ait Benhaddou, and continue past Ouarzazate to a kasbah in the Dades Valley.
Kasbah hotel, Dades Valley
About 260 km · 4 to 4.5 h
Walk the Todra Gorge, then cross the plains to Merzouga and ride a camel to a desert camp at Erg Chebbi for sunset and the night.
Desert camp, Erg Chebbi
About 460 km · 7 to 7.5 h (longest day)
After sunrise on the dunes, drive north through the Ziz Valley, over the Middle Atlas and past the cedar forests around Ifrane to Fes.
Riad in the Fes medina
About 200 km · 3.5 to 4 h
A morning in Fes el-Bali, the walled medina, with a local guide, then the drive to Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains for the evening.
Riad in Chefchaouen
About 120 km · 2.5 h
An early walk through the blue lanes of Chefchaouen, then down to Tangier for your flight or the ferry to Tarifa from the Tangier Ville port.
Do this route as a private tour
4 Days Tour from Marrakech to Tangier via the Sahara & Fes
from $590 per person for two travellers sharing (Standard tier). It drives days 3 to 7 in four days; ask us to add Marrakech and a night in Chefchaouen to make it this week.
Route 3 · No desert, least driving
Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech, the four imperial cities, plus the Roman ruins of Volubilis. One long driving day; the rest is short hops and full days on foot in the medinas.
About 90 km · 1.5 h
A guided visit inside the Hassan II Mosque, one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims, then up the Atlantic coast to Rabat, the capital.
Rabat
About 240 km · 4 h
Walk the Roman ruins of Volubilis with a guide, stop at the Bab Mansour gate in Meknes, and reach Fes for the night.
Riad in the Fes medina
On foot in the medina
A full day in the old medina of Fes with a historian guide: the lanes are a maze, and the madrasas, fondouks and tanneries are easy to miss on your own.
Riad in the Fes medina
About 480 km · 7 h
The one long day: through Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest in the Middle Atlas, then down to Marrakech.
Marrakech riad
On foot in the city
Guided visits to the Saadian Tombs and the Bahia Palace, then the souks and Jemaa el-Fna in the evening.
Marrakech riad
On foot in the city
A relaxed day for the gardens, a hammam or more time in the souks.
Marrakech riad
15 min to Marrakech airport, or about 2.5 h to Casablanca
Transfer to Marrakech Menara Airport, or back to Casablanca Mohammed V Airport if your flight leaves from there.
Do this route as a private tour
7 Days Tour from Casablanca to Marrakech
from $1,090 per person for two travellers sharing: private 4x4, driver-guide, six nights and guided visits in every city.
March to May and September to November suit all three routes. In July and August Marrakech and Fes are hot and the desert passes 40°C, so sightseeing moves to the early morning and evening and camel rides run at dawn and dusk. In winter the desert nights drop close to freezing and rain is common around Chefchaouen. More in the best time to visit Morocco.
When to go, region by region
Tap a month to see its temperatures.
Marrakech in OctoberIdeal
Warm days and mild evenings: the best weather for the medina and souks.
Average high 28 °C, low 15 °C (Marrakech).
A private 7-day tour with a 4x4, a driver-guide and six nights of accommodation costs from $1,090 per person for two travellers sharing on our routes. Travelling by train and bus costs less but only works for Route 3. Here is what a week adds up to once lunches and tips are in. Our guide to Morocco tour prices explains what moves the price.
Example: two travellers on Route 1
| Private tour, Route 1 (2 × $1,090) | $2,180 |
|---|---|
| Six lunches each (100–120 MAD a meal) | $120–$145 |
| Driver-guide tip, 7 days (150–200 MAD a day) | $105–$140 |
| Entrance fees in Marrakech, drinks, souvenirs | Your choice |
About $2,405–$2,465 for the two of you, before entrance fees and shopping.
What is not in a tour price
Only Route 3 works fully by train: Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech are all on the national rail network. No train crosses the High Atlas, so Routes 1 and 2 need a car. You can rent one and drive, but the Tizi n'Tichka pass and the last stretch to the dunes are tiring after a long flight, which is why most visitors on these routes book a private driver-guide.
| How you travel | Route 1Marrakech & Sahara loop | Route 2Marrakech to Tangier | Route 3Imperial cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private driver-guideDoor to door, someone else on the mountain roads | Works well | Works well | Works well |
| Self-drive rentalPossible, but the Tichka pass and desert roads are tiring | Possible, with trade-offs | Possible, with trade-offs | Works well |
| TrainNo line over the High Atlas or to the desert | Does not work | Possible, with trade-offs | Works well |
| Bus and shared toursCheapest, but slow and fixed to group schedules | Possible, with trade-offs | Possible, with trade-offs | Works well |
Drop the Draa Valley return and drive Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga in four days, with a day in Marrakech before it.
4 days Marrakech to Fes tourAdd the Atlantic coast and full days in Fes and Marrakech without back-to-back long drives.
10 and 14-day routesEssaouira is about 2 h 30 from Marrakech. With 7 days and no wish for long drives, spend days 3 to 5 on the coast instead.
Essaouira day tripBase yourself in Marrakech and take day trips to Imlil and the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas.
Imlil day tripShorter driving days and more nights in each place matter more than the route. Our family tour is paced for children.
8 days family tourRoute 2 ends in Tangier, where ferries cross to Tarifa. Reverse it to arrive from Spain and fly home from Marrakech.
6 days Tangier to Marrakech tourMarrakech, the Sahara, Fes, Chefchaouen and Essaouira in seven days means driving almost every day. Pick one route and save the rest for a second trip.
Mountain passes and desert roads are slow: 330 km from Marrakech to the Dades Valley takes about 7 hours with stops.
A flight into Marrakech and out of Tangier or Fes saves the day and a half it takes to drive back.
Most flights land in the afternoon. Keep the first two nights in Marrakech so the long drives start rested.
Seven days is enough for one region plus a night in the Sahara, or for the four imperial cities. It is not enough for the whole country: 10 days covers the main regions without back-to-back long driving days.
A loop from Marrakech: two days in the city, then the Tizi n'Tichka pass and Ait Benhaddou, a night in the Dades Valley, a night in a desert camp at Erg Chebbi, the Draa Valley back to Ouarzazate and a last night in Marrakech. It works with return flights to Marrakech, which are the easiest to find.
Yes. Routes 1 and 2 both spend a night in a desert camp at Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga. Merzouga is two days' drive from Marrakech by the Dades Valley, so a week allows one night in the dunes without rushing.
A private 7-day tour with a 4x4, a driver-guide and six nights of accommodation costs from $1,090 per person for two travellers sharing. Lunches add 100 to 120 MAD per person per meal and a driver-guide is usually tipped 150 to 200 MAD a day, so two people on the Marrakech and Sahara loop spend about $2,400 to $2,470 in total before entrance fees and shopping.
March to May and September to November. July and August are hot in Marrakech and Fes and pass 40°C in the desert, and winter nights at a desert camp drop close to freezing.
Start in Marrakech if you want the Sahara: it is the closest big city to the High Atlas and the desert. Start in Casablanca for the imperial cities, ending in Marrakech. Starting in Fes works too: drive the Marrakech to Tangier route in reverse, through the desert to Marrakech.
Yes. Ferries cross from Tangier to Tarifa, so Route 2 (Marrakech to Tangier) ends where you can continue to Spain. To arrive from Spain, reverse it: start in Tangier and finish in Marrakech, as our 6 days Tangier to Marrakech tour does.
Only the imperial cities route works fully by train, because Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech are all on the national rail network. No train crosses the High Atlas or reaches the desert, so the Sahara routes need a car, a private driver or a shared desert tour.
Yes, if you cut the long driving days. Choose the imperial cities route, or a slower route with more nights in each place, like our 8 days family-friendly tour.
Yes. Route 1 is our 7 Days Morocco Tour from Marrakech and Route 3 our 7 Days Tour from Casablanca to Marrakech, both from $1,090 per person for two travellers sharing. Route 2 is built on our 4-day Marrakech to Tangier tour with extra nights added. All of them can be adjusted, or you can sketch your own week in the trip planner.
Want your week planned for you?
Build a day-by-day plan with real drive times in the trip planner, or book one of the routes above as a private tour.