Travelling around Morocco

You’ll usually begin your Morocco trip in Casablanca, Marrakech, Fes or Agadir. You can then build your own itinerary using our bite-sized (modules), or perhaps choose from one of our suggested Morocco itineraries.

During your Morocco trip we’ll take care of your transport by train, hire car and/or bus. Travelling between the royal cities it’s best to use a combination of public and private transport: taxi, train, bus and private transfers. We’ll arrange it for you. If you’re planning on heading into the desert or countryside, hire car is probably the most comfortable way to travel. The roads are well maintained, everything is clearly signposted and most importantly, you’ll have maximum flexibility. Admittedly, car hire is relatively expensive compared to other countries (around £50 per day) but travelling between the royal cities by public transport can save you a lot of money. Click here for more information on Morocco car hire.

You can begin planning your personalised Morocco trip using our quote request form. We’ll get back to you with a suggested travel plan and quote. If you’d like to make any adjustments, perhaps a different hotel or a different route no problem, just let us know. Our Morocco travel specialists will help you put together your perfect itinerary. You can book your trip using our booking form. Once we’ve received the booking form we’ll get to work on making all the necessary reservations and we’ll send you a confirmation as soon as we’ve received all the details from our local representative in Morocco.

What's the best route? Morocco travel ideas

Travelling through the Imperial Cities

Most people fly into Casablanca and then visit the royal cities of Rabat, Meknes and Fes. Travelling between these cities is easiest by a combination of train and private transfers. In our adventure tour Beyond the gateways of the royal cities your transport and of course accommodation will be taken care of.

From Fes to Marrakech via the desert and the Dades Valley

After your visit to the royal cities you can travel on to Marrakech, but a more interesting route is to travel from Fes directly to the orange desert dunes at Merzouga in the south east, and from there on to Marrakech. This route is best done by hire car. The drive from Fes to the desert takes about 8 hours, so you might want to stop for the night in the small town of Rissani, a palm oasis 18 miles north of Merzouga. We’ve found some exceptional accommodation for you here. The next morning, feeling relaxed and refreshed, you can head into the desert where you’ll sleep under the stars or in a Bedouin tent. You’ll return the next morning around 11am.

More Morocco travel ideas

Travelling on to your next destination from Rissani you’ll need to cover quite some distance so we suggest staying an extra night in Rissani before setting off for Marrakech early the next morning. You’ll travel across some of the most breathtaking countryside in Morocco, the Atlas Mountains. It’s too far to drive in one day but then again the area is too beautiful to miss. Via the Todra Gorge you’ll drive to bizarre rock formations and beautiful vistas of the Dadès Valley where you’ll stop for the night before travelling on to the Kasbah (old fort) of Aït Benhaddou. We’ve found a wonderful place to stay here, by the river with a great view of the Kasbah. From Aït Benhaddou it’s another 6 hours drive along a spectacular road across the Atlas Mountains.

We’ve split this route into two separate modules: Caravan to the desert dunes (two nights, three days) and Kasbahs and palm valleys (two nights, three days).

From Marrakech to the coast

From Marrakech you can travel by either coach or hire car to the beaches of Agadir on the west coast. If large beach resorts aren’t really your cup of tea then we suggest Essaouira. It’s a bit further north so still easy to combine with Marrakech. Essaouira is an authentic Moroccan fishing village with some small-scale tourism. It’s a relaxed place to lie in the sun, albeit with quite a stiff breeze blowing… In our opinion Essaouira is one of the loveliest places in Morocco. Accommodation and local excursions are all included in our module: Sea breeze in Essaouira and Chilling out in Agadir.

From Marrakech into the desert

From Marrakech there two options: the desert dunes at Zagora and M'Hamid, or the desert at Merzouga. If you’ve got one week then Zagora and M'Hamid are your best option. You’ll travel from Marrakech straight across the spectacular Atlas Mountains to the Kasbah (old fort) at Aït Benhaddou, where you’ll spend the night on the banks of the river with an amazing view of the Kasbah. The next morning you’ll drive through one of the biggest palm oases you’ve ever seen. For more details click on our module The Sahara starts here. If you’ve got a bit more time you could travel to the desert dunes at Merzouga via the breathtaking Dadès Valley. Accommodation and local excursions are included in our module Caravan to the desert dunes.

To the south of Morocco

If you’ve got plenty of time we definitely recommend stopping of and Paradise Valley near the small town of Tafraoute on your way from Marrakech, Agadir or the desert. Plan about three days for this trip, in which you’ll be staying in the traditional Moroccan home of Abdsalam and his two sons Rachid and Mustafa. They’ll take you on a tour of a couple of small villages nestled at the foot of the spectacular orange mountains. You can gasp in awe at the immense cliffs, the bizarre rock formations and magnificent palm oases. This module will really take you back in time. For more details click on our module Berbers in the mountains.