7-Day Morocco Loop: Casablanca to the Sahara, Self-Launched

Start early at the Hassan II Mosque (guided entry ~£11, book a slot online the day before — it's one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims). Take the 09:00-ish ONCF train from Casablanca Voyageurs to Rabat Ville (~1hr, ~£3.50). Walk 20 minutes from Rabat Ville to the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free), then through the Udayas Kasbah gardens and blue-and-white lanes (free). In the mid-afternoon take the tram or a petit taxi to Rabat Agdal and board a CTM or Supratours bus to Chefchaouen (~4.5–5hrs, ~£12–15, book a seat online a day ahead). Arrive after dark, check into a medina guesthouse in the blue streets, and eat a cheap tagine in the square.

🚌ONCF train Casablanca→Rabat ~£3.50; CTM/Supratours bus Rabat→Chefchaouen ~£13

🛏Medina guesthouse or hostel in Chefchaouen (dorm £10–12, private double £18–25)

• →Hassan II Mosque guided visit (~£11)
• →Hassan Tower & Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free)
• →Kasbah of the Udayas walk (free)

Morning exploring Chefchaouen medina on your own: the Spanish Mosque hike for the panoramic view (45 mins up, free), the kasbah museum (~£1.50) and endless photo stops in the blue lanes. Around midday take a grand taxi or shared taxi to Ouazzane/Moulay Idriss and on to Volubilis — simplest is a shared taxi to Moulay Idriss (~£4) then a 10-minute taxi to the Roman ruins (~£2). Volubilis entry is ~£6, and you can hire an official site guide at the gate for ~£10–15 or just use the on-site info boards. In the afternoon a shared taxi to Meknes (~£3) for Bab Mansour and the medina, then the train Meknes→Fes (~45 mins, ~£2.50). Check into a riad in the Fes medina.

🚌Shared taxis Chefchaouen→Moulay Idriss/Volubilis ~£6; shared taxi Meknes ~£3; ONCF train Meknes→Fes ~£2.50

🛏Riad or hostel in the Fes medina (£10–20 dorm, £25–35 private)

• →Spanish Mosque viewpoint hike (free)
• →Chefchaouen kasbah museum (~£1.50)
• →Volubilis Roman ruins entry (~£6)

Book a small-group medina walking tour through GetYourGuide or directly with a licensed Fes guide (~£20–25, 4 hours) — this covers the Royal Palace gate, Bab Boujloud, Bou Inania medersa, the Najjarine fountain, the tanneries (viewing terraces), Al-Qarawiyyin and the Mellah. Doing it with a licensed guide genuinely helps in the Fes medina, which is a maze. Afternoon: climb to the Marinid tombs for the classic medina panorama (free), then browse the pottery and leather souks at your own pace. Evening: cheap street food — bissara, harira and msemen for under £4.

🚌Walkable medina; petit taxis £1–2

🛏Riad or hostel in the Fes medina (£10–20 dorm, £25–35 private)

• →Licensed small-group medina walking tour (~£22)
• →Marinid tombs viewpoint (free)
• →Bou Inania medersa entry (~£2)

Long transfer day. Take the CTM or Supratours bus from Fes to Merzouga/Rissani (roughly 7–8 hrs, ~£15–18, morning departure — book online the day before). The route passes Ifrane (Alpine-style town), the cedar forest near Azrou where you can spot Barbary macaques, and the dramatic Ziz Gorges. Arrive in Merzouga late afternoon and join a short camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset (~£25–35 including a night in a basic Berber camp with dinner and drumming — book direct with a Merzouga camp, or via GetYourGuide for a mid-range camp at ~£45–55). Dinner is included at camp.

🚌CTM/Supratours bus Fes→Merzouga ~£16

🛏Berber desert camp, Erg Chebbi (included in camel-trek package, or upgrade to a mid-range camp £35–50)

• →Camel trek into Erg Chebbi (~£30 incl. camp, dinner & music)
• →Sunset over the dunes (included)
• →Barbary macaque spotting in the cedar forest (free)

Watch sunrise from the dunes, then back to Merzouga village for breakfast. The most affordable way to cover this stretch is a shared minibus/4x4 seat booked in Merzouga or via your camp toward Ouarzazate (~£25–35), or the public CTM bus Merzouga→Ouarzazate (~£10, 6hrs) with a stop at Todra Gorges if you take an earlier local connection. From Ouarzazate, a shared grand taxi to Ait Ben Haddou is ~£3 (30 mins). Walk the ksar on your own — the interior granaries charge a small ~£2 fee, and an official site guide at the gate runs ~£8–10. Late afternoon CTM bus or shared taxi Ouarzazate→Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (~4hrs, ~£10–12). Check into a Marrakech riad and catch Djemaa el-Fna at night.

🚌Shared minibus Merzouga→Ouarzazate ~£30 (or CTM ~£10 for a slower day); shared taxi Ait Ben Haddou ~£3; CTM Ouarzazate→Marrakech ~£11

🛏Riad or hostel in the Marrakech medina (£10–18 dorm, £25–40 private)

• →Sunrise on the dunes (free)
• →Todra Gorges viewpoint (free)
• →Ait Ben Haddou ksar walk (~£2 entry)

Start at the Koutoubia (exterior, free), then the Saadian Tombs (~£6) and El Badi Palace (~£6) nearby. Pre-book a skip-the-line Majorelle Garden ticket online (~£13) for a mid-morning slot — it sells out. Afternoon: wander the souks (Babouche, Cherratine, El-Attarine) and the Chouari open-air market at your own pace, or take a short small-group souk/food walking tour (~£18–22). Finish with street food in Djemaa el-Fna — grilled skewers, orange juice and a rooftop mint tea at sunset.

🚌Walkable medina; petit taxis £1–2

🛏Riad or hostel in the Marrakech medina (£10–18 dorm, £25–40 private)

• →Majorelle Garden (~£13, book online)
• →Saadian Tombs (~£6)
• →El Badi Palace (~£6)
• →Optional souk food walking tour (~£20)

If you're connecting back to Casablanca, take the ONCF train from Marrakech to Casablanca Voyageurs (~3hrs 20mins, ~£10–12, 2nd class, several departures daily — book on the ONCF site a day or two ahead). Plenty of time for a last medina breakfast and a hammam if your flight is late. If you're flying home from Marrakech instead, simply skip the return leg and use the morning for the Bahia Palace (~£6) — the operator allows this and so can you.

🚌ONCF train Marrakech→Casablanca ~£11

🛏Not included — onward travel or an extra night (~£15–25 if you stay on)

• →Bahia Palace (~£6, optional)
• →Medina breakfast & last-minute shopping