Imperial Cities, Sahara Dunes & Atlas Villages: Morocco Self-Launched

Start early at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca — the only way inside is on a timed guided visit (book online, ~£11, slots roughly 9am, 10am, 11am, 2pm). Then walk 10 minutes to Casa Voyageurs or take the tram to Casa-Port station and catch a train to Rabat (ONCF, roughly 1 hour, ~£4-5, 2-3 per hour). In Rabat drop bags at a medina riad, then do the classic loop on foot: Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Chellah Necropolis (small entry fee ~£6), and the Kasbah des Oudaias with the Andalusian Gardens and the ocean-view café. Sunset from the kasbah walls is the highlight.

🚌ONCF train Casablanca–Rabat ~£5

🛏Riad or hostel in Rabat medina, dorm ~£14 / private double ~£30

• →Hassan II Mosque guided interior visit (~£11)
• →Chellah Necropolis (~£6)
• →Kasbah des Oudaias & Andalusian Gardens (free)
• →Hassan Tower & Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free)

Train from Rabat to Meknes (ONCF, ~2h15, ~£8). Leave your big bag at the station luggage hold (~£1.50) and walk into the medina: Bab al-Mansour, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, Madrasa Bou Inania and the Dar Jamaï museum. Then take a grand taxi to Moulay Idriss/Volubilis (~£8-10 shared, 30 min) for the Roman ruins — entry ~£6, and worth the extra climb to the Merenid Tombs viewpoint above Moulay Idriss. Return to Meknes and take a late-afternoon train or CTM coach to Fes (~1h, ~£5).

🚌Rabat–Meknes train ~£8, grand taxi to Volubilis ~£9, Meknes–Fes ~£5

🛏Fes medina riad or hostel, dorm ~£12 / private ~£28

• →Meknes medina walk (free)
• →Volubilis Roman ruins entry ~£6
• →Merenid Tombs viewpoint (free)
• →Dar Jamaï museum ~£3

The Fes medina is the one place where a guide genuinely pays for itself — 9,000 alleys and no through traffic. Book a half-day licensed guide through GetYourGuide (~£18-25) or ask your riad; insist on no shopping stops (a common complaint on group tours). Cover Bab Boujeloud, the souks, the Chouara tannery from a terrace (small tip ~£1-2) and the Al-Qarawiyyin library and mosque courtyard. Afternoon is yours: mint tea on a rooftop and a slow wander back through the souk without a route.

🚌On foot

🛏Fes medina riad or hostel (as above)

• →Half-day licensed medina guide ~£20
• →Chouara tannery terrace tip ~£2
• →Al-Qarawiyyin library ~£3

A lighter day in Fes. Start at the Batha Museum (Museum of Moroccan Arts, ~£3), walk south through the mellah (old Jewish quarter) and its balconied streets, then take a petit taxi to the Jnan Sbil gardens (~£2), which are free and lovely in the late afternoon. If you want a hands-on option, several medina workshops run 2-hour pottery or zellige tile sessions for ~£20-30 — book the day before via your riad. Early night: tomorrow is a long drive.

🚌Petit taxis ~£4 total

🛏Fes medina riad or hostel (as above)

• →Batha Museum ~£3
• →Mellah walk (free)
• →Jnan Sbil gardens (free)
• →Optional pottery/tile workshop ~£25

Take the CTM or Supratours coach Fes–Merzouga (roughly 9-10 hours, ~£22-28, usually an early morning departure — book online a couple of days ahead). The route crosses the Col du Zad, the Moulouya valley, the Ziz gorges and the date palms of the Ziz Valley; sit on the right for the best views. Alternatively join a 3-day shared desert tour from Fes (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£90-120 including two nights and dunes camp) which covers the same ground with stops in Ifrane, Midelt and Erfoud. Arrive in Merzouga by late afternoon, drop bags at a cheap auberge and take a sunset camel trek into Erg Chebbi (~£25-30 with a night added, or £15 for the ride alone).

🚌CTM coach Fes–Merzouga ~£25

🛏Desert camp in Erg Chebbi (berber tent, shared bathroom) ~£25 including dinner and breakfast

• →Ziz Valley & gorges viewpoints (free)
• →Erfoud fossil/collective stop (free)
• →Sunset camel trek into Erg Chebbi ~£18
• →Desert camp dinner included

Sunrise on the dunes, then breakfast at camp. Take a shared grand taxi or local bus to Rissani (~£4, 45 min) for the market if it's a market day (Sun, Tue, Thu), then continue to Tinghir by Supratours/CTM bus or shared taxi (~£6-8, about 2.5h). Check into a guesthouse in the gorge and walk the Todra Gorge itself in the late afternoon — free, no guide needed, and the river walk is a lovely cool hour. Optional: sandboarding or a short ATV session back in Merzouga before leaving (~£20-35) if you have the time and the adrenaline.

🚌Shared taxi Merzouga–Rissani ~£4, bus/shared taxi Rissani–Tinghir ~£8

🛏Guesthouse in Todra Gorge ~£18 private / ~£9 dorm

• →Todra Gorge walk (free)
• →Rissani market (free)
• →Optional ATV/sandboarding ~£25

This is the hardest transport day without a car — do it as a shared grand taxi/CTM bus combo through Tinghir, Boumalne Dades and Kela'a M'Gouna (~£15-20 total, allow most of the day). Stop off at the Dades Valley viewpoints and the rose co-operative in Kela'a M'Gouna (free, but expect a sales pitch). From Ouarzazate take a grand taxi to Aït Benhaddou (~£5, 30 min). Arrive in time to climb to the old granary for sunset over the ksar — entry to the ksar is ~£7. Optional: Ouarzazate's Atlas Film Studios or Musée du Cinéma (~£6 each) if you're ahead of schedule.

🚌Shared taxis and buses Tinghir–Ouarzazate–Aït Benhaddou ~£20

🛏Guesthouse facing the ksar in Aït Benhaddou ~£18 private / ~£10 dorm

• →Dades Valley viewpoints (free)
• →Rose co-operative Kela'a M'Gouna (free)
• →Aït Benhaddou ksar entry ~£7
• →Granary climb & sunset (included)

Morning in the ksar before the tour buses arrive, then take a shared grand taxi to Ouarzazate (~£5) and the CTM/Supratours coach to Marrakech (~£9-12, about 3.5-4h over the Tizi n'Tichka pass — stunning, sit on the left). In Marrakech, check into a medina hostel or riad and head out at dusk: the Koutoubia gardens, then Jemaa el-Fna as it fills with food stalls, musicians and storytellers. Eat at a stall (snail soup, grilled skewers, fresh orange juice) rather than a tourist restaurant — dinner for £6-8.

🚌Grand taxi Aït Benhaddou–Ouarzazate ~£5, coach to Marrakech ~£11

🛏Marrakech medina hostel, dorm ~£12 / private riad ~£30

• →Ksar morning walk (free)
• →Tizi n'Tichka drive (included)
• →Koutoubia gardens (free)
• →Jemaa el-Fna evening (free)

Self-guided medina day. Start at the Koutoubia and gardens, then dive into the souks — Souk el Attarin (spices), Souk Chouari (woodwork), Souk Smata (slippers) and the photogenic Souk des Teinturiers (dyers). Ben Youssef Madrasa is ~£5 and worth an hour; the nearby Almoravid Koubba is free. Book a 3-hour Moroccan cooking class for the afternoon if you like (~£30-40 via GetYourGuide, market visit included) — it's the experience most group-tour reviewers said they wished they'd had. Rooftop sunset, then a hammam (~£12-15 for a local one).

🚌On foot

🛏Marrakech medina hostel or riad (as above)

• →Ben Youssef Madrasa ~£5
• →Souk walk (free)
• →Optional cooking class ~£35
• →Local hammam ~£13

Take a shared grand taxi or local bus from Marrakech to Amizmiz (~£3-4, about 1 hour). Arrange a village homestay or a local guide through your Marrakech hostel or a GetYourGuide High Atlas day-hike (~£35-45 including lunch) — the classic route walks between Berber villages above the Amizmiz valley with an English-speaking local guide. You'll get the bread-making lesson and home-cooked lunch with a family, then a quieter dinner with your host family in the evening. Bring layers; it's cold at night even in spring.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Marrakech–Amizmiz ~£4

🛏Berber village homestay with dinner and breakfast ~£22

• →Guided village-to-village hike ~£30
• →Bread-making lesson & family lunch (included in hike)
• →Dinner with host family (included)

Breakfast with your hosts, then bus back to Marrakech (~£4). Spend the afternoon on the south side of the medina: the Saadian Tombs (~£7), El Badi Palace storks and sunken gardens (~£7) and the Bahia Palace (~£7) — buy a combined ticket where offered to save a little. Optional Dar Si Saïd Museum (~£3). Finish with a walk through the kasbah and a cheap tagine dinner near Bab Agnaou.

🚌Bus Amizmiz–Marrakech ~£4, petit taxis ~£4

🛏Marrakech medina hostel or riad (as above)

• →Saadian Tombs ~£7
• →El Badi Palace ~£7
• →Bahia Palace ~£7
• →Optional Dar Si Saïd ~£3

Morning train from Marrakech to Casablanca (ONCF, about 3h, ~£10-13, several departures) — book a seat the day before at the station. If you're flying out of Casablanca, this gets you in well before an evening flight; if you want the full loop, a final stroll along the Corniche or a coffee at Rick's Café fills the gap before departure. Trains to Mohammed V airport leave from Casa-Voyageurs (~£2.50, 45 min).

🚌ONCF train Marrakech–Casablanca ~£12, airport train ~£2.50

🛏None (departure day) — or one last night in a Casablanca hostel ~£15 if your flight is early

• →Corniche / Rick's Café stroll (free)
• →Almoravid Koubba if not yet seen (free)