Marvellous Morocco, Self-Launched: Casablanca to Marrakech

Land at Mohammed V Airport and take the ONCF airport train to Casa Voyageurs (roughly 60 MAD, ~35 mins) rather than the 250-300 MAD taxi. Check into a budget hotel or guesthouse near the old medina or Gauthier. In the late afternoon walk the corniche to the Hassan II Mosque — the exterior and the Atlantic-facing esplanade are free and spectacular at golden hour; guided interior visits run around 140 MAD if you want one. Evening: cheap grilled fish or a tagine in the Habous quarter, plus a glass of fresh orange juice for about 5 MAD.

🚌Airport train ~£5; walking and petit taxis

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse near the medina, Casablanca (~£22)

• →Hassan II Mosque exterior and corniche walk
• →Habous quarter wander
• →Optional guided mosque interior visit (£11)

Take an early CTM or Supratours coach from Casablanca to Meknes (roughly 4 hrs, ~90-110 MAD). Drop your bag at the station, then grab a petit taxi or the local bus out to Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco (~70 MAD entry, ~30 MAD taxi share). Hire a licensed site guide at the gate for 100-150 MAD between a few of you, or use an audio/guidebook instead. Back in Meknes, walk the imperial city: Bab Mansour, the Heri es-Souani granaries and stables (combined ticket ~70 MAD), and lunch in the medina — a women's cooperative café is a good stand-in for the tour's community lunch. Late afternoon train or coach on to Fes (~1 hr, ~35-50 MAD); overnight in a riad in the medina or ville nouvelle.

🚌Coach Casablanca–Meknes ~£9; train Meknes–Fes ~£4

🛏Riad or guesthouse in the Fes medina (~£22)

• →Volubilis Roman ruins entry
• →Meknes imperial city walk: Bab Mansour, granaries and stables
• →Cooperative lunch in the medina

The Fes medina has 9,000-plus lanes and is genuinely hard to navigate alone — book a half-day licensed guide through a local agency or GetYourGuide for roughly 250-400 MAD per group. Cover Bab Boujloud, the Bou Inania medersa (~70 MAD), the Chouara tanneries (viewed from a leather shop terrace, tip 20-30 MAD) and the artisan souks. Afternoon free: the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts, the Andalusian quarter, or a hammam (public bath ~30 MAD, tourist hammams from 150 MAD). Evening option: a dinner in a converted riad for 400-500 MAD, or eat cheaply at a medina sandwich stall for under 40 MAD.

🚌Walking; occasional petit taxi ~£1

🛏Riad or guesthouse in the Fes medina (~£22)

• →Half-day guided medina walk (shared guide cost)
• →Bou Inania medersa
• →Tanneries viewpoint
• →Optional hammam

Long travel day: the CTM or Supratours coach from Fes to Merzouga takes around 9-10 hours (~180-220 MAD) via Midelt and Errachidia, crossing the Middle Atlas cedar forests and the Ziz Valley gorges — sit on the right for the best views. Alternatively break the journey, but the direct coach is simplest. Arrive in Merzouga village late afternoon and check into a kasbah-style guesthouse or auberge at the foot of the dunes. Eat dinner at your guesthouse (tagine and bread) and watch the light fade over Erg Chebbi.

🚌Coach Fes–Merzouga ~£18

🛏Kasbah-style guesthouse in Merzouga (~£25)

• →Middle Atlas and Ziz Valley scenery from the coach
• →Sunset over the dunes

Book a 4x4 dune excursion with your guesthouse or a local operator (roughly 400-600 MAD per vehicle for a half day, shared among 4-6 people) out to the dunes and the village of Khamliya, where Gnaoua musicians perform — agree the price up front and confirm any music performance fee. Or take a camel trek instead (150-250 MAD per person, ~1.5 hrs) and swap in a night in a desert camp (from ~£30-40 half board) if you'd rather sleep under the stars. Then take a shared grand taxi or local bus from Merzouga to Tinghir (~100-150 MAD, 2.5-3 hrs). Walk into the Todra Gorge canyon and follow the palm-grove irrigation paths with a local farmer-guide (100-200 MAD) or on your own.

🚌Shared 4x4 ~£10 per person; grand taxi Merzouga–Tinghir ~£12

🛏Guesthouse near Todra Gorge (~£20)

• →Sahara 4x4 dunes excursion
• →Khamliya village and Gnaoua music
• →Todra Gorge and palm-grove walk

Take a shared grand taxi or the local bus down through the Dades Valley (stop to walk the gorge viewpoint), then west along the Route of 1,000 Kasbahs to Ouarzazate (~150-200 MAD, 4-5 hrs — grand taxis can be changed at Boumalne Dades and Kelaat M'Gouna). In Ouarzazate visit Kasbah Taourirt (~70 MAD) and, if time allows, the Atlas Film Studios (~80 MAD). In the evening seek out a Berber herbalist or a small co-op — the tour's free herbalist lesson is essentially an informal shop visit, and most will talk you through argan, saffron and herbal remedies for nothing.

🚌Grand taxi or local bus via Dades ~£15

🛏Budget hotel in Ouarzazate (~£20)

• →Dades Valley viewpoints
• →Kasbah Taourirt
• →Optional Atlas Film Studios
• →Berber herbalist visit

Shared grand taxi from Ouarzazate to Aït Ben Haddou (about 30 mins, ~30 MAD per seat). Entry to the UNESCO-listed ksar is around 70 MAD; you can climb to the granary at the top in about 45 minutes — a local guide costs ~150 MAD per group and is genuinely worth it for the history (Gladiator, Game of Thrones and Babel were all filmed here). Continue by shared taxi or local bus to Marrakech over the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass (~120-170 MAD, 3.5-4 hrs). Check into a riad or hostel in the medina, then head to Jemaa el-Fna at dusk for the free spectacle of food stalls, storytellers and musicians.

🚌Grand taxi Aït Ben Haddou ~£3; shared taxi/bus to Marrakech ~£14

🛏Riad or hostel in the Marrakech medina (~£24)

• →Aït Ben Haddou ksar with local guide
• →Tizi n'Tichka pass
• →Jemaa el-Fna at dusk

Do a self-guided history morning: Bahia Palace (~70 MAD) and the Saadian Tombs (~70 MAD) are 10 minutes apart, and a combined city pass or a licensed guide (~300 MAD half day) adds context. Then get lost in the souks and the spice square at Rahba Kedima — remember bargaining starts around a third of the asking price. Afternoon options: Jardin Majorelle and the YSL Museum (~150-200 MAD combined, book Majorelle online to skip queues), the Ben Youssef Medersa, or a rooftop mint tea. Finish with a cheap, excellent dinner at a medina grill or a cooking class (~£25-35) if you want the foodie version.

🚌Walking; petit taxi ~£1-2 per hop

🛏Riad or hostel in the Marrakech medina (~£24)

• →Bahia Palace
• →Saadian Tombs
• →Souk and spice market browsing
• →Optional Jardin Majorelle / cooking class

Morning at leisure — last mint tea, a final souk wander or the Mellah. A petit taxi to Marrakech Menara Airport is about 150 MAD (20 mins). If you're flying out of Casablanca, take the ONCF train from Marrakech (~200 MAD first class, ~3h10 to Casa Voyageurs and ~4h40 direct to Mohammed V Airport) and don't book a flight before early afternoon. Add a night or two if you want to slow the pace down after a fast nine days.

🚌Petit taxi to airport ~£12 or train to Casablanca ~£16

🛏None (departure day)

• →Free morning in the medina
• →Last-minute shopping