Morocco: Chefchaouen, Fes & Casablanca Wonder — Self-Launched

Land at Tangier Ibn Battouta (TNG) and take a petit taxi into town (~£4-6, agree the price first) or the airport bus to the city centre for ~£3. Check into a guesthouse in the Medina or Ville Nouvelle, then stretch your legs with a self-guided wander: the Kasbah, the Petit Socco, and the terrace cafés overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar where Spain is visible on a clear day. Skip the private arrival transfer — taxis are cheap and plentiful here.

🚌Petit taxi from TNG airport ~£5; walking in town

🛏Guesthouse/riad in the Medina, twin dorm or private twin share (~£20-25)

• →Self-guided walk of the Medina and Petit Socco
• →Kasbah and Strait of Gibraltar viewpoints
• →Café Hoop or rooftop mint tea stop

Break the journey at Tetouan, which the original tour visits on a guided walk — from Tangier take a CTM or Supratours coach to Tetouan (~£4, 1h) and spend two hours in the UNESCO-listed medina, which is small, calm and easy to navigate alone; the Archaeology Museum and the Spanish-influenced Ensanche district are worth the detour. Then catch a grand taxi or local bus from Tetouan's bus station to Chefchaouen (~£2-3, 1h). Arrive in the blue city for golden hour, drop your bag in a medina riad and get deliberately lost in the pigment-blue alleyways. Watch for stork nests on the old towers on the way north.

🚌CTM/Supratours coach Tangier–Tetouan ~£4; local bus or shared grand taxi Tetouan–Chefchaouen ~£3

🛏Small riad/guesthouse inside the Chefchaouen medina (~£22-28)

• →Tetouan medina self-guided walk
• →Chefchaouen blue streets at golden hour
• →Sunset from the Ras El Ma river terraces

Recreate the tour's Rif Mountains trek with a self-booked local guide — ask at your riad or any of the guides hanging around Place Outa el Hammam; a half-day hike to the Akchour cascades / Talassemtane National Park approach or a shorter loop through the Rif foothills runs ~£25-35 for a guide, split between a couple of travellers. Alternatively, hike independently on the well-marked trail above town (bring water, snacks and sun protection — no shade). In the late afternoon, do the classic sunset walk up to the Spanish Mosque for the panoramic view back over the blue rooftops.

🚌Walking; local taxi to trailhead ~£3 if needed

🛏Small riad/guesthouse in the Chefchaouen medina (~£22-28)

• →Half-day guided Rif Mountains hike (~£30)
• →Spanish Mosque sunset viewpoint
• →Medina craft shopping and mint tea

A long but easy travel day. Take an early coach from Chefchaouen to Meknès or Fes (CTM, ~£7-9, 4-5h) and, if you want the Roman ruins, break it: local transport from Meknès to Volubilis (grand taxi ~£10 return, or the shared taxi from the Institut Français stop ~£2 each way) plus the ~£6 entry ticket and a licensed site guide (~£15, negotiable, shareable). Then a grand taxi back into Meknès for a self-guided wander of Bab Mansour and Bab El Khmiss, plus a cheap medina food stop — a plate of mechoui or a tagine for ~£5. Continue to Fes by train or coach in the evening (~£3-4).

🚌CTM coach ~£8; shared/grand taxi to Volubilis ~£4-10; train Meknès–Fes ~£3

🛏Riad guesthouse in the Fes medina or Ville Nouvelle (~£22-30)

• →Volubilis UNESCO Roman ruins (entry ~£6 + guide ~£15)
• →Bab Mansour and Bab El Khmiss gates, Meknès
• →Meknès medina street-food tasting

Fes el-Bali is the world's largest car-free urban area, and the tour's main event. Book an independent licensed guide for a half-day medina walk (~£30-35, bookable via GetYourGuide or through your riad) to hit the Bou Inania madrasa, the tanneries from a leather-shop balcony, the artisan souks and the Nejjarine fountain — or go it alone with a good offline map app and the main north-south artery (Talaa Kebira). Expect the tannery 'guides' to expect a tip. Lunch on a street tagine or harira and bread for ~£4, then rest up in the afternoon before a rooftop dinner.

🚌Walking in the medina; petit taxi across town ~£2

🛏Riad guesthouse in the Fes medina or Ville Nouvelle (~£22-30)

• →Half-day licensed medina guide (~£33)
• →Chouara tannery viewpoint
• →Bou Inania madrasa and Nejjarine fountain
• →Artisan souk wander

Take the fast train from Fes to Rabat (~£9-12, around 4h on the Al Boraq line to Kenitra plus a connection, or direct ONCF services). In Rabat, walk the Oudayas Kasbah, the Hassan Tower and the Chellah ruins — the original tour uses a local guide here, but the sites are compact and well signposted; a licensed guide at the Oudayas runs ~£20 if you want the history. Then hop the train Rabat–Casablanca (~£3, 1h). Settle in near the old medina or the Corniche and eat grilled fish at a cheap portside restaurant.

🚌ONCF train Fes–Rabat ~£11; train Rabat–Casablanca ~£3

🛏Budget hotel or hostel private twin in central Casablanca (~£25-32)

• →Oudayas Kasbah, Rabat
• →Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V
• →Chellah ruins
• →Casablanca Corniche evening walk

Start with the Hassan II Mosque — the only mosque in Morocco non-Muslims can enter, with guided interior tours roughly every hour outside prayer times (~£12, buy on the day or online). Then choose your own version of the tour's 'OMG Day': either a Casablanca food walk, bookable on GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£35-45 (fresh produce, msemen, olives, pastilla and mint tea in the old medina), or a DIY historic loop of the Art Deco downtown, the Habous quarter, the Marché Central and the Jewish Museum (~£5 entry). Both are genuinely doable independently.

🚌Tram or petit taxi between districts ~£3-5 total

🛏Budget hotel or hostel private twin in central Casablanca (~£25-32)

• →Hassan II Mosque interior tour (~£12)
• →Casablanca food walk via GetYourGuide (~£40) or DIY historic walk
• →Marché Central and Habous quarter

Take the coach south (CTM/Supratours Casablanca–Essaouira ~£10-13, 5-6h) and break the trip in Safi, the pottery and ceramics capital the original itinerary visits — get off in Safi, wander the ceramics hill (Colline des Potiers), the Portuguese sea castle and the fishing port, then rejoin a later coach to Essaouira (~£5). Arrive in the white-and-blue UNESCO medina, check into a riad and catch the sunset from the ramparts and the working fishing harbour.

🚌CTM coach Casablanca–Safi ~£7; Safi–Essaouira ~£5

🛏Riad/guesthouse inside the Essaouira medina (~£20-26)

• →Safi potters' hill and ceramics market
• →Portuguese sea castle and harbour
• →Essaouira ramparts at sunset

The tour's argan-oil co-operative visit and family cooking session can be matched independently: book a Moroccan cooking class with a local host via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£35-45, includes market shop and lunch), which often includes a stop at an argan co-operative where women's collectives explain the pressing process. Alternatively, cycle or walk out to a women's argan co-op on the Sidi Kaouki road (~£2 entry/tip) and pay ~£10 for a small bottle of oil. Afternoon is for the beach: windsurfing and kitesurfing lessons run ~£35-45 for two hours for the brave. Optional traditional hammam in the medina ~£12-18.

🚌Walking; local taxi to Sidi Kaouki road ~£5

🛏Riad/guesthouse inside the Essaouira medina (~£20-26)

• →Moroccan cooking class with a local host (~£40)
• →Argan oil co-operative visit
• →Essaouira beach / optional kitesurf lesson
• →Optional hammam (~£15)

Coach or shared grand taxi to Marrakech (~£7-9, 2.5-3h; a shared grand taxi from the Essaouira station costs about the same and is quicker). Drop bags at a hostel or riad in the medina, then do Marrakech on foot: the Koutoubia, the Bahia Palace (~£6), the Saadian Tombs (~£6) and Jemaa el-Fna as it switches from juice stalls to food stalls at dusk. A licensed medina guide for two hours runs ~£25 — useful if you want the souk secrets without getting lost, otherwise a good offline map is fine.

🚌CTM coach or shared grand taxi Essaouira–Marrakech ~£8

🛏Medina riad or hostel private twin in Marrakech (~£22-30)

• →Bahia Palace and Saadian Tombs (entry ~£12 total)
• →Koutoubia and Jemaa el-Fna evening
• →Optional guided medina walk (~£25)
• →Souk Semmarine browse

If your flight is later, spend the morning in the Jardin Majorelle and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum (~£12 combined, book Majorelle online to skip the queue) or the quieter Ben Youssef madrasa. The tour's optional hot-air balloon flight over the Atlas foothills (~£175-200) needs a pre-dawn pick-up, so only book it if you have a late flight or are staying an extra night. Airport bus from Jemaa el-Fna is ~£2.50, taxi ~£7-9. Trip ends.

🚌Airport bus ~£2.50 or taxi ~£8

🛏None included (check out by midday)

• →Jardin Majorelle and YSL Museum (~£12)
• →Ben Youssef madrasa
• →Optional sunrise hot-air balloon (~£185)