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Fly into Mohammed V Airport and take the train (ONCF, ~MAD 50 / £4, roughly 45 mins) to Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port, then a petit taxi (£2-3) to your hostel near the old medina. Drop bags, then walk the Corniche and take a guided interior tour of the Hassan II Mosque (about MAD 140 / £11, timed slots, book same-day at the ticket office or online) — the tour is the only way inside for non-Muslims. Evening: mint tea and grilled sardines around Place Mohammed V and the Habous quarter. If you're a gallery person, Villa des Arts is free; the Museum of Moroccan Judaism charges around MAD 50.

🚌Airport train to city centre ~£4; petit taxis around town £2-3 per hop

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Casablanca old town/Centre-Ville (dorm £10-14, private £25-35)

• →Hassan II Mosque interior guided tour (~£11)
• →Corniche walk
• →Habous quarter & central market wander

Early CTM or Supratours bus or train from Casablanca to Meknes (train ~2h45, ~£8-10; bus similar). Leave bags at the station or a cafe near Bab Mansour, then walk the Meknes medina — Bab Mansour gate, the granaries of Heri es-Souani, the medina souks. In the afternoon take a shared grand taxi or local bus (~30-40 mins, ~£3-5 return shared) out to Volubilis; entry is about MAD 70 / £5.5 and a licensed site guide at the gate costs around MAD 200 for a group (£15 — split it with anyone you meet). Pick up bread, cheese, olives and fruit in Meknes for a picnic among the mosaics. Late afternoon train or bus on to Fes (~1h, ~£3-4).

🚌Train Casablanca–Meknes ~£9; shared taxi to Volubilis ~£5; train Meknes–Fes ~£4

🛏Riad guesthouse or hostel inside Fes medina (dorm £12-16, private £30-40)

• →Meknes medina walk
• →Volubilis Roman ruins & mosaics (entry ~£5.5)
• →Picnic lunch at Volubilis

Book a half-day licensed medina guide through your riad or GetYourGuide (roughly £25-35 per person for a small group, less if you join a shared tour) — worth every dirham, as Fes el-Bali is genuinely maze-like. Route in the tanneries viewpoint, El-Attarine Madrasa (entry ~MAD 20), the Funduq al-Najjarin museum and the Nejjarine fountain, plus the Bou Inania madrasa. Break for tea in a family tea house off Talaa Kebira. In the evening, book a home-cooked dinner experience: several Fes families and riads run pastilla dinners with a host, typically £20-30 per person including tea — search 'Fes home dinner pastilla' on Airbnb Experiences or ask your riad owner, who usually knows a family directly.

🚌On foot in the medina; petit taxi to Bab Boujloud ~£2

🛏Riad guesthouse or hostel in Fes medina

• →Guided medina walk with licensed guide (~£30)
• →El-Attarine & Bou Inania madrasas
• →Nejjarine Funduq museum
• →Home-cooked pastilla dinner with a Fes family (~£25)

This is the awkward leg without a private vehicle, so plan it properly. Take an early CTM/Supratours bus or shared grand taxi from Fes to Azrou (~1h45, ~£5-7) to see the Barbary macaques in the cedar forest, then continue by grand taxi to Beni Mellal via Khenifra (change at Khenifra; ~3-4h total, ~£12-15 shared). From Beni Mellal a shared taxi to Bine el Ouidane village is around 45 mins, ~£3. Alternative: direct bus Fes–Beni Mellal (roughly 6-7h, ~£12) then taxi. Book a lakeside guesthouse in Bine el Ouidane village or a mid-range lakeside hotel (£25-40 a night, this is the one night where a small splurge buys you the view). Evening: sunset over the reservoir and a tagine at a village restaurant.

🚌Bus Fes–Azrou ~£6; shared taxis Azrou–Khenifra–Beni Mellal ~£14; taxi to Bine el Ouidane ~£3

🛏Lakeside guesthouse or budget hotel in Bine el Ouidane / Ouaouizeght (£25-40)

• →Cedar forest & Barbary macaques at Azrou
• →Middle Atlas scenery stops
• →Sunset at Bin el Ouidane lake

Hire a local boatman at the lake jetty for a short spin on the reservoir (£10-15 for the boat, negotiable) — or join other travellers at the village for a shared price. Walk or take a taxi to a nearby village and ask at a farm/olive grove about a simple lunch — independent travellers are often welcomed for tea and bread-and-tagine for a small fair payment (£5-10 plus thanks); alternatively eat at a roadside family-run cafe in Ouaouizeght. In the afternoon hike the trails up above the lake for panoramic views (free, 2-3 hours, bring water) or pay for a day pass at one of the lakeside hotels if you want the infinity pool. Some lakeside lodges offer hammam/massage packages from about £15-25.

🚌On foot; local taxi £2-4

🛏Lakeside guesthouse or budget hotel in Bine el Ouidane

• →Boat trip on Bin el Ouidane lake (~£12 shared)
• →Village farm lunch & tea (~£8)
• →Afternoon mountain hike
• →Optional hotel pool/hammam (~£20)

Early shared taxi or local bus from Bine el Ouidane toward Azilal and then Ouzoud (share a grand taxi, roughly £8-12 per person, 1.5-2h) — the falls are a free-to-enter natural site, with a short shaded walk down past the macaques and the olive groves; expect small local guide fees (£3-5) that are worth paying. Then grand taxi or bus to Demnate and on to Marrakech (roughly £10-14 shared, 3-4h), and from Marrakech a taxi or pre-booked camp transfer out to Agafay (£15-20 each way, or about £8 if you join a shared minibus arranged by the camp). Choose a mid-range Agafay tented camp with a Berber dinner around the fire and stargazing — many include tea ceremony, sunset seating and a guide pointing out constellations for £45-70 per person including dinner and breakfast. Book on Booking.com or GetYourGuide a week ahead in high season.

🚌Shared taxi Bine el Ouidane–Ouzoud ~£10; shared taxi/bus to Marrakech ~£12; camp transfer ~£18

🛏Agafay desert tented camp, shared or private tent (£45-70 including dinner & breakfast)

• →Ouzoud Falls walk
• →Sunset Berber tea ceremony at camp
• →Stargazing session with camp guide
• →Dinner around the fire

Wake for sunrise over the stony desert (a short walk up a ridge from camp gives the best angle), breakfast, then a shared transfer or taxi back into Marrakech (£15-18). Check into a medina riad hostel (£15-22 dorm/private budget) near Jemaa el-Fna or Bab Doukkala, then do your own orientation loop: Koutoubia Mosque gardens, the Kasbah, and Jemaa el-Fna as it fills with food stalls, musicians and storytellers at dusk. Evening: eat from the square's stalls (a plate of grilled skewers ~£3-5) or climb to a terrace restaurant for the view — Café de France and the surrounding balconies are the classic, pricier option.

🚌Camp transfer to Marrakech ~£16; walking in the medina; petit taxi £2-3

🛏Medina riad hostel or budget riad, Marrakech (£15-30)

• →Desert sunrise walk
• →Koutoubia Mosque & gardens
• →Jemaa el-Fna at dusk
• →Street food dinner on the square

Self-guided morning: Bahia Palace (entry ~MAD 70 / £5.5, go at opening to dodge crowds), the Saadian Tombs if time allows, then dive into the souks — Semmarine, the dyers' souk and the metalworkers' square — with a licensed medina guide if you want the shortcuts (£25-30 half day) or just a good map and patience. Book a Marrakech street-food walking tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (£20-30, 2-3 hours) for the msemen, harira, olives, freshly squeezed orange juice and sfenj doughnuts — or do it yourself on Jemaa el-Fna and the back lanes off Riad Zitoun for a fiver. Optional: Le Jardin Secret (£8) or a hammam (£10-25). Finish with a proper farewell dinner at a family-run riad terrace or a mid-range Moroccan restaurant (~£15-20) — the 'upscale' version of the original's last-night dinner without the group markup.

🚌On foot; petit taxi £2-3

🛏Medina riad hostel or budget riad, Marrakech

• →Bahia Palace (~£5.5)
• →Souk walk
• →Street food walking tour (~£25)
• →Optional Le Jardin Secret (~£8)
• →Farewell dinner (~£18)

Breakfast at the riad, last wander through the medina for mint tea and a pastry, then take bus 19 or a petit taxi to Menara Airport (~£3-5, 20-25 mins). If your flight is late, leave bags at the riad and use the morning for the Majorelle Garden (book tickets online in advance, ~£8.5) or a hammam. No airport transfer is needed — the local bus and taxis are quick and cheap. (If you started in Casablanca and fly home from there instead, an ONCF train Marrakech–Casablanca takes about 3h15, ~£12-15.)

🚌Bus 19 or petit taxi to Menara Airport ~£4

🛏—

• →Optional Majorelle Garden (~£8.5)
• →Last medina wander