Self-Launched Morocco: Imperial Cities & Sahara Desert in 9 Days

Land at Mohammed V Airport and take the ONCF train (around 45–60 min, ~£3) to Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port — far cheaper than an airport taxi. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in the city centre, then walk the old medina and the Habous quarter (the royal palace gates and Mahkama du Pacha are free to view from outside). In the late afternoon head to the Hassan II Mosque esplanade for sunset over the Atlantic — the exterior and the seawater plaza are free; interior guided visits run a few times a day at roughly £12–14 if you want to go in tomorrow morning. Eat at a cheap local snack bar near Derb Omar (~£5–7 for tajine or grilled kefta).

🚌ONCF airport train ~£3; walking + tram/taxi within the city ~£2–3

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in central Casablanca (dorm ~£12–15, private single ~£22–28)

• →Hassan II Mosque exterior at sunset (free)
• →Old medina and Habous quarter self-walk
• →Corniche seafront stroll

Do the Hassan II Mosque interior tour first thing if you booked it (~£13). Then take a CTM or ONCF train to Rabat (~1 hour, ~£5 train). In Rabat, walk from the medina to the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free), then down to the Kasbah of the Oudayas and its blue-and-white lanes (free). Grab a cheap sandwich lunch. Continue by CTM/SUPRATOURS coach or train-plus-coach combo to Chefchaouen (roughly 4–5 hours via Kenitra or Tangier, ~£10–14). Arrive in the evening and settle into a cheap riad or pension inside the medina.

🚌Train Casablanca–Rabat ~£5; coach Rabat/CTM to Chefchaouen ~£10–14

🛏Budget riad or pension in Chefchaouen medina (~£16–22 private single, ~£10 dorm)

• →Hassan II Mosque interior tour (optional, ~£13)
• →Hassan Tower & Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free)
• →Kasbah of the Oudayas walk (free)

Spend the early morning photographing the blue streets and hiking up to the Spanish Mosque viewpoint above town (free, 40 min round trip). Then take the coach south to Meknes (~4 hours, ~£9–11). From Meknes' Institut Français or the main taxi rank, take a shared grand taxi to Moulay Idriss and Volubilis (~£3–4 each way, 20 min). Volubilis entry is around £6; the Roman mosaics and triumphal arch are self-guiding with the on-site panels. Back in Meknes, walk the medina, Bab Mansour gate and the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum (free entry, modest dress), then take a 45-minute train or coach to Fes (~£3) and check into a budget riad in the medina.

🚌Coach Chefchaouen–Meknes ~£10; shared grand taxi Meknes–Volubilis ~£7 return; train Meknes–Fes ~£3

🛏Budget riad or hostel in Fes medina (~£15–20)

• →Spanish Mosque viewpoint hike, Chefchaouen (free)
• →Volubilis Roman ruins (~£6 entry)
• →Bab Mansour & Moulay Ismail Mausoleum, Meknes (free)

Book a small-group or private licensed Fes medina walking tour through GetYourGuide or directly with a guide cooperative (~£25–35, 3–4 hours) — this is the single best-value upgrade in Fes, since the medina is genuinely hard to navigate alone and unlicensed touts will otherwise steer you into shops. Cover Madrasa El Bouinania (small entry ~£2), the Nejjarine Square and fountain, the Kairaouine Mosque courtyard (non-Muslims view from the doors), and the tanneries from a terrace. In the afternoon, take a local bus or petit taxi to the pottery quarter of Ain Nokbi to see zellige and ceramics workshops (free, tips welcome). Dinner at a cheap medina eatery (~£6).

🚌Petit taxi to pottery quarter ~£3; walking in the medina

🛏Budget riad or hostel in Fes medina (~£15–20)

• →Licensed medina walking tour (~£30 via GetYourGuide)
• →Madrasa El Bouinania entry (~£2)
• →Nejjarine Square & fountain (free)
• →Ain Nokbi pottery workshops (free/tips)

Take the early CTM/SUPRATOURS coach from Fes to Merzouga (around 9–10 hours with a change at Midelt or Rissani, ~£16–20) — sit on the right for the cedar forests and Ifrane's alpine-style streets en route. Alternatively break the journey at Midelt for lunch. Arrive in Merzouga late afternoon and check into a cheap auberge at the edge of the dunes; many auberges include a sunset camel ride and a night in a desert camp in a package for ~£35–50 per person, which is exactly what the tour operator's desert night is. Camel trek to the camp, Berber drumming, and a tagine dinner under the stars.

🚌CTM/SUPRATOURS coach Fes–Merzouga ~£16–20 (9–10 hrs)

🛏Sahara desert camp in Merzouga (auberge + camel trek + dinner package ~£35–50 pp)

• →Middle Atlas & cedar forest views from the coach
• →Sunset camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes (included in camp package)
• →Berber music and dinner at desert camp

Wake for sunrise on the dunes, then camel or 4x4 back to Merzouga for breakfast. This is the one leg where public transport is genuinely painful, so join a shared minivan excursion (bookable in Merzouga or via GetYourGuide, ~£40–55 including Todgha and Dades with a driver, often bundled with the camp). Otherwise take a shared grand taxi Merzouga → Rissani → Tinejdad → Tinghir (~£12–16 total) and a local taxi up to Todgha Gorge. Walk the gorge floor between the 300 m walls (free), then continue to Dades Valley for the night at a family-run guesthouse in Boumalne Dades (~£18–25, dinner ~£7).

🚌Shared minivan Merzouga–Todgha–Dades ~£45 (or shared grand taxis ~£14–18)

🛏Family guesthouse in Boumalne Dades (~£18–25 with breakfast)

• →Sunrise on Erg Chebbi dunes
• →Todgha Gorge floor walk (free)
• →Dades Valley viewpoints and Monkey Fingers rock formations

Catch the early shared grand taxi or minivan from Boumalne Dades to Ouarzazate (~£8–10, 3 hours via the Valley of Roses and Skoura), then a shared taxi to Ait Ben Haddou (~£3). The ksar itself is free to enter and climb; a local guide at the gate costs ~£8–10 and is worth it for the UNESCO history. Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate is ~£8 if you're a film buff. Optionally detour to Telouet Kasbah via shared taxi, but it's easier to skip if you're on a tight schedule. Then take the CTM coach or a shared grand taxi over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech (~4–5 hours, ~£8–12) and check into a hostel or budget riad near Jemaa el-Fna.

🚌Shared grand taxi/minivan Dades–Ouarzazate ~£9; Ouarzazate–Ait Ben Haddou ~£3; coach Ouarzazate–Marrakech ~£10

🛏Hostel or budget riad in Marrakech medina (~£12–18 dorm, ~£22 private)

• →Ait Ben Haddou ksar climb (free entry, optional local guide ~£9)
• →Atlas Studios Ouarzazate (~£8, optional)
• →Tizi n'Tichka High Atlas drive
• →Telouet Kasbah detour (optional)

Join a small-group medina walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£20–25, 3 hours) covering the souks, Jemaa el-Fna and the Bahia Palace (entry ~£6). Add the Ben Youssef Madrasa (~£5) and the Saadian Tombs (~£6) in the afternoon, or the Majorelle Garden if you pre-book a timed slot online. In the evening, eat at a cheap grill stall in Jemaa el-Fna (~£5) and watch the square fill up with musicians and storytellers — free, and the best show in Morocco.

🚌Walking; occasional petit taxi ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget riad in Marrakech medina (~£12–18 dorm, ~£22 private)

• →Small-group medina walking tour (~£22 via GetYourGuide)
• →Bahia Palace (~£6)
• →Ben Youssef Madrasa (~£5)
• →Saadian Tombs (~£6)
• →Jemaa el-Fna evening food stalls

Take the ONCF train direct from Marrakech to Casablanca Casa Voyageurs (~3 hours 15 min, ~£10) — far smoother than the bus. If your flight is in the evening, leave a buffer of at least 4 hours to connect to the airport train (~£3). If you have time, stop at the Marché Central for a last cheap lunch. Depart from Mohammed V Airport.

🚌Train Marrakech–Casablanca ~£10; airport train ~£3

🛏None (departure day)

• →Marrakech to Casablanca train journey
• →Optional Marché Central lunch stop