Moroccan Cities of the North — Self-Launched

Land at Mohammed V Airport and take the ONCF train from the airport station directly to Casablanca Voyageurs (~50 MAD / £4, 35 min). Drop your bag at a locker or a cheap hotel near the station, then walk or take tram line T1 to the Hassan II Mosque for a timed interior guided visit (slots roughly 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 15:00; ~130 MAD / £10, book on the official website or at the kiosk — non-Muslims can only enter on a tour). Continue by train to Rabat Ville (~1 hr, 40–60 MAD / £3–5, hourly). Check into a medina guesthouse near Rue Souika, then walk the Chellah Necropolis (70 MAD), the Kasbah des Oudaias with its Andalusian Gardens (free), and Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free, closed to non-Muslims' prayer hall but the exterior and plaza are the sight). Dinner of grilled sardines or a tagine in the medina for 50–70 MAD.

🚌Airport train to Casablanca + train to Rabat, ~£10 total; walking and tram in Casablanca

🛏Budget riad/guesthouse in Rabat medina, £15–20 dorm or small double

• →Hassan II Mosque interior guided tour (~£10)
• →Chellah Necropolis (~£6)
• →Kasbah des Oudaias & Andalusian Gardens (free)
• →Hassan Tower & Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free)

Morning CTM or Supratours coach from Rabat to Chefchaouen (~4.5 hrs with a change in Tangier or a direct service depending on season; 120–160 MAD / £10–13 — book a day ahead at the CTM office or app). Arrive early afternoon and check into a cheap guesthouse in the medina. Wander the blue-washed lanes, sit in Plaza Outa el-Hammam with a mint tea (10 MAD), and pay the small entry into the Kasbah museum with its garden and old prison cells (~60 MAD / £5). In the late afternoon climb the short path to the abandoned Spanish Mosque for the classic sunset view over the town. Dinner at a medina café, 60–90 MAD.

🚌CTM/Supratours coach Rabat–Chefchaouen, ~£11

🛏Medina guesthouse in Chefchaouen, £15–18

• →Chefchaouen medina walk (free)
• →Kasbah museum, garden & prison cells (~£5)
• →Spanish Mosque sunset viewpoint (free)

Pick one: a slow morning in Chefchaouen plus the onward journey, or an early grand taxi (~150–200 MAD shared, 45 min) to Cascades d'Akchour for the 2.5-hour forest and rock-pool hike (free; bring cash for the taxi and a guide is optional ~200 MAD) and return by 13:00. Then take the coach from Chefchaouen toward Meknes/Fes (~4 hrs, 100–140 MAD / £8–12). If you leave early you can hop off at Volubilis — a shared taxi from Moulay Idriss or Meknes (~50 MAD) — for the UNESCO Roman mosaics and arches (70 MAD / £6). In Meknes, see Bab al-Mansour, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail (free, non-Muslims enter the courtyard only), the Heri es-Souani royal stables (70 MAD) and the medina. Evening train or coach Meknes–Fes (~45 min–1 hr, 25–40 MAD / £2–3). Settle into a Fes medina guesthouse and eat at a cheap local spot near Bab Boujeloud.

🚌Shared grand taxi to Akchour + coach Chefchaouen–Meknes + train Meknes–Fes, ~£22 total

🛏Fes medina guesthouse, £18–22

• →Akchour waterfalls hike (optional, free)
• →Volubilis Roman ruins (~£6)
• →Bab al-Mansour, Moulay Ismail mausoleum & Heri es-Souani (~£6)

Book a half-day licensed guide through GetYourGuide or the official Fes guide association (~250–350 MAD / £20–27 for a small group, or ~600 MAD for a private half-day) — this is the honest way to get the same experience as the tour's included guided day without the hard-sell carpet shop stops other travellers complain about. Enter at Bab Boujeloud, walk Talâa Kebira through the souks, view the Chouara tannery from a terrace (small tip expected, 10–20 MAD), and pass the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and library exterior (non-Muslims cannot enter the prayer hall). Break for a cheap medina lunch (harira and msemen, 30–50 MAD) and spend the afternoon getting deliberately lost, or hire a guide just for the morning and go solo after. Dinner at a riad terrace or a street BBQ — the reviewers' favourite.

🚌Walking; petit taxi back to the medina at night ~£2

🛏Fes medina guesthouse, £18–22

• →Half-day licensed medina guide (~£23)
• →Chouara tannery rooftop views (free + tip)
• →Al-Qarawiyyin & souk walk

A gentler day matching the tour's second Fes day. Start at the Batha Museum of Moroccan arts and crafts with its Andalusian garden (10–20 MAD), then walk south into the Mellah (old Jewish quarter) and its cemetery, and continue to the Jnan Sbil gardens for shade and a picnic lunch. If you want the ceramics and tile workshop experience, visit a cooperative in the Ville Nouvelle or the Ain Nokbi district — go direct rather than on a guided sales pitch, and only buy if you actually want something. Late afternoon: coffee at a Café Clock-style spot, or a hammam (local bathhouse, 20–50 MAD entry plus scrub). Optional cooking class (~250–350 MAD / £20–27) can be booked last-minute through GetYourGuide or your guesthouse.

🚌Walking plus 2–3 petit taxi rides, ~£5

🛏Fes medina guesthouse, £18–22

• →Batha Museum & Andalusian garden (~£2)
• →Mellah & Jnan Sbil gardens (free)
• →Optional cooking class (~£25)
• →Local hammam (~£4)

Direct ONCF train Fes to Casablanca Voyageurs (~4 hrs, 2nd class 140–200 MAD / £11–16; buy at the station the day before or on the ONCF app). Last-minute souvenir shopping near Bab Boujeloud before you go. In Casablanca, store bags at the station and stroll the Boulevard de la Corniche waterfront, optionally stopping at Rick's Café for a drink (pricey — a beer is 60–80 MAD; skip it if you're on a tight budget and eat at a Corniche seafood shack instead). Train back to the airport (~£4) for your flight.

🚌ONCF train Fes–Casablanca + airport train, ~£20

🛏None if flying out; otherwise airport-area budget hotel ~£25

• →Fes medina souvenir shopping
• →Casablanca Corniche walk (free)
• →Optional Rick's Café visit