Coastal Waves & Desert Dunes: Self-Launched Barcelona to Marrakech

Land at BCN and take the Aerobús (€7.25) or L9 metro to Catalunya, then walk or metro to your hostel in El Raval or El Born. Settle in, then do a free self-guided wander of the Gothic Quarter — Barcelona Cathedral, Plaça Reial, the Roman walls — and finish with cheap pintxos and vermouth in El Born or Gràcia. Hostels here run €25-35 for a dorm.

🚌Aerobús from BCN airport ~£6.50

🛏Hostel dorm in El Raval or El Born (~£28)

• →Gothic Quarter self-guided walk
• →La Boqueria market snack
• →El Born / El Raval bar crawl

Book Sagrada Família (€26) and Park Güell (€10) tickets online weeks ahead — they sell out in high season. Do one Gaudí site in the morning, stroll Las Ramblas and Barceloneta beach, then take an afternoon Renfe AVE/AVLO train from Sants to Madrid Atocha (AVLO low-cost fares from €7 if booked early, otherwise €30-60, ~2h30). Check into a hostel around Sol/La Latina and eat at a Mercado de San Miguel or a menú del día.

🚌Renfe AVE/AVLO Barcelona Sants–Madrid Atocha ~£25

🛏Hostel dorm in Sol/La Latina (~£28)

• →Sagrada Família visit
• →Park Güell
• →Las Ramblas & Barceloneta stroll

Do a free walking tour (tip-based, ~€5-10) or your own route: Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace exterior, Gran Vía. In the afternoon pick one art museum — Prado (€15), Reina Sofía (€12) or Thyssen (€13); all are free in the last two hours some evenings, check ahead. Dinner in La Latina or Malasaña, then join a hostel bar crawl or a language-exchange night — Madrid nightlife starts late and ends at sunrise.

🚌Metro day pass ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Sol/La Latina (~£28)

• →Free walking tour
• →Prado or Reina Sofía museum
• →Malasaña tapas & nightlife

Take an ALSA or FlixBus coach from Madrid's Estación Sur to Granada (~4h30-5h, £18-25 booked online). Drop bags and walk the Albayzín, the old Moorish quarter of whitewashed lanes and carmen gardens, ending at Mirador de San Nicolás for sunset over the Alhambra. Eat free tapas (in Granada a drink still comes with food) around Plaza Nueva.

🚌ALSA coach Madrid–Granada ~£22

🛏Hostel dorm in Granada centre (~£25)

• →Albaicín & Mirador de San Nicolás
• →Free tapas crawl

The Alhambra is the reason you're here — book tickets direct on the official Patronato site (€19.09 general, plus Nasrid Palaces timed slot) as soon as your dates are fixed; they sell out 1-3 months out. Alternatively a Granada Card covers Alhambra plus city sights. Afterwards visit the Cathedral (€5) and the Capilla Real, then book a Hammam Al Ándalus session (£30-40) or take in an evening flamenco show in Sacromonte (€18-30).

🚌Walking + city bus ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in Granada centre (~£25)

• →Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces
• →Granada Cathedral
• →Hammam or Sacromonte flamenco show

Take the Renfe regional train Granada–Seville (around 3h, roughly €30) or a bus if the train times don't suit. Wander the Santa Cruz quarter, book the Real Alcázar online (€13.50, cheaper after 4pm in summer), and climb the Giralda (€9). In the evening catch a flamenco set at a Triana tablao or Casa de la Memoria (€18-25) and eat at a Triana tapas bar.

🚌Renfe Granada–Seville ~£26

🛏Hostel dorm in Seville old town (~£25)

• →Real Alcázar
• →Santa Cruz quarter walk
• →Flamenco show in Triana

ALSA/Damas run Seville to Lagos via Faro (roughly 4h30-5h, £18-25 depending on changes). Time zone drops an hour at the border. Check into a Lagos hostel or surf-house near Meia Praia, walk the old town and the marina, and get your bearings for the cliffs. Algarve hostel dorms are £18-25 in shoulder season and pricier in August.

🚌ALSA coach Seville–Lagos ~£22

🛏Hostel dorm or surf house in Lagos (~£22)

• →Lagos old town & marina walk
• →Ponta da Piedade sunset
• →Algarve nightlife

Do the free Seven Hanging Valleys cliff walk from Praia da Marinha towards Benagil (~6km each way) and see the caves from above for nothing. Alternatively book a Benagil kayak or boat tour (€25-35) from Portimão or Benagil beach, or rent a board for an easy beach break. Cheap grilled fish and a Sagres in the old town to finish.

🚌Local bus to Marinha/Benagil ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or surf house in Lagos (~£22)

• →Seven Hanging Valleys hike
• →Benagil caves kayak tour
• →Beach & surf rental

Take the Rede Expressos or FlixBus coach Lagos–Lisbon Oriente (~4h, £15-20). Metro into the centre and check into a hostel in Alfama or Baixa. Walk Alfama's stairways up to São Jorge Castle (€15, or just the free miradouros), tram 28 if you can get on, and a pastel de nata (€1.30) at Manteigaria. Dinner at a tasca in Graça, then Bairro Alto or Pink Street for cheap drinks.

🚌Rede Expressos coach ~£18 + metro

🛏Hostel dorm in Alfama/Baixa (~£25)

• →Alfama & São Jorge views
• →Tram 28 / Baixa stroll
• →Bairro Alto night out

Spend the morning in Belém: Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower (€8 each, or free from outside), and the free walk along the river. Alternatively LX Factory for brunch and bookshops. Then head to Lisbon airport for an evening low-cost flight to Casablanca (TAP, easyJet or Ryanair, £40-70 one-way booked ahead). Taxi into the city (make sure the meter is on, ~50-70 MAD) and sleep near the Hassan II Mosque area.

🚌Belém tram + flight Lisbon–Casablanca ~£55 + airport taxi

🛏Simple hotel or hostel in Casablanca centre (~£18)

• →Belém district & monastery
• →LX Factory
• →Evening flight to Casablanca

Early guided tour of the Hassan II Mosque (130 MAD, one of few mosques non-Muslims can enter; check slot times). Then take the ONCF train Casablanca–Rabat (1h, 40-50 MAD) and a morning in Rabat: Kasbah des Oudaias, the medina, Hassan Tower. Continue by train Rabat–Tangier (3h30, ~120 MAD) and a shared grand taxi or bus on to Chefchaouen (~2h, 60-80 MAD shared), or take a direct CTM coach if the timing works. Arrive and get lost in the blue streets after dark.

🚌ONCF trains + shared taxi ~£25

🛏Family riad or hostel in Chefchaouen medina (~£15)

• →Hassan II Mosque interior tour
• →Rabat Kasbah des Oudaias
• →Chefchaouen blue medina by night

Do the hike up to the Spanish Mosque above town in the morning (free, 40 mins, best city views) and, if you want more, follow the trail to the Akchour waterfalls or arrange a local Rif guide through your riad/GetYourGuide (300-400 MAD, versus the tour's £80+ optional hike). Afternoon for hammam, shopping for blankets in the medina (bargain hard), and a rooftop dinner of pastilla and mint tea.

🚌Local taxi/walk ~£3

🛏Family riad or hostel in Chefchaouen medina (~£15)

• →Spanish Mosque viewpoint hike
• →Akchour waterfalls / Rif day hike
• →Medina shopping & hammam

Take a CTM or SUPRATOURS coach Chefchaouen–Fès (~4h, 100-130 MAD), or a shared grand taxi via Ouazzane. Fès is intense after the calm of the Rif — check into a riad inside the medina (dorms and simple rooms from £12-18). Spend the late afternoon getting deliberately lost around Bab Bou Jeloud and the Bou Inania medersa (20 MAD), then eat a plate of tanjia at a cheap local joint.

🚌CTM coach ~£10

🛏Medina riad or hostel in Fès (~£15)

• →Chefchaouen–Fès coach journey
• →Bab Bou Jeloud & Bou Inania medersa
• →Cheap medina dinner

Hire a licensed medina guide directly through your riad or a GetYourGuide listing (roughly 250-400 MAD for a half day, shared if you ask at the hostel) — you genuinely need one in 9,000 streets. Highlights: the tanneries (view from a leather shop balcony, tip 10-20 MAD), Al-Attarine Souk, the Kairaouine mosque courtyard and the Nejjarine wood museum. If you're staying longer, day-trip to Volubilis and Meknès by train/bus. Evening: rooftop call to prayer over the medina.

🚌Walking ~£0

🛏Medina riad or hostel in Fès (~£15)

• →Fès medina guided walk
• →Chouara tanneries
• →Nejjarine museum & souks

Take the CTM or SUPRATOURS coach Fès–Merzouga (~8-9h with a change, 170-200 MAD) or break it at Midelt overnight. In Merzouga book a desert-camp package direct with a local operator or hostel (450-700 MAD including camel ride in, dinner, drumming around the fire and sandboarding, breakfast and camel out) — this replaces the tour's £65 land-cruiser add-on. Sleep in the dunes.

🚌CTM coach ~£15

🛏Sahara desert camp, multi-share tent (~£15 equivalent, usually bundled)

• →Long coach through the Middle Atlas
• →Camel trek into Erg Chebbi
• →Desert camp dinner & drumming
• →Sandboarding

Up early for sunrise on the dunes, camel back to Merzouga, breakfast and a shared grand taxi or minivan down to Tinghir (~200 MAD shared) to see Todra Gorge, then on to Boumalne Dades in the afternoon. Base yourself in a village gîte in the Dades Valley (£12-20 with dinner) — cheaper and more atmospheric than a big hotel.

🚌Shared grand taxis ~£20

🛏Gîte in Dades Valley (~£18 with dinner)

• →Sunrise on Erg Chebbi
• →Todra Gorge walk
• →Dades Valley drive & viewpoints

Walk the Dades Gorge to the famous switchback road viewpoint in the cool of the morning (free), then take a shared taxi/coach via Ouarzazate (roughly 5-6h, 150-200 MAD combined). Overnight in a small guesthouse in Aït Ben Haddou village so you can see the ksar without the day-trip crowds, at both sunset and sunrise.

🚌Shared taxi/coach via Ouarzazate ~£18

🛏Guesthouse in Aït Ben Haddou (~£15)

• →Dades Gorge viewpoint walk
• →Route of a Thousand Kasbahs drive
• →Sunset views of the ksar

Cross the dry riverbed into the UNESCO-listed ksar (local guide at the gate 100-150 MAD, then tip anything extra) and see the shots from Gladiator and Game of Thrones for yourself. Book a tagine cooking class at your guesthouse (120-200 MAD) before leaving. Then take a shared taxi/CTM coach via Ouarzazate and Taroudant towards Agadir (~6h). If the connection is late, sleep in Taroudant and continue in the morning.

🚌Shared taxi + coach ~£20

🛏Simple hotel in Taroudant / Agadir (~£18)

• →Aït Ben Haddou kasbah tour
• →Tagine cooking class
• →Argan-oil cooperative stop

Take a local bus or shared taxi from Agadir up the coast to Taghazout (30-45 mins, 15-30 MAD) and check into a surf hostel (dorms £15-20, most include boards and a beginners' lesson in a package). Afternoon surf lesson or free-surf, then sunset tea on the terrace. Agadir's cheaper but Taghazout is the vibe the tour is going for.

🚌Local bus/shared taxi ~£3

🛏Surf hostel in Taghazout (~£18)

• →Coastal bus to Taghazout
• →Beginner surf lesson
• →Beach sunset & hostel dinner

Morning surf at Anchor Point or Devil's Rock — a lesson is 200-300 MAD at most surf camps, or free if your hostel package includes one. Afternoon yoga on a rooftop (100-150 MAD) and lazy café time. In the evening, grab wood and do your own beach bonfire with whoever's at the hostel — that's exactly what the tour's included bonfire is, just cheaper.

🚌Walking ~£0

🛏Surf hostel in Taghazout (~£18)

• →Sunrise surf
• →Rooftop yoga
• →Beach bonfire

CTM/SUPRATOURS via Agadir to Essaouira (~6h, 130-160 MAD) or break the journey in Agadir for the beach. Essaouira is a windswept blue-and-white fishing town with a UNESCO medina — check into a riad or hostel inside the walls (£15-22). Evening on the ramparts and grilled sardines at the port (60-90 MAD).

🚌CTM coach ~£12

🛏Riad/hostel in Essaouira medina (~£18)

• →Coastal coach journey
• →Skala du Port ramparts
• →Fresh fish at the port

Wander the medina's thuya-wood workshops and the market street, walk the beach north of town, and book a traditional hammam (local public hammam 30-50 MAD with your own scrub glove, tourist hammam 150-250 MAD). Wind down in a music café — Essaouira is a Gnaoua and world-music town, so check if any live sets are on.

🚌Walking ~£0

🛏Riad/hostel in Essaouira medina (~£18)

• →Medina shopping & thuya workshops
• →Beach walk
• →Traditional hammam

Frequent CTM/SUPRATOURS coaches run Essaouira–Marrakech (~2h45, 80-100 MAD). Check into a hostel or riad inside the medina (£15-25). Head to Jemaa el-Fna as the light drops — storytellers, musicians, gnawa, food stalls — and eat at a stall (a full meal is 80-120 MAD) rather than a rooftop terrace, then wander the souks and the Mellah.

🚌CTM coach ~£8

🛏Riad/hostel in Marrakech medina (~£20)

• →Coach to Marrakech
• →Jemaa el-Fna performers at dusk
• →Stall food dinner

Book a licensed medina guide through your riad (~300-400 MAD half day) or do it yourself: Bahia Palace (70 MAD), Saadian Tombs, Ben Youssef Medersa (50 MAD), the souks, and the Jardin Majorelle or the free Jardin Cyber (Anima garden for the splurge). In the evening book a hammam massage or a cooking class (tagine or Moroccan salads, 250-400 MAD). Alternative: the Ourika Valley day trip or an Atlas day hike is easy to arrange from the city.

🚌Local transport ~£4

🛏Riad/hostel in Marrakech medina (~£20)

• →Bahia Palace & Saadian Tombs
• →Ben Youssef Medersa & souks
• →Jardin Majorelle
• →Moroccan cooking class

Keep this day loose in case a coach or a connection ran long — Morocco's roads are slow. If everything went to plan, take a shared taxi or a booked day trip to the Ourika Valley (Setti Fatma waterfalls, ~45 mins, 200-300 MAD) or to the Imlil area for a half-day Atlas trek with a local guide (300-400 MAD). Last dinner back in Marrakech: tangia or grilled lamb.

🚌Shared taxi ~£8

🛏Riad/hostel in Marrakech medina (~£20)

• →Ourika Valley / Setti Fatma falls
• →Atlas foothills hike
• →Final Marrakech dinner

Check out and head to Marrakech Menara Airport (bus 19 from Jemaa el-Fna, 30 MAD, or taxi 100-150 MAD). If you need to fly out of Casablanca instead, the ONCF train runs Marrakech–Casablanca in ~2h20 (110-150 MAD) and then a train or bus to the airport. Book onward flights after 16:00 to keep the morning relaxed.

🚌Airport bus or taxi ~£5-12

🛏None (departure day)

• →Transfer to airport
• →Optional last souk shopping