The itinerary we recommend most — a balanced loop through Fes, the Atlas, Merzouga, and Marrakech without the burnout.
If you have one week in Morocco, this is the loop we design most often. It hits two imperial cities, the High Atlas, the Sahara, and the Marrakech medina — without the 12-hour drive days that exhaust most seven-day tours.
Day-by-day
Day 1 — Arrive Fes
Land at Fes-Saïs, check into a riad in the medina by afternoon. Sunset from a rooftop, then a slow dinner. Don't plan anything more.
Day 2 — Fes medina
Full day with a licensed guide. Al-Attarine madrasa, Bou Inania, the tanneries at Chouara, lunch at a family-run dar. Free afternoon for the mellah or a cooking class.
Day 3 — Fes to Merzouga
Long but scenic drive south: cedar forests of Ifrane, a lunch stop in Midelt, then the Ziz Valley in golden light. Camel ride at sunset, dinner under stars.
Day 4 — Merzouga to Todra to Dades
Dawn over the dunes, then westward through Tinghir and Todra Gorge. Overnight in a Dades Valley kasbah.
Day 5 — Dades to Ouarzazate to Marrakech
The Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, Aït Ben Haddou at mid-morning (before the tour buses), then over the Tizi n'Tichka pass into Marrakech.
Days 6–7 — Marrakech
Two full days in the Red City. Medina the first day, a Jardin Majorelle + Ourika Valley afternoon the second. Hammam. Rooftop. Fly home.
“The mistake most 7-day itineraries make is trying to add Chefchaouen. Don't — you'll spend 20 hours in a van.”
What this itinerary doesn't try to do
- Doesn't add Chefchaouen (another 8 driving hours)
- Doesn't add Essaouira (save it for a 10-day trip)
- Doesn't squeeze two medinas in one day
Written by
Youssef El Alaoui
Lead Morocco Specialist
Born in Fes, based in Marrakech. Designs private itineraries for Morocco Beauty Spots and still argues mint tea is best in the Atlas.
