Casablanca to Marrakech

Our 11 Day Morocco Itinerary

This trip was to celebrate our honeymoon and Christina’s 34th birthday and while we usually plan every aspect of trips ourselves, we decided to hire a professional this time. Since we just planned a destination wedding (we might write a post on that later) not having to think about planning another big trip was great! After searching some Facebook groups for a reputable company, we reached out to Said, the owner of Moroccan Daily Tours to curate the perfect trip for us. After some back and forth, below is our final 11 Day Morocco Itinerary. 

Day 1: New York City to Casablanca 

We flew Delta from JFK in New York to Lisbon, Portugal (we will be spending a few days in Lisbon after Morocco before returning home) and then caught a 1 hour flight to Casablanca on Tap Air Portugal. Our driver, Moujoub from Moroccan Daily Tours, met us at the airport with flowers and Moroccan sweets! He drove us to our hotel where we checked in and relaxed before heading for our first Moroccan meal of chicken tagine and lamb kebabs. The fresh squeezed juice was amazing!

Day 2: Casablanca to Rabat to Chefchaouen

After breakfast and checking out of the hotel, we visited the Hassan II Mosque, one of the world’s biggest mosques and the only one non-Muslims are allowed to visit inside. Following that, we left for Chefchaouen, the famous blue city of Morocco in the Rif Mountains. On the way, we stopped at Rabat, the capital city and residence of the King, and visited Hassan Tower and Oudaya Kasbah. After lunch, we continued to Chefchaouen, checked into our Riad, which is a Moroccan-style guest house, and explored this small city tucked away in the mountains. 

• Do: Explore Chefchaouen aka “the blue city”
• Eat: Tangier + Moroccan Salad 
• See: Spanish Mosque

Day 3: Chefchaouen to Meknes to Fez

After breakfast and exploring our Riad, we left for Fez. The road to Fez took us along a beautiful stretch of farmlands where olives, grain, vegetables, and grapes are grown. Before arriving in Fez, we visited Volubilis and Meknes. Volubilis is the site of the famous 2000-years-old Roman ruins left from the Roman Empire’s most southern outpost. Meknes is the site of the first Arab dynasty created by Moulay Ismail and has the Bab El Mansour, the Gateway to Moulay Ismail Palace. After an hour of driving, we arrived in Fes, the cultural and spiritual capital of Morocco. After being greeted with some mint tea at our Riad, we explored the Medina of Fez and did some shopping.

• Do: Stay at a Riad
• Eat: Eggplant Salad 
• See: Medina of Fez

Day 4: Explore Fez

We met our driver and tour guide this morning to learn more about Fez, its history and Moroccan culture. We started the tour by Blue Gate before we headed to Outside King Palace and a panoramic view of the whole medina. Afterwards we headed to visit a ceramic workshop to see traditional homemade Moroccan crafts before spending most of the afternoon wandering the medina, including visiting a leather tannery and having lunch at a local spot. 

• Do: Shop in the Souks 
• Eat: A camel burger at Cafe Clock
• See: The University of Al-Karaouine – oldest university in the world

Day 5: Fez to lfrane to Midelt to Ziz Valley to Merzouga (Sahara Desert)

After early morning breakfast, we drove through the middle Atlas via Ifrane the “Moroccan Switzerland” and made a stop at the cedar forest to see some Barbary apes. It’s a long drive to the desert but we made plenty of stops to enjoy the panoramic views and of course lunch. We chose to eat locally at a gas station restaurant. Once we arrived at our meeting point, we got onto our camel (make sure you hold on tight) and were guided by our experienced Camel man to explore the mysterious sand sea of the Erg-Chebbi. We rode for about an hour and enjoyed the beauty of the Sahara desert and the sunset over the golden dunes. After a welcoming tea at the desert luxury camp, we enjoyed dinner before having a Berber style party in front of the campfire.

• Do: Stay in a Luxury Camp + dance around a fire with Berber music
• Eat: Grilled meat at a gas station restaurant

Day 6: Sahara Desert

After breakfast, we spent the day exploring the area including visiting the Gnawa Village (or Khamlia Village), a community of Black people whose ancestors were kidnapped and enslaved from Sudan, Mali and Niger. We listened to their music and danced to the beat of their drums. Lunch was at Nora, a restaurant that was the best and only place that served traditional Berber Pizza called Madfouna. It was delicious! We also spent some time with a nomad Berber family to learn about their lifestyle and enjoy some tea. We ended our day by putting on a helmet and gloves and speeding through the desert on top of Erg Chebbi dunes. 

• Do: Ride an ATV (or Dune Buggy) through the Sahara
• Eat: Berber Pizza
• See: Gnawa Village

Day 7: Merzouga to Erfoud to Todra Gorges to Dades to Ouarzazat

Today, we continued our journey to leave the Sahara and headed towards Ouarzazat, “The Hollywood of Africa”. Along the way we visited Erfoud “the capital of fossils and marble”, the Khatarat irrigation canals on the way and the Todra Gorges which has a view of high rock faces.

• Do: Wake up early and watch the sunrise 
• Eat: Couscous 

Day 8: Ouarzazate to Ait Ben Haddou to High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech

Today was our last leg of the trip before reaching Marrakesh. If you are into TV and film, this is the day for you. We started our day by a visit to Atlas Studio, where The Mummy and Prison Break were filmed. After we head to UNESCO World Heritage site, Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, the largest Kasbah and where parts of Game of Thrones was filmed. Completing our journey through the majestic Tizi n’Tichka pass, reaching an altitude of 2260m, over the High Atlas Mountains. We arrived in Marrakech “the red city of Morocco” in the late afternoon. 

• Do: Hike to the top of Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
• Eat: La Trattoria
• See: Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah

Day 9: Marrakech

Because food is a very important part of exploring new places and cultures for us we always do food related activities in new-to-us destinations. This time we decided on a food tour! So we headed to a local cooking school located about 20 miles(29 km) from  Marrakech to learn how to prepare and cook a Moroccan meal. Later on, we headed back to Marrakech for a very relaxing Hamman, a traditional Moroccan bathing experience.  

• Do: Moroccan Hammam 
• Eat: All the food you made at a Moroccan cooking class

Day 10: Marrakech

Today was our last full day in Morocco. We spend all of it exploring the city, starting with a walking guided tour of the medina of Marrakech to get more information about this imperial city and its history.  The owner of the tour company, Said, was our guide! We visited the hidden Saadian tombs built during the reign of Sultan Ahmed El Mansour in 1557, strolled through the Jewish Quarter and explored the famous Bahia Palace, with its fantastic courtyards and mosaic walls built for Bou Ahmed. After a very filling lunch of lamb slowly roasted in a hole in the ground we ended up at the D’jemaa el Fna Square, one of the most well-known areas of Morocco.

• Do: Get lost in the medina of Marrakech 
• Eat: Lamb roasted in the ground 
• Drink: Juice from any stand at the D’jemaa el Fna Square

Day 11: Casablanca

Today we had an early afternoon flight to Lisbon, Portugal so after breakfast at our airport hotel we said “see you later” to Morocco.

You should definitely check out our YouTube channel to see how exciting and adventurous our Morocco trip was! We have some amazing videos that will make you want to travel even more. Don’t wait, watch the awesome sights and sounds of our journey and join us on this amazing ride! We’re sure you won’t want to miss out on a great experience!