A Very Efficient Morocco Itinerary for 3 Weeks

This past June, my friend, Autumn, and I went to new country for both of us — Morocco! I’m quite proud of how well we planned this trip, so I thought I’d share a very thorough overlook of our Morocco itinerary for 3 weeks (roughly) — what we did, where we stayed, and more. 

When I found out Autumn had landed a gig teaching English in the Canary Islands, I immediately began planning out when and how to go see her. Turns out, getting from the US to Tenerife is easier and cheaper said than done. No time seemed to work out quite right, and when I was planning to go in the winter, it was way too expensive to fly. 

As time went by, Autumn discovered island life didn’t quite suit her, and the dates I could come visit coincided with her contract ending. We then decided to see where else we could go in the area. Since she spent most of her vacation time around Europe, she didn’t want to repeat any countries. At some point Morocco came up as I’d always wanted to go since I was student in Madrid, and we figured, why not?

Whelp, here’s our itinerary all laid out if you want to follow something similar!

Tips for Your Morocco Itinerary

How to Pack for Morocco

First of all, bring a carry-on suitcase or a backpack. A lot of riads have pretty narrow staircases, so huge suitcases will be an actual nightmare to have to drag around.

Also, dress on the conservative side, but don’t worry about being totally covered-up. I wrote more about what to wear in Morocco here.

How to Map Things Out

Basically what we did was map everything out in a giant loop. Our original itinerary began in Tangier and ended in Casablanca, but for you guys, I swapped it out for Marrakech because it’s less time on a bus! I tried to give us a decent amount of time in each area because the transit in between was long. The shortest bus ride we had was 2 hours.

Also make sure you download the Morocco map on Maps.Me for when you can use wifi or your SIM, and because sometimes it was a more accurate than Google.

How to Get Around

This itinerary is entirely by bus, either CTM or Supratours, except for in Ouarzazate, where I recommend renting a car. Check out my full guide on how to get around Morocco for more details on what to expect.

How to Budget for This Trip

Sooooo, I’m not the best person to budget, but I do have a rough idea because of tax season. My trip overall cost about $1,750, and it would possibly be a bit more if I was flying to Morocco from the States instead of from Europe. Morocco is pretty cheap. You can do it even cheaper than we did if you go hostel all the way and opt out of some of the more luxury options (ie luxury glamping, a hammam experience, shopping etc).

SIM Cards for Morocco

I actually didn’t get a SIM card for my phone until we got to Fes. It was pretty easy and cheap. I got mine from Orange since Inwi said they didn’t offer tourist SIMs. I did the 30 day SIM for 5GB and, according to my notes, I paid 50 MAD or around $5 USD for it (not sure if I wrote that correctly?!).

Tangier (3 Nights)

There are two good reasons to visit Tangier: to see a bit of Morocco’s Spanish side and to be in the closest major city to Chefchaouen. Tangier is right at the northern border along the Straight of Gibraltar. I think you can literally do a day trip from Spain to Tangier if you wanted to!

WHERE TO STAY IN TANGIER

We were trying top keep things as budget-friendly as possible, so we chose to stay at Tanja Lucia Hostel in a 4-female dorm. It was an okay place to stay, especially if you’re in a small group. It’s right in the medina and one of the hosts is super helpful and friendly, but I did have some issues with it. Namely an older man who seemed to be living there long term and made us a bit uncomfortable and later we founded out one of the hosts had gotten our friend’s number from her reservation and was texting her inappropriately.

Other places we looked into:

• Hotel Maram
• Airbnb Room in Tangier
• Dar Essaki 1886
• Tangier Chez Habitant

Day 1: Fly into Tangier

Because I wanted to start the trip in Chefchaouen, we decided to fly into Tangier and spend one full day here as it’s the closest major city. In this itinerary, I added a second full day so you can also visit the Cape of Hercules, which is something I’d like to do now!

Autumn got into town before me and she just bargained with a taxi to get in for 150 MAD. However, our hostel is a bit hidden, so she got lost a bit and later told me to just have the hostel arrange a pickup. Since I got in so late, mine was 250 MAD.

Take this travel day to just relax a bit and get acclimated to the area! Rest a bit before you head into town. Tangier is definitely a bit rougher looking than other cities in this itinerary, but it’s still got some charm. The hostel is right near a bunch of different restaurants, so you can always pop into a random one to get dinner.

Day 2: Walk Around Tangier

On our main day in Tangier, we pretty much walked all around for hours! I don’t really have any specific tips because we just got out of the city and walked along the water.

I will say we started at a place called Cafe Central for breakfast. It was okay, good enough. What we really liked was our early dinner at Rif Kebdani.

Day 3: Day Trip to Cape of Hercules

Basically out in Cape Spartel, which is a good 9 miles from Tangier, there’s the Cave of Hercules which has two openings: to the sea and to the land. According to mythology, Hercules once stayed in this cave before completing his 11th labor to retrieve the golden apples from Hesperides Garden.

I didn’t realize how close we were until it was too late in Tangier, or else I would have tried to visit! I’m sure you could bargain with a taxi to get there, but the cave is usually included on most Tangier tours.

Chefchaouen (2 Nights)

Ahh the blue city of Chefchaouen! As seen in just about every Instagram feed of someone who’s been to Morocco, this city definitely lives up to its reputation. While it’s a photographer’s dream, you really only need a full day here. We spent 2 days and 3 nights, and the whole second day we were pretty sure we were just photographing the same things!

WHERE TO STAY IN CHEFCHAOUEN

Wherever you stay, I’d look for places in the medina. We stayed at Dar Antonio, which was a very cute place if you’re on a budget. The only downside is that we didn’t have a private bathroom, though it was next to our room. The terrace was the nicest to sit and relax when the day got too hot. Check here for rates + availability

Other places we looked at:

• Casa a Chauen Guest House
• Casa Karam with Terrace
• Usha Guest House
• Casa La Hiba
• Dar Lalla Chafia
• La Maisonette
• Casa Meryem

Day 4: Tangier – Chefchaouen (2-3 hours)

It should take about 2 hours to get to Chefchaouen by CTM, but I think it took us over 3 with all the stops. You can go to the CTM Station in Tangier or the Gare, which has a lot of other local and slightly cheaper bus companies. If your bus is full or you missed the time, just get one to Tétouan and switch to a Chefchaouen bus there.

If you leave Tangier when we did, you’ll get to Chefchaouen around late afternoon. Once you drop off your things, check out Lala Mesouda for dinner.

Afterwards, walk around before the sun sets and grab dessert at this Belgian place called Zakaria Chocolat Patisserie Belge. If you’re staying at Dar Antonio, there’s no breakfast, so you may want to pick up some pastries or eggs for tomorrow morning.

Days 5: Chefchaouen

Get out before 10 am to enjoy a nice, calm medina and have the blue alleyways mostly to yourself. Today is a chill day to enjoy Chefchaouen before you have a longer travel day tomorrow.

After walking around the blue alleyways, make your way to the main square and the kasbah. Pay to go in! It’s worth it to climb up and get a beautiful view of the whole area, plus the gardens are also lovely.

From there, make your way to Restaurant Hicham for a late lunch. It was such a nice restaurant to relax, and we got the cheese salad and some couscous.

I think by then we went back to our room to take a nap and avoid the worse of the heat, but you could easily keep exploring down the blue alleyways.

Depending on what time of year you go, or if you want to spend more time in Chefchaouen, there’s supposed to be a nice waterfall hike nearby as well. If you’re not into spending a ton of time around the blue medina, this could be a nice alternative activity.

Fes (3 Nights)

Fes is one of the most historical cities to visit in Morocco, and its medina as well as its tannery are famous. I felt like the medina could get claustrophobic very easily, and it’s probably the place I’d feel least comfortable on my own. Autumn went out once by herself and came back vowing never to leave without me again lol.

WHERE TO STAY IN FES

You kind of have two choices depending on where you want to be — in the thick of things in the medina or just a bit outside of it for something more peaceful. We opted to stay right in the medina at Riad Dar Lmallouki, which I’d recommend just for walkability purposes.

Our hosts were the loveliest, though don’t expect a ton of quiet privacy considering the windows open up to the main courtyard below. We enjoyed the breakfast, and they even threw in doing our laundry for no extra cost. Would 10/10 stay here again just based on how lovely they were! Check here for rates + availability

Where else we looked:

• Dar Faracha
• Fés Touria Palace
• Dar Lemrabet
• Riad Jamai
• Dar Mehdi
• Riad Tayba

Day 6: Chefchaouen – Fes (4-5 Hours)

We caught a noon-ish CTM bus from Chefchaouen to Fes. Our place was near the Blue Gate, so our hosts met us there to take us through the medina. 

You’ll have the evening to still walk around once you get to Fes, so check out the medina and grab dinner at Al Oud, which is a super short walk from the riad. Get the pastilla there! It was so good, and Fes is known for its pastilla dishes.

Day 7: Fes

Today’s the day for some sightseeing and shopping in Fes. I really wish we had gone on some walking tour or something because a lot of what we did below felt like we were just going, taking a photo, and moving on. Like it would have been nice to have a local tour guide telling us the history or importance instead of some rough Googling later.

I would recommend looking into some sort of medina tour, food walking tour, or a handicraft tour.

However, here’s the path we took if you’d still rather DIY:

CHOUARA TANNERY

The one big thing I read to buy here is leather, so I wanted to buy some nice sandals and/or mules. We walked all the way to the Chouara Tannery, where you can see them softening and dying the leather. I paid like 300 MAD for two pairs of shoes at the shop there. I’m sure I overpaid but whatever, I bargained him down a bit.

OTHER SPOTS IN/NEAR THE MEDINA

From there, we kind of just made our way back through the medina. Stop by the Medersa Attarine, which used to be a student dormitory. The courtyard is beautiful with all its mosaic designs.

Wind your way back through the Blue Gate, and then make your way out to the Royal Palace, stopping at the Jnan Sbil gardens on your way. The doors here are quite cool, but that’s literally all you can see of the palace.

OLD JEWISH QUARTER

We then walked over to the Synagogue Ibn Danan for a short stop. It was an odd experience to say the least, and quite a distance from the medina. At this point we were exhausted and desperate for some A/C and water. We actually walked a little bit more to a mall nearby as a girl we were with wanted to go. I just remember getting there and chugging water while downing a frozen yogurt. Not the most #authentic experience lol. We didn’t even try walking back; just got a taxi.

DINNER

By the time you’ve done this route, you’re going to be very tired and dehydrated. If you get hungry later, just pop out to nearby Snack Chrif, which has some delicious shawarma and owners who don’t harass you to come in!

Day 8: Day Trip from Fes

We didn’t spent this long in Fes, but if I think one more day would have been nice to do a day trip out of the city. I think this one that goes to Meknes, Volubilis, and Moulay Idriss would be a super cool experience.

Meknes is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco with Fes, Marrakech, and Rabat. Volubilis is this thousands year old ruins complex, and Moulay Idriss is home to the tomb of Morocco’s first Islamic ruler, Idris I, and considered very holy. Lots of history in one day!

When you get back, you can also try out Cinema Cafe for something more modern. I’d rather go back to Al Oud though; it’s closer and the food is better.

Day 9: Fes & Fes – Merzouga

So the only bus from Fes to Merzouga is an overnight Supratours bus. It won’t be fun; I’m just warning you.

However, this does give you the whole day free before you have to go find the bus station (which is right across the street from the train station). If you have any last minute things to buy, this is the time!

For a nice little cafe to relax in, check out Made in M right near Al Oud and the Airbnb I recommended above. Really nice desert!

To get to the bus station, you’ll need to get a taxi.

Merzouga (1 Night)

One of the top things to do in Morocco is to experience it’s stunning desert landscapes. Most people do a multi-day Fes or Marrakech excursion but we added ours into our loop. We opted to do Erg Chebbi, but another popular one is to do Erg Chigaga near Zagora. The closest town to Erg Chebbi is Merzouga, and you can quite literally walk to the dunes from town if it so behooves you.

WHERE TO STAY IN MERZOUGA

This is my only piece of advice. Don’t be dumb like us and stay somewhere without air conditioning and a pool. I don’t even know how I stupidly looked at a place without either. The dessert is f***ing hot — dry, torturous heat.

If you read my desert camping post, it’s pretty much me lowkey complaining about heat exhaustion the whole time. Honestly, the minute we woke up from our bus to the minute I laid down on my bed in Ouarzazate, I was uncomfortably hot. I remember on our last night at Family Moroccan House, we were both basically sleeping naked, and I kept waking up to pour water on myself just to feel a bit of coolness. Stay at nearby Riad Ali instead because you’re going to want to pay to use their pool anyway.

Other places to stay:

• Auberge Le Petit Prince 
• Riad Dar Hassan
• Kasbah Mohayut

Day 10: Merzouga

You’ll arrive to Merzouga anywhere from 6-7 am. The hotels there are used to people arriving via this way, so they’ll know to pick you up or help you get to your place. Then you can sleep for a bit in the morning.

Once you’re awake, spend your day lounging at the pool or enjoying your air conditioning. It’s frankly too hot to do much else.

In the afternoon, you’ll go to the Sahara! We left around 6pm on camels and had time to enjoy the sunset and go to our camp. Let me just say, I’m good on riding camels in the future. I’ll opt for the car or something less hard on my inner thigh area.

Ouarzazate (3 Nights)

It’s kind of funny that Ouarzazate became our favorite stop because it was only supposed to be a brief layover so we didn’t have to go through a 12 hour bus ride from Merzouga to Marrakech. However, when Autumn had a little more leeway with her schedule, we decided to add an extra night, and I’m adding another night on for you guys so you have more time to sightsee.

Turns out, this city is a lot more than a brief pit stop between Marrakech and the desert! It’s kind of Morocco’s own Hollywood, and there are a lot of really cool things to do in Ouarzazate!

WHERE TO STAY IN OUARZAZATE

I could go on about how much I loved Dar Rita. The owners were so friendly, and the room was beyond nice. I don’t know if it’s because we were coming from our shittiest accommodation experience, but I practically sobbed as I fell onto my bed with the A/C right overhead. Not only that but the wifi was the fastest we experienced in the country! Check rates & availability here

If Dar Rita is booked, you can also try:

• Rose Noire
• Le Temple Des Arts

Day 11: Sahara Desert & Merzouga – Ouarzazate

So here’s where I’d deviate from our itinerary. We stayed in Merzouga for another night, which I would not recommend. (I also don’t recommend getting bitten by a cat, but that’s a different story altogether). Ask your hotel to arrange to leave early so you can catch an 8:00 am shuttle to Ouarzazate. You’ll still catch the sunrise in the morning around 6:00 AM, and then hopefully they can get you can get you a car to take you back to your hotel. You’ll miss camp breakfast, but you’re not missing much.

From your hotel, a shuttle should come around 8:00 AM. It should cost the same (around 150 MAD) for a shuttle or the CTM bus, and this way you don’t need to lug your suitcases to the CTM station. It’s roughly 6 or so hours to get to Ouarzazate.

Once you’ve checked in and cooled off (even the shuttle was getting warm), walk over to La Gironde for dinner. The waiter was beyond friendly and, of course, the food was delicious! By this point I was fully in love with harira, so I wanted it everywhere we went.

After dinner, walk around downtown Ouarzazate, which is quite nice and open. This was the first time we really saw local women out on their own as well as families, so we actually felt comfortable!

Days 12: Ben Ait Haddou & Telouet Kasbah

We packed in a lot in one day. It was honestly too much, and I just remember dying by the time we got to Atlas Studios. I added a 2nd day to spread out your sightseeing because, really, it’s worth it.

CAR RENTAL

Starting on your first full day, I recommend renting a car for two days. One downside to Ouarzazate is that everything is pretty spread out. While you can book a day trip out to see some of the big sights, a car really does give you a lot of freedom for stopping and taking in the epic landscapes you’re about to see.

Now, first things first, do not go to a name brand rental place, like Europcar or Avis. Here’s the location of the almost hole-in-the-wall place we tried. It was 520 MAD or 40 euros for 24 hours vs. Europcar’s quote 1600 MAD!

Also, be warned that the cars are all manual and the roads get very winding. Autumn is pro driver, so she was fine, but I obviously would have been screwed if it was just me.

BEN AITHADDOU

Once you have your car, route your way to first Aït Benhaddou! It’ll take maybe 30-45 minutes. Get there before 11/12 to avoid being with a lot of day trippers from Marrakech. It’s such a cool area, and it’ll be recognizable from “Game of Thrones” or Gladiator. The village goes all the way back to the 1600s!

We parked near the signs for the tourist center, in front of a hotel and paid the attendant 10 or 15 MAD and then walked over from there.

TELOUET KASBAH

From Aït Benhaddou, drive about another hour to the Telouet Kasbah. This whole drive is full of the most incredible views, so we kept getting out to take them in. The kasbah is half ruins, half a restored area where you can see some more mosaic interior designs.

When you get back to Dar Rita, the parking is kind of awkward, but the owner can come out and help you.

Day 13: Ouarzazate – Atlas Studios & Taourirt Kasbah

To start your day, head over to Atlas Studios. Don’t go to the Atlas Studios museum which I heard wasn’t that great. We couldn’t even get in because they were filming or working on something, so it was closed.

Instead you want to look for Oscar Hotel, which you can also actually stay at. This is where all the film sets are. There’s a huge China and Egypt set, and way out there’s this castle that looked super cool. All the blog posts we read talked about how abandoned it felt and how they could walk around it freely, but it was closed for filming when we went.

Anyway, you can also stop at the Cinema Museum, if you have the time/energy! Another stop I would have liked to make was to the Taourirt Kasbah, which was the former palace for the el Glaoui clan and a bit newer of a structure.

Marrakech (4 Nights)

Ahh Marrakech, the main city to visit in Morocco! Like most people who only come for a few days, base themselves here, and it’s the city best suited for tourists and travelers. If I could go back, I’d add in an extra night because there’s a lot of sightseeing we wound up not doing either due to time or the structures themselves were closed.

WHERE TO STAY IN MARRAKECH

Simbbaaa! When we walked into our place in Marrakech, the first thing I noticed was the adorable cat the owner had! His name was Simba, and I still think about how cheeky and cute he was. Jessica, a lovely French woman, owns Riad the Ocher City, and she and her sister were so friendly and helpful. Our room was beautiful, and the location is quite convenient. Breakfast is about 50 MAD extra but worth it! Check here for rates & availability

If it’s booked, we also looked at these:

• Private Room in Medina
• Dar D’Art
• Khadija Riad with Pool
• Riad Marrakech Shambala

Day 14: Ouarzazate – Marrakech (6 hours)

If you’re with more than one person, drop that person off at the CTM station with the luggage before dropping your car back off with the rental place. It’s only a 10-minute walk away. You can then take a late morning CTM bus onwards to Marrakech, which should take about 6-7 hours. 

If you want, you can book a nice spa experience in Marrakech through your riad. There’s was fancier, touristy hammam experience near our riad, but in retrospect I would have preferred to just get a massage and pedicure. My body temperature was still pretty high from the desert, and I could not relax or get comfortable the whole time.

It’ll be nighttime by the time you finish, so you can try going out to eat nearby. We did not. On our way in we saw a Korean fried chicken place and immediately decided we’d try order in and eat up on our riad’s terrace!

Day 15: Ouzoud Waterfalls Day Trip

For your first full day in Marrakech, I recommend leaving! Haha 

I mean, if you’re like me, you’re probably at the point where you’re over Moroccan cities and medinas. I know I was, and Marrakech was supposed to be the busiest of them all.

I didn’t relish the idea of dealing with more catcalling, crowded spaces, and shopkeepers or taxi drivers trying to rip us off. So I looked up different Marrakech excursions, and I found one to these super tall, cool looking waterfalls that also promised some swimming!

Done, done, and done. 

The trip to the Ouzoud Falls pretty much takes all day from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm. I was one of the first to get picked up, and then it was about 2 1/2 hour drive to the start of the hike. I really liked our guide and itinerary since he brought us to a swimming area that was different from the main falls part. I happily changed into my suit and swam until he called us out. Then we saw the falls with a fun, touristy boat ride, walked up to see some very friendly monkeys and another viewpoint, and then could get a late lunch before heading back on the bus. 

When I got back, Autumn and I got dinner in the medina at Corner Cafe. It has a lot of vegetarian options, and we were joined by another cat!

Day 16: Foodie Day in Marrakech

A full day for Marrakech finally. We started the morning early and went to Le Jardin Marjorelle. It’s a very pretty garden and also has the YSL Museum if you want to pay extra to go there. We went right in the morning at 8 AM to avoid the heat and the crowds. Then we walked back to get breakfast at our hotel.

If your hotel doesn’t offer breakfast, walk further and go to the Amal Centre for an early lunch. We basically walked back to our hotel, at breakfast, hung out for a bit, and then walk all the way back to have lunch there! You have to make reservations online, but it’s so worth it.

You could do some more sightseeing, or you could be like us and go back and digest all the food you ate so far because you’re ending the day with a food tour!

We collaborated with Marrakech Food Tours, which is owned by Amanda from MarocMama and her husband! You can just tell they have some serious insider knowledge of the food scene in Marrakech and just on what to eat in Morocco in general.

Their tour is worth every penny for the unique experiences. Like, I know for a fact you’re not going to be able to find half of these places on your own even if I give you the exact coordinates because they feel a bit hidden away or mixed in with other places.

Come hungry and open minded, because the food tour starts with a sheep’s head!

Day 17: Marrakech

We left Marrakech after this day, but I’d spent one more extra to do all of the things we totally skipped. There’s obviously a lot of cool places to see, like Bahia Palace, Koutoubia, Saadien’s Tombs, the Menara gardens, and a lot more.

Essaouira (2 Nights)

Essaouira has to be by far one of the most relaxed cities to visit in Morocco. The medina is so open, and the breeze takes away all the heat of Marrakech, Ouarzazate, and Merzouga. It really was the perfect way to end our rather efficient itinerary. I even slept up on the roof of our Airbnb so I could enjoy the cold nights!

WHERE TO STAY IN ESSAOUIRA

We stayed in a nice little Airbnb called Dar Moonlight, which felt like staying in someone’s apartment while they were gone. It’s right in the medina and quite central; plus someone can come to the bus station to show you how to get there. Check here for rates & availability

If Dar Moonlight is booked, try these:

• Private Room in a Riad
• Riad Salmiya
• Chems Bleu
• Riad Dar Awil
• Riad Essalam

Day 18: Marrakech – Essaouira (2-3 hours)

This was by far the smoothest trip between cities we had in terms of time and comfort! We were more than ready to escape the cities and desert vibes for the sea. We simply got a taxi from our riad in Marrakech to the bus station, and then our Airbnb host picked us up in Essaouira and walked us to our apartment.

Once you get to your accommodation, walk over to the fish market and eat a ton of fresh fish for dinner! They let you pick from their stand and then they’ll grill it. We got all of ours plus drinks for only 120 MAD. 

Once you’ve finished eating, it’ll be around sunset. Go over to the seaside and admire just how nice and bright and relatively peaceful Essaouira is!

Day 19: Essaouira

Really the city isn’t big; it’s just nice. Sleep in a little and enjoy not waking up sweating. There are quite a few chill things to do in Essaouira if you want to get to know the area better.

We just walked around down to the port, through the medina, and over to the beach. The port is where they filmed the Astapor scenes from “Game of Thrones” with the Unsullied, and you’ll also see the famous blue boats.

The beach is nice, but it was a bit too cold and windy for us to want to get our swimsuits, so we just sat on the wall and relaxed. I wanted to get some souvenirs for people, so we did do a teensy bit of shopping in the medina. 

Autumn was eager to use our Airbnb’s kitchen, so we went to the market where she picked out some vegetables and noodles for dinner. If you don’t want to cook, Le Corail is a great vegan spot.

Day 20: Essaouira

This your time to relax! Personally, I’d be pooped by this point in the trip, and all I’d want to do is wander a bit, buy some last minute souvenirs, and just chill somewhere nice and read a book.

However, if you do want one more adventure, there are a lot of different things to do. If riding camels wasn’t enough in the desert, you can also sign up to ride them again or even do a nice horseback ride. There’s also quad biking, kitesurfing, windsurfing, and regular surfing lessons for the more adventurous. I think if anything, I’d be more intrigued by a Gnawa music experience or visit to an Argan Forest.

End your day with another visit to the fish market because the more I think about how fresh and good that first fish meal was, the more I wish we’d gotten it once more.

Day 21: Essaouira – Marrakech & Fly Out

Now, don’t make the same mistake we did. Instead of just circling back to Marrakech and only dealing with a 2 hour bus ride, I thought I could squeeze in one more city and see a bit of Casablanca before flying from Mohammed V Airport. Wrong. It’s like 7 hours from Essaouira to Casablanca, so by the time we got there, all we did was eat at a random restaurant, then I slept and got a shuttle to the airport.

Instead, I could’ve stayed an extra night in Essaouira, had a relatively short and easy bus ride back, and then flown out of Marrakech! Which is what I recommend you do on your last day. Heck, if you didn’t want to take another bus, you could arrange a private transfer from your accommodation in Essaouira right to the Marrakech Airport!

What to Do if You Have More Time

If you have longer to spend in Morocco, here are some places I’d include.

Casablanca

Did you know none of the movie Casablanca wasn’t actually filmed in the city? If you’re a fan of the movie, you can go to a replica of Rick’s Cafe, but thats about it. The real sites I wanted to see were the Hassan Il Mosque and Casablanca cathedral. Casablanca isn’t as big of a tourist city as other places on this list; however this is where you can get the most local vibe as many Moroccans come here to work.

Tétouan

Only about an hour away, I’d take the day to go over to Tétouan as it looked like such a pretty city. There’s this half day tour from Tangier to make your life easier or you could stay the night here before continuing on to Chefchaouen.

Sidi Ifni

To get a little more of southern Morocco, head all the way down to Sidi Ifni. This is another area in Morocco that’s heavily influenced by Spain as it belonged to them until 1969. Another big feature is Legzira Beach, which is about 20 minutes away and is famous for its huge rock arch over the beach. It’s about a 3-hour drive from Agadir, so you could do a day trip if you don’t have time to go down and stay overnight.

Agadir

If you want to venture further south of Essaouira and stay along the coast, your next big stop should be Agadir. The city is mostly known for its beach resorts and is fairly new since most of it was rebuilt in the sixties after an earthquake. I feel like I’d include this stop if I wanted a more vacation-y experience with lots of sand and sun. However, if you still want to do something, you could book this half-day tour to learn more about the history or do a day trip north of the city to Paradise Valley for some light hiking.

Rabat

Considering it’s the capital of Morocco and one of its four imperial cities, not many people think to include Rabat in their travel plans, myself included. Apparently it’s nicer than Casablanca but still has similar local vibes. I think if I ever return to Morocco, I’d like to either flying in or out of Rabat.

Have you visited Morocco? What would you include on your itinerary?

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