We decided on our trip to Morocco a little last minute. I had to squeeze it in, which means I had just under 2 weeks to enjoy the country! With this Morocco itinerary, you’ll see what I thought would be the best of what to do and see. Of course, you can’t “do” a country in two weeks but you’ll definitely see a lot from mountains to desert, cities, beaches, and tiny blue villages.
Things to Do Before You Spend 2 Weeks in Morocco
Flying In & Out
I suggest flying into one airport and out another. Flights here from Europe on budget airlines are so affordable that it’s not worth wasting days traveling via train to get back to your arrival airport.
For this itinerary, you’ll fly into Fes and out of Marrakesh. I used Kiwi.com because with the change in airports and wanting to search budget airlines, this was the only site that made it possible.
- When flying budget with check-in luggage always book ahead. You sometimes can do it on the airline site and other times you need to do it on the booking site. You will get a better price paying ahead than at the counter.
Insurance
Make sure you have travel insurance ahead of time. I book with World Nomads; here’s an article about how they work and why I use them.
Packing for Morocco
Make sure you read up my other articles about how to dress in Morocco and what to buy while you’re here.
The Perfect Morocco Itinerary for 2 Weeks
2 Days in Chefchaouen for the Blue City
This is the blue town you’ve seen all over Pinterest. It’s magical and beautiful. It’s completely unforgettable, AND it’s my favorite place in Morocco. People are chilled here. Might be to do with the huge hash industry.
When you fly into Fes you can choose to stay there and then go to Chefchaouen, but I suggest going straight up to Chefchaouen from the airport. From here on out, you’ll then just be working your way down to the ending point in Marrakesh to fly out.
You’ll be tired from the flight, so it’s good to just get it over with! Just grab a taxi for about 70 bucks each way.
Where to Stay in Chefchaouen
I stayed in Auberge Dardara because I wanted to be a bit out of town, and they’re known for their good food. If you want to stay more centrally, try Casa Perleta or Lina Riad and Spa.
More on Chefchaouen:
- My Pinterest Dreams Came True in Chefchaouen
- Chefchaouen Travel Tips: EVERYTHING You Need to Know
- The OC Travel Report of Chefchaouen
3 Days in Fes for Shopping
Fes is next. It’s known as the laid-back version of Marrakesh. I did not find that to be true. We did get better prices here on rugs and leather poufs than in Marrakesh though. If you’re coming to shop, this is the spot.
You’ll want to visit the tanneries which is where leather gets made. It’s not for the faint of heart. It really smells as well.
Where to Stay in Fes
The best thing about Fes was our hotel, Karawan Riad. It’s commonly listed as one of the best design hotels in the WORLD. You can read my review of Karawan Riad here and see more photos on my site, Omni Curated.
Shopping in Fes
The medina in Fes is the largest and oldest in the world, dating to the 800s. You WILL get lost. People here are more aggressive than what we found elsewhere. Do not let someone “show you the way” unless you want to pay them. If you don’t pay, it could get very bad. We told someone no, we would find our way as we are from India and knew this style of hustling. He followed us anyway and once we reached our destination they had to threaten to call police and eventually when we left (he was waiting) escort us to a taxi while PHYSICALLY holding this man back.
The NE of the medina is the coolest tannery called Chouara Tannery. Your hotel can show you on a map. Again, we encountered people trying to scam us here. You can see the tannery from above for free. If you go down the steps where they invite you as if it’s the entrance, they want money. From here there is a famous rug shop here, Chez Hamidou. You can get good deals but I found the bargaining here aggressive and almost left with nothing. It’s not like India at all where negotiating happens with a smile.
It is recommended by every hotel to have a guide. We were there for serious shopping so didn’t want a guide (it makes you look richer than you might be) but man would one have been helpful on many occasions.
Getting Around Fes
Taxis are VERY cheap. It was only 2 euros to get almost anywhere, though they don’t go in the medina. It is VERY worthwhile to exit via a medina gate and get a taxi to your hotel or next spot to visit in the medina rather than getting lost inside.
Where to Eat in Fes
Keep in mind *NO* top restaurants in Morocco are cheap. Finding affordable, good, food is a struggle.
I recommend going to Cafe Clock for lunch and shopping in this area. It’s on the West side of the Medina. If you’re thinking that this doesn’t look great keep in mind good food is hard to find (we tried so hard) and this kind of the best you’ll get unless someone invites you into their home.
Other places to try:
- Dar Roumana for dinner but you have to make a reservation. The fill up fast!
- Ruined Garden for lunch It’s near Cafe Clock which I mentioned above.
Where Else to Go in Fes
Visit the Kairaouine Mosque. For sightseeing this is probably the #1 thing to do but non-Muslims cannot enter. You can just peek inside.
“Fez is still the most intact, least modernized medina in the Arab world and one of the largest car-free urban spaces on the planet, but it’s changing. Sixty years ago, the writer Paul Bowles met people here who had never seen a car. That’s not to say there were no cars in Fez, but they were in the Ville Nouvelle, the new town that sits above the ancient city, and those people had made it a point of honour not to walk out of the gates to see the newfangled contraptions. Such determination has shaped Fez, making it one of the last bastions of the medieval world.” CN Traveler
5 Days in Marrakesh for Sightseeing
Getting to Marrakesh
Take the train from Fes. It’s 7 hours and cheap. It’s VERY comfortable and totally safe in my opinion. Trains here were built by the French and are notoriously on time and clean. We went second class. It was not bad at all. A taxi will cost you a fortune.
Compared to Fes the medina here is mall, but the city as a whole is very big. There is more “tourist” stuff to do here than Fes.
I wrote a FULL guide to 5 days in Marrakesh. For people having only 5 days, I recommended they go to the desert just for a day trip. With two weeks in Morocco I recommend that you do the desert overnight.
Where to Stay in Marrakesh
Marrakesh is fantastic and there are SO many great hotels. I stayed at 3 and wrote reviews on all of them:
- El Fenn – located in the medina, FANTASTIC hotel with dipping pools. Book here & check my review here
- Riad Star Hotel – located in the medina, a little more affordable. Book here & check my review here
- Les Cinq de Djellabas – favorite hotel here, just outside of town! Ten huts with amazing design and a HUGE pool. Book here & check my review here
For More on Marrakesh
2 Days in the Desert for a Little Luxury Adventure
Getting to the Dessert
So you could possible get out to the Sahara, but it’s 10 hours each way so it’s a lot of driving just to stay one night. Whatever you book, arrange that the transport is in the price- it should be anyway.
Because of that, I recommend going somewhere closer to Marrkesh, not the Sahara, but still desert so that you can have the experience without getting worn out.
If you have more time or want to chop off Essaouria from the list, then go for the Sahara! If camels and deserts are what you are looking forward to, you could definitely consider going to the Sahara and not Essaouria.
I went to Scarabeo Desert Camp which was a boutique property and definitely a “glamping” experience. You can read my review here. They picked us up from our hotel and dropped us back.
2 Days in Essaouira
Getting to Essaouira
Personally, I didn’t make it here as I had just under two weeks (12 days) but if you have the extra time you can do 1 or 2 days here as they even offer day trips from Marrakesh. It’s a 2.5 hour drive with a taxi which I’d guess would cost about 35 dollars based on our other long distance journeys (Fes to Chefchaouen).
You can take the train for just 10 dollars. This is my favorite app to see what options you have: Rome2Rio. The prices listed for taxi are high though here. I checked routes I took and I got much better rates than what is listed.
Here’s a shopping guide to Essaouira.
Where to Go in Morocco if You Have More Time
Casablanca
It’s called the Miami of Morocco because of its Art Deco. It’s a more modern city.
Tangier
Coastal town. Friends say it’s one of their favorites. It’s a melting pot here and ancient.
South coastal town
My boyfriend used to live in the South which is were all the surfing happens. It’s a big drive and if you go down here you’ll want to stay awhile. For me, it’ll be a separate trip.
Sahara
Like I said above, with 10 days you might not go all the way to the Sahara but you can still have desert experiences.
For More on Morocco
What would you put in your Morocco itinerary?
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I liked Tangiers, though, as a solo woman, I wasn’t always at ease the way I was in other places. I adored Marrakesh and Fes.
Thanks for sharing. I thought Fes was a little more difficult than Marrakesh which is odd because all the guidebooks and blog say the other way around, so maybe I had bad luck.
This post is wonderful! Morocco is on my bucket list! Thanks for sharing :)
I’m in love with your blog, so glad I found it.
Kelsey x | http://www.seaofwanderlust.com
I’m glad you found it too, I hope you make it to Morocco!
Interesting you didn’t mention Casablanca as one of the top places to go (just “if you have time”). I’ve heard it’s nowhere near as interesting as people think it is – it’s just the name that sounds so exotic…
I didn’t make it Casablanca but my train went through so I had the option and time to explore it a couple days – I just didn’t feel like it after reading about it. If anything, I would have added on Tangier but Casablanca didn’t appeal to me as much! Probably heard the same things as you :)
Found the article to be really helpful! quick question, how did you reserve your accommodations with Scarabeo Desert Camp? Their site has no booking option. Also, roughly how much was your accommodations with them? Thank you!
Hi Chelsea, I did it via their email service. We didn’t stay the night we went for the day, had lunch and did the camel ride but I went inside the tents and they are sooo cute. there are different rooms so some have makeshift bathrooms with showers and others don’t so you go use a shared shower space
This is great Rachel! My girlfriend and I are planning to go there during Thanksgiving. Do you think that’s a good time to go? We only have a week so any suggestions on where we should focus? Chefchaouen looks amazing and we definitely want to check that out.
Hello,
I have a small question for you. Why did you not include Agadir in your itinerary?
For only two weeks, there were many places I couldn’t include like Tangier and Casablanca – I chose the ones I wanted to visit the most.
I was in Casablanca 2 years ago. Not much to do except the mosque and hanging on the beach. 2 days was enough for me, then a daytrip to Marrakech before leaving Morocco.
Hello Rachel,
Just about to plan for our Morocco trip in March and we both want to hit Tangier, Marrakesh and maybe Casablanca. What do you recommend we do if we only have 9 days in Morocco?
I would just like to say that you have come a long way with your photography!! I’ve just come across your site this past month and have gone through it in its entirety for all the interesting facts and unique writing style. These are my favourite pics of the bunch. Thanks for sharing your travels with us all.
Cheers
Aaron
def using this for my december trip! thank you