Visiting Morocco was a bucket list destination for me. I dreamed of walking the crowded souks and getting lost in the maze, of counting the endless stars in the burnt orange desert, of photographing the architecture, and of hiking with monkeys. Our 10 days went by in a flash, and ever since, I’ve been planning our next return trip.
Our itinerary for exploring Morocco in 10 days:
Day 1: Fly into Marrakech: Depending on where you’re flying in from, you’ll arrive late morning or early afternoon. We flew from Los Angeles to London (spending the night) and then took an early-bird flight to Marrakech. Use this first day to check into your hotel and get acquainted with the medina and souks. Browse the shops, but don’t buy- —just familiarize yourself with the souks, the goods they are selling, your riad and the area. After an exciting day in the souks, plan on a fancy dinner at La Sultana, where you can feast on tagine, pigeon pie, and seafood dishes.
Where to stay: Choosing a riad
Marrakech is divided into two main areas. There is the old city, with the souks, tiny alleyways, and markets that make up the largest square in Morocco, and you have the new city, filled with Burger Kings and popular mainstream European stores like Zara and Louis Vuitton. If you’re looking for a more traditional experience, consider staying in a riad in the old city rather than a regular hotel.
A riad is a traditional Moroccan house with a central courtyard, many times open air, and many with their own restaurants. Riads can range from having only one courtyard and four rooms on different levels surrounding it, all the way to a palace, where guests have an entire riad all to themselves. Riads were first developed to help with a family’s privacy and to protect from the hot Moroccan heat. Most courtyards will have a fountain or some type of water feature in the center.
To experience several types, we split our trip up into two days at each: The Royal Mansour (actually a 5-minute walk outside of the old city but with ultimate luxury accommodations); The Riad Kniza, a luxury riad in the heart of the old city; and a more affordable option Riad Al Loune, still beautiful inside with a private pool.
Marrakech Day 2: Take a cooking class. Introduce yourself to the local foods of Morocco by learning how to make them yourself. Most cooking classes start with a tour of the souks and show you how to buy the vegetables and meats from the local sellers. Many riads and hotels offer cooking classes in the hotel. If you’re staying outside of the medina, consider a cooking class at another riad or hotel to get yet another viewpoint of the city.
Day 3-6: Desert Trek: Embark on a 4-day desert trek. It’s about 10 hours out to the desert (with stops along the way) and you’ll want at least 2 days at the desert to fully enjoy your experience. Don’t rush yourself or the driver and let him take you to see some of the sights along the way. *If you have even more time, you can spend more nights out in the desert. This itinerary gave us just a taste, but they were some of the most amazing moments of our entire trip. I don’t think we needed more time, but it was a lot of driving on the first and last days, so if you get car sick easily, bring Dramamine and lots of water.
Picking the right tour for you:
There are many desert tours from Marrakech and Fes, and depending on the length of trip you desire, you can add a bunch of road trip stops along the way. We chose a shorter trek, only 3 days, with Authentic Morocco and wanted to experience as much as the desert as possible, telling our guide to skip some of the stops, if he could. With this itinerary, we would stop at Todra Gorge (another must-see in Morocco) before making it to the luxury camping site to spend the first night. On the second day, we stopped to have lunch with a local Berber family and experienced Gnawa music before meeting up for our camel ride into the desert.
Day Trip Day 7: Settled back into a new riad and after a good, long shower, organize the Three Valleys tour or a tour of the Ozoud Waterfall with Viator. Two of the best tours from Marrakech, both options give you a very unique perspective of Morocco after the desert tour and city life. You’ll be out all day, so plan to dine at your riad that night.
Days 8-9: Day trip: Essaouira. You can do this beachside tour one of two ways. If you only have one day, no worries. Sign up for a guided tour, and you’ll be able to see the highlights of this town easily in 10 hours. If you have more time, plan to take the first SupraTours bus out from Marrakech and spend the night, catching the next morning bus back. This way you can enjoy the nightlife and try some of the cities incredible dining options at night. Essaouira also has a market place, and since it’s much smaller, it might seem more doable if you don’t love crowds. The colors of the city are completely different from Marrakech, so keep your camera ready there, too.
Day 10: Return to Marrakech and depart for home. If you haven’t bought a souvenir, you could head back into the souk now that you have a better idea of pricing and what goods are sold. We bought a Moroccan wedding blanket our last day, and it’s still a cherished item in our home that I love seeing every single day to remind me of our trip.
While we didn’t make it to every big city in Morocco, this gave us a great first impression and I’m ready to go back. Now we need to visit Fes, Tangier, Ouarzazate and others.
This post is in partnership with Travel Mindset and Visit Morocco.
