2 Week Morocco Itinerary: Tangier, Marrakesh, the Sahara, Fez & Chefchaouen

Two weeks, one loop, zero backtracking. This is the Morocco route we'd plan if we were starting over: fly into Tangier, ride the train south through Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakesh, spend three days getting sand in everything on a Sahara trip that drops you in Fez, then wander up to the blue lanes of Chefchaouen and loop back to Tangier for your flight out.

We've written full guides to most of these stops, so this post is the connective tissue: how many days each place deserves, how to get between them, and where to cut if you're tight on time. We haven't been to Fez or Chefchaouen yet, so we'll keep those short and honest.

Here's the route at a glance:

Morocco Itinerary Logistics

When to go: Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are easiest. Summer in Marrakesh and the Sahara is brutal, and we felt the heat even outside peak season. Winter nights in the desert get cold.

Trains: ONCF runs Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakesh on one main line, and the high-speed Al Boraq trains cover the northern part of it. Book in advance, especially for Fridays and Sundays.

Visas, money, SIM: Check our Marrakesh guide for visa rules, tipping, paying in cash vs card, and safety basics. If you want data the second you land, compare eSIMs here.

LGBTQ+ travelers: Homosexuality is criminalized in Morocco, so discretion matters. We cover what's realistic in our Marrakesh guide and what we saw in Tangier's queer history.

Days 1-2: Tangier

Tangier is a gentle landing. We found it calm and with no aggressive vendors, which makes the first 48 hours of a Morocco trip a lot easier than starting in Marrakesh.

Day 1: Drop your bags in the medina (we stayed at Dar Souran, about 100 meters from Grand Socco). Wander the medina, climb up to the Kasbah, then have breakfast or mint tea around Petit Socco and Grand Socco. Finish at the Phoenician Tombs for sunset.

Day 2: Café Hafa (open since 1921) for tea over the sea, the American Legation, and the Jewish heritage sites. If you've got energy, do the Cape Spartel and Caves of Hercules excursion. Follow the queer landmarks route if that's your thing.

Days 3-5: Rabat & Casablanca (Pick Your Split)

Take the morning train from Tangier. You've got three days to divide between Morocco's capital and its biggest city, and you don't need to change hotels twice. Pick a base, then day-trip by train, since the two cities are on the same line.

Option A: 2 nights Rabat + 1 in Casablanca. Best if you like ruins, quiet streets and beaches.

• Rabat day 1: Chellah ruins (and the storks), Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.
• Rabat day 2: Kasbah des Oudayas, the medina, and a beach afternoon at Harhoura or Guy Plage. Cross the river to Salé if you want a more local feel. We stayed at Riad La Porte du Bouregreg in Salé.
• Casablanca day: Hassan II Mosque, the corniche, and dinner at Rick's Café.

Option B: 1 night Rabat + 2 in Casablanca. Best if you like architecture, food and big-city energy.

• Rabat: Do the highlights in one day: Hassan Tower, Oudayas, medina.
• Casablanca day 1: Art Deco facades, the Old Medina, Quartier Habous and Place Mohammed V.
• Casablanca day 2: Hassan II Mosque and the corniche, Rick's Café, then the Marina and Ocean Bridge. Our hotel here was the Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche, a two-minute walk from Casa Port station.

Whichever you choose, end the stretch in Casablanca, since the fast train to Marrakesh leaves from there.

Days 6-7: Marrakesh

Take the train from Casa Voyageurs to Marrakesh. You've now got two days to see a city that deserves five, so be picky.

Day 6: Get lost in the medina, visit Bahia Palace, and have mint tea on a rooftop. Book a traditional hammam in the late afternoon.

Day 7: Jardin Majorelle in the morning before the crowds, souvenir shopping in the souks in the afternoon, and dinner somewhere on our restaurant list. Go to bed early. Day 8 starts at 7:40 AM.

If you've got money to burn, a sunrise hot air balloon ride is an option, but it's a stretch with the desert trip right after. We'd skip it on a 14-day route.

For where to sleep, we'd split it: stay in the medina at a gay-friendly riad like Riad Kbour & Chou, since you need to be near the pickup points anyway. If you want to splurge and treat yourself a bit more, Palais Hassoun is where we crashed, but just note that it is about 20 minutes outside of Marrakesh by car.

Days 8-10: Sahara Desert Trip, Ending in Fez

This is the part of the trip we'd never skip. We rode camels at sunset, slept in a camp at the edge of the dunes, and woke up at 5 AM for the sunrise trek out.

The three days, in short:

• Day 8: Leave Marrakesh around 7:40 AM, cross the High Atlas, stop at the UNESCO site of Aït Benhaddou, and sleep in Tinghir.
• Day 9: Walk the Tinghir oasis, see Todra Gorge, then reach Merzouga for the camel ride, ATV quads (extra) and a night in the desert camp.
• Day 10: Sunrise camel trek, breakfast, and a very long drive north. Our tour returned to Marrakesh, but this route ends in Fez instead, which saves you the trip back to Marrakesh and a separate train or bus north. You'll arrive in the evening.

Days 11-12: Fez

We haven't visited Fez yet, so we won't pretend to give you an insider's tour. What we do know is that Fez el Bali, its medina, is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world and the city is often called Morocco's spiritual capital. After the desert, it's a good change of pace: slower, older and made for wandering.

Day 11: Hire a licensed guide for the medina in the morning. You'll thank yourself, since it's a maze. Visit the tanneries and the old madrasas.

Day 12: Wander on your own, eat well, and take a half-day tour if you want some context. There are tours from Casablanca that give you an idea of what the city offers.

You'll arrive late on day 10, so treat the evening as a shower, dinner and sleep.

Days 13-14: Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen is the famous blue city in the Rif mountains, and we haven't written a guide yet. We're linking Vogue's 8 Reasons to Put the Blue City on Your Bucket List in the meantime.

Take a bus or shared taxi from Fez, which is roughly 4 hours. Spend the afternoon in the blue medina, then do a sunrise or sunset viewpoint and a morning hike in the Rif on day 14.

Where to Trim If You Have Less Time (or More Time)

• 12 days: Cut Casablanca or Rabat down to one night total.
• 10 days: Skip Chefchaouen and Fez, and end the Sahara trip back in Marrakesh. Fly out of Marrakesh instead of looping back to Tangier.
• 16+ days: Add a third day in Marrakesh and a second night in Chefchaouen.

What to Book First

1. Flights: Fly into and out of Tangier (TNG) for the loop.
2. Sahara tour: Get written confirmation of the Fez drop-off before anything else. It dictates the rest of the route.
3. Trains: ONCF tickets for Tangier to Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakesh, a week out if you can.
4. Hotels: Tangier, Marrakesh and Fez, since those fill up first.