Morocco is a beautiful and very welcoming country in the north of Africa. With numerous colorful markets, beautiful fortresses, mountains and several Roman ruins sites, this country has something to offer for every visitor. Morocco will give you a great introduction into African culture and can be a good start for your future Africa exploration. I highly recommend spending at least 8 days in Morocco to have enough time for visiting several cities, learning the history, shopping at the markets, enjoying traditional Moroccan food and just spending a time walking narrow medinas’ streets.
Ideally, I would suggest planning 10-13 days trip to Morocco. That will give you an ability to see 3-4 cities and include a unique desert trip into your itinerary.
Have you been thinking about visiting Morocco? Here is my itinerary for 8 days in Morocco.
8 Days in Morocco
Day 1 – Casablanca.
Arrive to Casablanca airport and take a taxi or train the hotel. Train a good option if you are staying in the Port area.Rest in the hotel to be ready for you adventure next day.
Day 2 – Casablanca.
Spend your second day in Morocco exploring the largest Moroccan city, Casablanca. There are many places to see in the city, so the most convenient option is to book a half day city tour. You can also explore Casablanca on your own. Take an evening train or taxi to Rabat.
Here is the list of the places to visit in Casablanca;
Hasan II Mosque.
It is the tallest mosques in the world, it is also one of the most beautiful ones. The mosque allows admission for non-Muslims, it also offers several tours during the day. The last tour leaves 4 pm. You can buy tickets 15-20 minutes prior to the tour departure.
Visit Eglise Notre Dame De Lourdes
Eglise Notre Dame De Lourdes is a beautiful catholic church with many detailed mosaics inside.
Corniche Seaside.
Enjoy fresh ocean breeze, grab a drink at one of the restaurants with Atlantic Ocean view
Stop by Mohammed V Square.
Watch the pigeons. Beware of people offering to take your picture with the pigeons. They will feed the birds in front of you and make sure you are surrounded by them, then take a picture of you. It is expected that you pay for their service at the end.
Stroll through Medina.
Casablanca’s medina has much more locals shopping there. You will find traditional bakeries, fresh juice stands and great street food there.
Visit Rick’s cafe.
A famous movie Rick’s café replica.
Day 3. Rabat.
Rabat is Morocco Capital and location of King’s residence. Spend the day exploring this beautiful city and take a private transfer or taxi to Chefchaouen next day early morning. The ride is about 3- 3.5 hours.
Here’s the list of places to visit in Rabat:
Kasbah des Oudayas.
Arrive to the fortress early and walk narrow Kasbah streets in solitude. Admire the old fortress walls and beautiful gate doors.
Chellah.
As you get to Chellah the first thing you see is couple of performers in traditional Fes hats dancing by the gate. Walk around the ruins and learn some roman history
Mohammed V Mausoleum.
Admire the square around the mausoleum, the tombs of King Mohammed V and his sons, walk around the mausoleum and take pictures or numerous fountains.
Visit Museum of Contemporary Art.
The museum runs various temporary expositions and it is totally worth visiting. The building’s night lighting is very colorful.
Day 4 – Chefchaouen.
You will have almost full day to spend in the city and surroundings. Take bus or taxi to Fes next day.
Here’s the list of things to do in Chechaouen
Walk the Kasbah streets.
Take couple of hours to explore historical Kasbah, walk the narrow street and watch people doing their regular business
Watch blanket making process.
Stop by carpet or blanket store and watch Berber blanket making process
Cat watch.
The fortress is full of cats. They are virtually everywhere.
Visit Ethnographic Museum of Chefchaouen.
Unfortunately, the museum has info in Arabic and Spanish only, no English translation yet.
Hike to the Mosque.
Plan your hike closer to sunset. Non-Muslims are not allowed to get inside the mosque. Enjoy the a beautiful Chefchauen view from the mountain.
Day 5 – Fes.
Fes is very unique traditional Moroccan city. If you follow my itinerary, you will arrive to Fes late morning and you will have the rest of the day to explore the city. I suggest spending the first day walking around Jewish quarter, take a ceramic factory tour and visit Borj Nord fortress first day and dedicate the entire second day to medina.
The list of places to see in Fes:
See Mellah, or Jewish quarter.
Stop by the old gate, walk narrow streets of historical Very old part of the city,
Visit Borj Nord fortress.
The view from the top is breathtaking. You can see the entire city of Fes and admire the huge old medina
Walk around Medina.
With more than 9500 streets fes medina is the largest in the world. Prepare to get lost and find you way out. When in medina, stop by spice and sweets shop, take pictures of colorful babouche stands. Visit different part of Medinas.
Visit Al-Attarine Madrasa.
Typical old madrasa with a lot of colorful mosaic is very photogenic place.
Take a tannery tour.
While there any several tanneries in Fes medina, Chouara tannery has the best view especially in the morning. The tour is free, but tips or small souvenir purchase expected.
Day 6-7 – Marrakesh.
Once you get to Marrakesh, you can feel the European influence. Unlike Fes, you a lot of women enjoy their tea in the restaurants and cafes. Marrakesh is the forth largest city in Morocco and has a lot to offer. So, if you can squeeze in couple more day for your trip and spend more that 8 day in Morocco, I suggest spending an additional day in Marrakesh.
Here are some ideas for your two days in Marrakesh:
Visit Saadin Thombs.
You can buy tickets at the door, arrive early to avoid crowds, ideally by opening time
Koutoubia Minaret.
The mosque is the highest building in Marrakesh. It is surrounded with the park where you can relax under huge trees.
Bahia Palace
Bahia Palace is must see place in Marrakesh. Palace consist of 150 rooms with a beautiful garden and open fountain in the courtyard.
Walk around Djemma El Fnaa square.
This place is very loud and live. You will see a lot of street performers, musicians, food stands, restaurants, cafes and even dancing cobras there.
Stroll through medina.
Marrakesh medina is much more touristy compared to Fes and souk(produce market) area is much smaller. You will see a lot of mopeds inside narrow medina street.
More Tips:
- You can fly out of Marrakesh or take a train to Casablanca.
- If you have more than 8 days in Morocco you can add Tangier, Essouaira or Agadir, and trip to the desert to your itinerary.
- For the desert tour, I strongly recommend taking it from Marrakesh as there are a lot more options and tour operators there. The longer tours allow you to get further into the desert to get better experience. So, book three-day tour if time allow.Research your options in advance. You can also book last minute tour from tour agencies located in Marrakesh medina. One of the tourist offices located right on Femma el Fnaa, it has several desert tours that depart daily.
