14-Day Morocco Grand Tour from Tangier

You're met at Tangier's airport or port and set off on a short first day — around 50km to Asilah, a fortified coastal town with Portuguese-era walls and a labyrinth of narrow streets. Its summer arts festival leaves murals painted across the old town year-round, giving the medina an unusually creative, relaxed character. Overnight in a riad, Asilah.

Tetouan comes first — its medina holds the Royal Palace, one of the king's summer residences, alongside the Ensanche district built during the Spanish Protectorate era, whose architecture echoes southern Spain. From there the route turns inland into the Rif Mountains, arriving at Chefchaouen, where houses painted blue and white climb a green hillside. You'll stay two nights here, with a riad as your base.

A full day with nothing fixed on the schedule — wander without a plan, visit the small ethnographic museum in the kasbah, climb to one of the viewpoints above town, or browse the medina's craft shops. Your driver and guide are on hand for suggestions if you'd like them. Overnight in the same riad.

From a hillside village to the seat of government: Rabat's landmarks illustrate the story of the Alawite monarchy, from the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (the king who led Morocco to independence in 1956) to the Hassan Tower facing it, an unfinished 12th-century Almohad minaret. The Kasbah of the Udayas overlooks where the Bou Regreg river meets the Atlantic, with views across to the twin city of Salé. The rest of the day is free for the medina, its shops, or the Mohammed VI Museum of Contemporary Art. Overnight in a riad, Rabat.

Volubilis was once a significant Roman city in the province of Mauritania Tingitana; its Temple of Jupiter and Arch of Caracalla still stand among preserved mosaics and bath-house remains. Meknes follows — capital under Sultan Moulay Ismail in the 17th and 18th centuries, and still home to his mausoleum, his former royal palace, and the monumental Bab Mansour gate into the walled medina. The day ends in Fes, with the evening free before tomorrow's guided exploration. Overnight in a riad, Fes.

A full day with an official local guide through Fes el-Bali and Fes el-Jdid — the old and new medinas. The Al Quaraouiyine mosque, the Bou Inania and Al Attarine madrasas, Nejjarine Square and the Mellah (the historic Jewish quarter) are spread across the city, alongside the tanners' quarter, where centuries-old leatherworking methods are still in daily use. The afternoon is free for museums or the souks, where Fes's reputation in leather, tilework and woodwork is easy to see firsthand. Overnight in a riad, Fes.

Culture gives way to landscape today. Ifrane, with its gabled roofs and alpine feel, sits at the edge of a national park where Barbary macaques live wild among the cedars — sightings along the road are common. The route then crosses to the arid south face of the Middle Atlas, following the Ziz Valley to Erfoud, known for its fossil trade, before reaching Merzouga.

From there, a camel carries you into the Erg Chebbi dunes, where a luxury tented camp awaits with welcome tea, a traditional dinner, a campfire, and a sky free of light pollution. Overnight in the desert camp, dinner included.

An early rise rewards you with sunrise over the dunes, the sand shifting through shades of colour as the light changes. After breakfast at camp, a 4x4 route through the desert begins with Khamlia, where a community with roots in sub-Saharan Africa performs Gnawa music, recognised by UNESCO. The tracks beyond grow wilder still — sections of the old Paris-Dakar rally route, abandoned villages, and old kohl mines — before a visit with a nomadic family living much as their ancestors did.

The return to Merzouga includes a stop at a high vantage point over Erg Chebbi, before settling into a desert-style hotel for dinner and the night.

Rissani offers scenes rarely seen elsewhere — a dedicated donkey parking area, since they're still a common means of transport locally — alongside its busy market and historic medina. The drive then crosses the full length of the Dades Valley, past palm oases, cultivated fields and ruined kasbahs, with a detour into the narrow, high-walled Todra Gorges, carved by a tributary of the Dades. After passing through the Valley of Roses, the day ends in Ouarzazate. Overnight in a hotel-riad, dinner included.

Beyond its film studios, Ouarzazate is known for the Kasbah of Taourirt — once both fortress and residential palace for the family of Thami El Glaoui, Pasha of Marrakech. From there the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou awaits, a fortified caravan-route village well-preserved enough to have appeared in numerous films and television series. The road then climbs to the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260m) before descending through green valleys into Marrakech, with the evening left free. Overnight in a riad, Marrakech.

An official local guide leads a morning through the "Red City" — Jemaa el-Fna square, the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace and other sites that reveal Marrakech's history as capital under the Almoravid, Almohad and Saadi dynasties. The afternoon is free for shopping, whether luxury boutiques or traditional crafts, and for the city's museums (Marrakech Museum, Yves Saint Laurent Museum) and gardens (Majorelle, Agdal). Overnight in a riad, Marrakech.

A coastal escape to close out the trip: the drive to Essaouira passes through argan groves, with a stop at a women's cooperative to see the traditional hand-pressing process behind the region's most famous export. From arrival, the rest of the day is free — the Skala fortress and fishing port, the medina where the old Jewish mellah once stood, or simply the beach. Overnight in a riad, Essaouira.

Another full day with nothing fixed — swim, surf, play a round of golf, or take a horse or camel ride along the beach. Essaouira rewards slow mornings and long lunches as much as any activity on the list. Overnight in the same riad.

After breakfast and check-out, your driver collects you for the drive to Marrakech Airport, bringing this two-week journey through Morocco to a close.