10-Day Morocco Grand Tour from Casablanca

You're met at Mohammed V Airport (or your hotel, if you've arrived already) and driven straight into a first taste of Morocco's largest city. The Hassan II Mosque comes first — built out over the Atlantic on its own promontory, it's one of the few mosques in the country open to non-Muslim visitors, and its scale is worth seeing in person rather than in photos.

After a break for lunch on your own, the afternoon is flexible depending on your arrival time: a walk through Mohammed V Square with its colonial-era buildings, a photo stop at the café made famous by the 1942 film, or a stroll along the Corniche where the city meets the ocean. Overnight in a comfortable hotel in Casablanca.

The road follows the coast to Rabat, Morocco's political capital and one of its four imperial cities. Here the stops are the unfinished Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V facing it, and the whitewashed Kasbah of the Udayas overlooking the river mouth — a quieter, more residential side of Moroccan history than the souks of the south.

After lunch on your own, the route turns north through Ouazzane and climbs into the Rif Mountains, arriving in Chefchaouen by evening. Wandering its blue-and-white alleyways for the first time, ideally as the light softens, is one of the trip's quieter highlights. Overnight in a hotel in Chefchaouen.

There's time for one more walk through Chefchaouen's alleyways after breakfast before the drive south to Volubilis — the best-preserved Roman ruins in this part of North Africa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with mosaics, columns and archways still standing among the olive groves.

A short drive further brings you to Meknes, the Ismaili capital and another of the four imperial cities: the monumental Bab Al-Mansour gate, the Sahrij Souani basin, the old royal stables and granary, and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. From there it's on to Fes for the night, checking into a riad in or near the old medina.

The morning starts with a short driving tour past the Royal Palace gate, through the Mellah (the historic Jewish quarter), and up to the Borj Sud fortress for a wide view over the medina rooftops, before a stop at a working ceramics workshop and school.

The rest of the day is on foot, with a local guide leading the way through the medieval medina — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved old towns in the Arab world. Highlights include the Al Attarine Madrasa, the University and Mosque of Al Quaraouiyine (recognised as the oldest continuously operating university in the world), and the Chouara Tanneries, where leather has been dyed by hand using the same methods for centuries. The afternoon is free to rest at your riad.

The route south passes through Ifrane first — known for its snowfall, low temperatures and alpine-style houses that have earned it the nickname "the Switzerland of Morocco" — before continuing into the cedar forest, home to a resident troop of Barbary macaques often seen right along the roadside.

After a break in Midelt, the road runs through the Tizi n'Tilghmt pass and along the Ziz Valley, with plenty of viewpoints along the way, before reaching Merzouga by afternoon. From there it's camels (or a 4x4 transfer, if preferred) into the Erg Chebbi dunes, a stop atop a high dune for sunset, and on to a desert camp that blends traditional nomad tents with proper hotel-level comfort — dinner, Berber drumming and dancing around the fire under a truly dark sky.

An early start is worth it for sunrise over the dunes, best seen from wherever you happen to be standing. After returning to Merzouga by camel or 4x4 (quad bikes are also available at extra cost), the day is dedicated to exploring the wider region rather than just the sand.

Stops include an old kohl mine reached by a short off-road drive, a visit with a nomad family in their woven tent over Berber tea, and the village of Khamlia, home to a community with roots in sub-Saharan West Africa and known for its Gnawa music and dance. After lunch, a walk through the palm groves — a green, cultivated oasis in the middle of the desert — rounds out the day before dinner and a second night at camp or in a nearby riad.

The road out of the desert passes through Rissani, once the ancient capital of the Tafilalet region and still a major trading town with a lively souk on market days. A stop in Erfoud follows, where local workshops cut and polish fossilised marble found throughout the region.

The scenery shifts again through the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad on the way to the Todra Gorges, where the river has carved a dramatic canyon through the rock — a favourite spot for rock climbers, and worth a walk on foot. After lunch, the route continues through Boumalne Dades into the Dades Valley, with a stop at the "monkey fingers" rock formations and a viewpoint over the valley from higher ground. Overnight in a hotel, dinner included.

Kalaa Magouna and the Valley of Roses come first — home to Morocco's annual Rose Festival each May — followed by the palm groves of Skoura, one of the region's oldest and most photogenic oases. Ouarzazate is next, known locally as the gateway to the desert and internationally for the film studios on its outskirts.

From there the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou comes into view: a UNESCO-listed fortified village that's stood in for films from Gladiator to The Mummy, and for television including Game of Thrones. The final stretch climbs over the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with stops for lunch and photos, before descending into Marrakech. Overnight in a riad in the medina.

A local guide leads the morning through Marrakech's historic highlights: the 19th-century Bahia Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa (a former Islamic school known for its detailed traditional design), the medina's souks full of artisans and stalls, the constant motion of Jemaa el-Fna square, and a look at the Koutoubia Mosque's minaret from outside.

After lunch on your own, the afternoon shifts to the Majorelle Garden (booking ahead is recommended, since it can sell out), followed by a drive through Gueliz, the city's modern quarter, before returning to your riad for the evening.

The drive north to Casablanca takes around three hours, with short breaks at a café or fuel stop along the way. You're dropped at your departure terminal, or back at your accommodation in Casablanca if that suits your onward plans better.