Morocco Destinations: Where to Go, from Marrakech to the Sahara

Morocco’s headline destinations are Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen, Essaouira and the Sahara at Merzouga, with Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Agadir, Ouarzazate and the Ouzoud Waterfalls close behind. Most first trips combine three or four of them. Below, each is summed up: what it is, why go, how many days, and how to reach it.

Morocco destinations compared

Marrakech, Morocco

The red city at the foot of the High Atlas, and where most trips begin. Its Medina has been UNESCO-listed since 1985, and life revolves around Jemaa el-Fna, where storytellers, musicians and food stalls take over the square each evening. Go for the souks, the Bahia Palace, the Majorelle Garden and riads hidden behind plain doors. Give it two or three days, plus more for trips into the mountains. Menara airport is about 15 minutes from the Medina. Our top 15 things to do in Marrakech helps you fill the days.

Fes, Morocco

Morocco’s cultural and spiritual capital, founded at the end of the eighth century. Fes el-Bali, UNESCO-listed since 1981, is a car-free tangle of lanes around the Al Quaraouiyine mosque, whose university is often described as the oldest still operating. Go for the Chouara tannery, the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine medersas and craftsmen still working by hand. Allow two full days. Fes is about 6–7 hours from Marrakech by motorway, or three days via the desert. Start with our complete guide to Fes.

Casablanca, Morocco

Morocco’s largest city and economic capital, and its busiest international gateway. Most visitors stay just long enough for the Hassan II Mosque – set on a platform reaching into the Atlantic, and one of the few Moroccan mosques open to non-Muslims on guided tours – plus the Art Deco streets of the centre and the Corniche. Half a day to a day is enough. Casablanca is about 2.5–3 hours from Marrakech by road or rail and about 3 hours from Fes. Read whether Casablanca is worth a stop before booking a night.

Rabat, Morocco

The capital, and the calmest of the four imperial cities, UNESCO-listed since 2012 for its blend of historic quarters and early 20th-century planned city. Go for the Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth, the unfinished Hassan Tower beside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Chellah ruins and an easy-going medina where nobody hustles. One day is right. Rabat is about an hour from Casablanca, around 2.5–3 hours from Fes and 3.5–4 hours from Marrakech. It slots neatly into a Morocco imperial cities tour.

Chefchaouen, Morocco

The blue town of the Rif Mountains, founded in 1471, with lanes and stairways washed in every shade of blue. Go for photographs in the early morning before day visitors arrive, the climb to the hilltop Spanish Mosque for the view at dusk, and hikes towards the Akchour waterfalls. Stay one or two nights rather than rushing it. Chefchaouen is about 3.5–4 hours from Fes and 2–2.5 hours from Tangier; from Marrakech it is a 7–8 hour drive, so most people arrive via Fes. See the complete guide to Chefchaouen.

Essaouira, Morocco

An Atlantic port whose 18th-century fortified medina has been UNESCO-listed since 2001. Go for the sea ramparts of the Skala, a harbour full of blue fishing boats, grilled fish on the quay, art galleries and an unhurried pace; the steady trade winds also make it a kitesurfing centre. Spend a night or two, or see it on a long day trip – it is about 2.5–3 hours west of Marrakech. Our Essaouira day trip guide covers the beaches, medina and seafood.

Agadir, Morocco

A modern beach resort on a long sandy bay, rebuilt after the 1960 earthquake, with reliable winter sunshine. Go for the beach promenade, the hilltop kasbah of Agadir Oufella for the view, the Souk El Had market and the surf villages around Taghazout just to the north. Two to four days suits a beach break, and the city is also a starting point for tours into the south and the Sahara. Agadir is about 3–3.5 hours from Marrakech by motorway, and it is one of our day trips from Marrakech if you only want a taste of the coast.

Tangier, Morocco

Morocco’s gateway on the Strait of Gibraltar, under an hour by fast ferry from Tarifa in Spain. Go for the hilltop Kasbah, the Grand Socco, the old American Legation, the Caves of Hercules and sunset at Cap Spartel, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. One or two days is plenty. The high-speed train reaches Casablanca in just over two hours, and the drive from Fes takes about 4.5 hours. Our Morocco tours from Tangier continue to Chefchaouen, Fes and the Sahara.

Ouarzazate, Morocco

The main town of the south, on the far side of the Tizi n’Tichka pass, known as the gateway to the desert and as a film location. Go for the Taourirt Kasbah, the Atlas film studios and, about 30 km away, the earthen ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. A day and a night is usually enough, often as a stop on the way to the Dades Valley and Merzouga. Ouarzazate is about 4 hours from Marrakech. See the Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate day trip guide.

Merzouga, Morocco

A small village at the foot of Erg Chebbi, the dune field that rises to about 150 m and is the most visited part of the Moroccan Sahara. Go for a sunset camel trek, a night in a desert camp, sunrise from the high dunes and Gnawa music in nearby Khamlia. Plan one or two nights. Merzouga is about 560 km – 9–10 hours of driving – from Marrakech, so the trip takes at least three days, and about 7–8 hours from Fes. Our Merzouga desert tours run privately from both cities.

Sahara Desert, Morocco

Morocco’s share of the Sahara lies in the south-east, beyond the High Atlas. Two dune seas matter to travellers: Erg Chebbi at Merzouga, reached by paved road, and the remote Erg Chigaga beyond M’Hamid, reached by 4x4 across open desert. Zagora, about 7 hours from Marrakech, has lower, scattered dunes but fits into two days. Go for the silence and a night sky with no light pollution. The Agafay near Marrakech is a stone desert, not the Sahara. Compare the options in Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga.

Ouzoud Waterfalls, Morocco

A series of cascades dropping about 110 m into a red-rock gorge in the Middle Atlas foothills, in the province of Azilal. Go for the path down through olive groves, a boat ride beneath the spray, Barbary macaques along the trail and lunch on a terrace facing the falls. It is a full day trip, about 2.5–3 hours each way from Marrakech, and the flow is usually strongest in spring after the winter rains. Read the Ouzoud Waterfalls day trip guide before you go.