Morocco 8 Day Itinerary: Marrakech, Desert and Fez

By day it is nearly empty, just orange juice sellers and a few snake charmers; by around 6pm it turns into Morocco's largest open-air night market, with gnawa musicians, storytellers and dozens of numbered food stalls. Eat toward the far end of the square, away from stalls 1 to 20, which are pricier and geared toward tour-bus groups.

Set aside at least an hour just to wander without a plan: it is the best way to read the square before picking where to eat.

The inside is closed to non-Muslims, but the surrounding gardens are free and the best spot to photograph the 77-meter minaret, which directly inspired Seville's Giralda tower. A 20-minute stop on the way to the square is enough.

Entry costs about 70 MAD; set aside an hour: built in 1867 for grand vizier Si Moussa, it covers eight hectares of courtyards and 150 rooms, though only part is open to visitors. The large courtyard, floored in Carrara marble, is the highlight.

Go early morning or late afternoon: at midday the direct light in the main courtyard blows out photos.

Enter through Souk Semmarine, the main covered lane, and let yourself get lost in the smaller alleys: each is dedicated to a single trade (leather, metal, textiles, spices), a tradition dating to the 11th century. Haggling is expected; starting at around 40% of the asking price is a reasonable opener.

Set aside 75 minutes and avoid buying at the first shop: prices vary a lot between neighboring stalls selling the same item.

Entry costs about 70 MAD; set aside an hour: this is the largest madrasa in the Maghreb, with more than 130 student cells around a central courtyard of zellige tilework and 16th-century carved cedar. Arrive at opening, 9am, before the tour groups.

Climb to the second floor to see the cells up close, tiny even for one student, and get a sense of how spartan the studying life there really was.

The garden ticket costs about 150 MAD (buy online to skip the line, which passes an hour by mid-morning), plus 100 MAD more for the Berber Museum inside it. The cobalt blue that gave 'Majorelle Blue' its name covers the villa and the planters among bamboo and cacti.

It sits 20 minutes on foot or 10 by taxi from the Medina, outside the day's walking loop; set aside at least 75 minutes for the garden and museum together.

The N9 road climbs to 2260 meters, the highest point between Marrakech and the desert, with tight switchbacks and roadside sellers of stones and fossils. Stop 30 to 45 minutes at one of the informal viewpoints to photograph the High Atlas range.

In winter the road can close for snow; check the forecast before setting out, since it is the only direct overland route south.

There is no entry fee: it is a living village, still home to a few families, so just cross the footbridge (or the streambed on foot when dry) and climb the main lane to the top for a 360-degree view. Set aside 90 minutes.

Local guides offer tours through the earthen houses for about 100 MAD; not required, but it helps explain the building technique that has withstood the desert climate for over 500 years.

Entry costs about 20 MAD; set aside 45 minutes: this was home to the Glaoui family, who controlled southern Morocco until independence in 1956, and has dozens of restored rooms with painted ceilings. It is a 5-minute walk from central Ouarzazate.

A 30 to 45 minute photo stop on the R704 road: the tight switchbacks over red cliffs, nicknamed 'monkey fingers' for their erosion pattern, are the most repeated backdrop in southern Morocco. No need to leave the road beyond the main viewpoint.

Set aside an hour: the gorge narrows until only the river and the road fit between walls up to 300 meters high, an internationally known climbing spot. Walk the last narrow stretch, about 600 meters, where cars cannot pass.

There are riverside terrace cafes, good for a break before continuing to Merzouga.

Arrival is by camel or 4x4 to a fixed Berber tent camp, included in the package booked in Marrakech or Ouarzazate (from 70 to 100 euros per person with dinner and breakfast). Dinner usually comes with Berber music around the campfire.

Bring a jacket even in summer: the temperature drops sharply at night in the desert, by as much as 20°C from the afternoon high.

Departure is around 5:30am, still dark, to reach the top of the dunes before 6:30am for sunrise over the Sahara; the camel crossing takes about 45 minutes. Bring a scarf to protect your face from windblown sand.

After sunrise, breakfast at the camp and the 4x4 ride back to the main road wrap up the experience before the long drive to Fez.

A 20 to 30 minute stop at one of the viewpoints on the N13 road: the green band of date palms following the Ziz river for dozens of kilometers contrasts with the arid rock around it, one of the most photographed stretches between Merzouga and Fez.

A 15 to 20 minute stop: the 1913 Blue Gate has blue tilework on the outer face (facing the new city) and green on the inner one (the color of Islam, facing the medina). It is the reference point for not getting lost entering the Fez el-Bali maze.

Entry costs about 20 MAD; set aside 45 minutes: the only madrasa in Fez with a minaret and Friday-mosque function, built between 1350 and 1355. The stucco and cedar carving in the central courtyard is considered the peak of Marinid architecture.

A 30-minute stop: sit at one of the cafes on Seffarine Square and watch coppersmiths hammer brass and copper as they have since the Middle Ages, beside the library of Al-Qarawiyyin University. A few steps away, the Nejjarine Fountain and the old carved-wood merchants' caravanserai.

Ask for a sprig of mint at the entrance of one of the surrounding leather shops, a traditional gesture to offset the strong ammonia smell; viewing from the balconies is free if you buy something afterward, or costs a small tip otherwise. In operation since the 16th century, it is the largest of Fez's three tanneries.

Go in the morning, when the colorful dyeing pits are fuller and tanner activity is at its peak; set aside 45 minutes.

A 20 to 30 minute stop: the largest monumental gate in the Maghreb, completed in 1732 and covered in green and blue zellige tilework, marks the entrance to Moulay Ismail's former imperial palace. It faces El Hedim Square, good for a quick coffee.

A 30 to 45 minute stop, from the outside: non-Muslims cannot enter the mausoleum, but the viewpoint in the upper town, reached via narrow lanes, shows the white houses spread across two hills around the shrine. Until 2005 tourists were not even allowed to stay overnight.

Official entry is 70 MAD (paid in cash at the ticket booth); set aside 90 minutes: the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, capital of the province of Mauretania Tingitana between the 1st and 3rd centuries, with intact floor mosaics depicting mythological scenes. The Arch of Caracalla, at the end of the main street, is the most photographed spot.

Bring a hat and water: there is no shade on site, and the walk through the ruins is entirely in the open.

The inside is visited only on a guided tour (140 MAD, about 45 minutes, several time slots through the day), the only mosque in Morocco open to non-Muslims. The prayer hall holds 25,000 worshippers and has a glass floor over the Atlantic; the 210-meter minaret is the tallest in the world.

Arrive 20 minutes before your tour slot to secure a spot, since midday groups fill up fast.

A 1-hour walk along the Atlantic-facing promenade, past beach clubs, cafes and the Morocco Mall in the background; it is the natural last stop of the itinerary, on the way to Mohammed V Airport. A good spot for a final mint tea before flying out.