Draft Itin for Morocco
 

My husband & I have 30 days in April/May in Morocco. This will be our first time in Morocco. I have been looking at guidebooks, reading TRs. There is a aucity of info on this board for Morocco. We fly into RAK and out of CMN. Below is what we have figured out so far for our time there. Would love suggestions for places to see and/or suggested changes to our draft itin. We plan to drive part of it ourselves, use a driver/guide to go to the desert and then public transportation once we get to Fez. Thanks!

5 nights Marrakech - pick up car rental at airport on departure day

6 nights driving to Essaouira (3 nights)) & then to Taroudant (3nights)

1 night Drive to Ouarzazate visiting Ait Ben Haddou on way

Pick up driver/guide in am

4 nights to desert and then to Fez with driver guide

7 nights Fez with day trips to Meknes, Volubilis

6 nights between Chefchaouen and Tétouan

1 night in Casablanca
Rtn to USA

This itinerary is by far the best & most sensible I think I've ever seen posted on this forum. Congratulations, yestravel.

A couple of thoughts and a question: I've never driven in Morocco, though I know people do. I'm always worried about the car and like to relieve myself of that and wondering what to do with it at night. Anyway, wondering about the transition from self-drive to driver, is there somewhere to drop your rental?

Regarding Tétouan, I haven't been there so can't say I know whereof I speak in this case. But in that neck of the woods I can recommend Tangier with it's unique history, geography and, despite what the all-knowing day trippers say about it, I found the people on my 2 visits there especially kind. You might enjoy a couple of nights there. La Tangerina is a guest house at the top of the medina, sea views from the rooftop terrace and very much recommended. There are buses from Chefchaouen, I believe, though I took the train from Fez.

I'm happy to see you've included Taroudant.

If your flight isn't very early out of Casa, I'd recommend a night or 2 beforehand in Rabat instead of Casa. It's an easy train ride to the airport from there.

This sounds like a wonderful trip and I suspect it won't be your last. Read some Paul Bowles while you wait. Cheers.

Thank you so much! I appreciate the compliment and the information. Its been hard to come by searching the forums.

We would leave the car at the airport. I checked and there shouldn't be a problem. However we are debating whether we want to miss the drive over the mountains from Morocco to Ouarzazate. Any thoughts on that?

Our flight is at 10 so I don't think Rabat would work as the night before departure to USA. Hmmm, interesting thought on Tangier. I fear I was influenced by them day trippers!

Husband has read most of Paul Bowles -- big fan of him, but says in his Moroccan stories the people always come to a bad end. :)

Being an acrophobic, I had a very tough time on those mountain roads, the occasional bus crumpled at the bottom of a long drop-off just to remind one of the frailty of life. But there's no good way to do it so the brave one should drive, watching for large vehicles passing on the curves, the other close your eyes.

'The Sheltering Sky' is one of my 3 favorite movies. The others are 'Lawrence of Arabia' (of course) and 'Tender Mercies'.

Never listen to day trippers. Or just do the opposite.

Good advice on the day trippers! I love those curvy, windy mountain passes.

It isn't the curvy/windy that bothers me - it's the amount of air between the edge & the bottom. Once one reaches the bottom there's no more to worry about.

Ha! True enough!

You've covered most of the obvious locations and with 30 days, you should easily be able to get out into some less touristed areas as well. I would purchase a Lonely Planet guidebook to see what other villages/cities may be of interest that you certainly should be able to fit in with that much time.

I agree wholeheartedly with just one day in Casablanca but under no circumstances should you miss the Hassan 2 mosque. It's stunning both inside and out.

Yes, that is what we hope to do. Sidi Ifni is one place we'd like to see. Did you visit there? We have been using the Rough Guide, do you find Lonely Planet a better guide? Thanks!

Dear YesTravel,
my name is Brahim and I am travel agent for over 15 years creating some of the best tours around Morocco.
I just read that you have 30 days in Morocco so let me tell you that from my experience as Moroccan-Canadian who live in Vancouver that spending the entire 30 days could be a lot of time and it will be better if you spend max 2 weeks and may be spend the rest somewhere in Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Why did I say that, Morocco is constant hectic and unless you have a family to stay with, staying at the hotels, riads for 30 days will get you very tired and bored instead.

Moroccan people want to always bargain, chat chat, and you will be always visible and with pricing not marked you will have to try harder and harder everyday even for small things such as buying water.

For 2 weeks however, you will get an amazing experience as by the time the place where you are stying to get bored you change to another place.

let assume you started your tour in Casablanca, the maximum time you ever want to be there is 2 days. from there you will head to Rabat and probably Chefchaoun and in between those days 3 days.

You will them make your way to Volubilis and Meknes for 1 day

Fes, I would give it 2 days

head to Erfoud for an overnight and the Shara desert of Merzouga for 1 night or 2 depend of the wether.

From Merzouga, you will continue to Dades Gorge and Ouarzazate for 2 days.

Marrakech 3 days is max I will want to spend there.

Essaouira 2 night and your Morocco tour is covered.

You can imagine what I think of the latest suggestion.

Yep. The only good thing to say about that post is that it doesn't include his website.

I haven't been to Sidi Ifni, but my ex was there last year. A former Spanish enclave, art deco buildings, good seafood, and cheap. Go for it ! A good, modern road has been put in. Easy to get there.

Bedar, thanks! When I map it on google maps I'm getting 3.5 hours & 4 hours on via Michelin. Do either sound about right? It's the art deco architecture that is calling to us.

Sounds right, but I really don't know.

I've never used Rough Guides so can't comment on them but I use both Lonely Planet and Fodor's regularly. I find that Lonely Planet tends to have broader coverage than Fodor's, although Fodor's is nice because it tends to skew a bit more upscale. I find the two complement each other well and used both for my 15 night/16 day Morocco trip in Spring 2016.

Afraid I did not get to Sidi Ifni. I spent 1 night in Casa, 2 nights in Chefchaouen, 4 nights in Fez, 5 nights in Marrakech (including a day trip to hike through the Ourika Valley), 2 nights in Essaouira and one final night in Casa.

Thanks, Bedar

MinnBeef -- did you think 5 nights in Marrakech was an ok amount of time?

I'll chime in on that one if I may. From comments over time here & elsewhere, I've noticed there are Fes people and there are Marrakech people. I like them both but in my experience there are a great deal more things to do & see in Marrakech. I think it may be related to topography, Marrakech is flat, whereas Fes is sort of set straddling a ravine. So opportunities for building & spreading out are limited. So though Fes is quite atmospheric, Marrakech has more buildings, a bigger medina and a much bigger "ville nouvelle". I'm sure you have a guidebook and can compare the 2. Even though I have friends in the old city in Fes, I still prefer all the entertainments, historic buildings and gardens of Marrakech. And the proximity to Essaouira.

Getting to my point - I noticed immediately that you've allotted more days to Fes than to Marrakech. I said nothing because I figured you have your reasons. However, I will say that I'd be inclined to reverse that, giving Marrakech more time, if only because there really is more ground to cover there, unless hanging out is what you want most to do, then either is fine.

Funny, for me the real attractions of Marrakech are the palmerai and the snow-capped mountains surrounding it. Otherwise, meh. Oh yes, also the weather is better in winter.

Though I generally find I'm looking for an "edge" in my travels when I think about places I could live the criteria seem a bit different. Fes has the edge but I could live happily in Marrakech, have thought about it every time I've been there.