My husband and I are planning a trip to Morocco in late October. We will have 8 days (NOT including travel) there. Trying to prioritize the itinerary and could use some help. The most affordable flight are RT to Casablanca.....

One thought is just to go down to Marrakesh, go out to the Atlas Mountains for an overnight, and do several of the day trips from Marrakesh..... and perhaps the desert overnight......another itinerary would have us forgo the desert and instead go up to Fez and Chefchaouen. Looking for thoughts and perspectives on which is more wonderful......we really do not have preferences for one type of experience over another....we are just looking for a wonderful experience in general....

Also, we do not want to drive ourselves but rather get a driver...how easy is it to get someone to drive you to all of these places and what do they do when you do an overnight in the mountains, eg?

Hi, Babs,
My husband and I just spent 2+ weeks in Morocco, and you may want to look at my trip report to get a feeling of what you like; it's (as the title says!) a visual journey, so you will get a flavor of many of the popular tourist destinations. Travel is so very personal, it's hard to say what's "best". If you do go to Marrakech, though, you really can't do an overnight to the desert; rather, it's a several day journey (3-4 nights) from Marrakech to the desert and back. I happened to like Essaouira a lot, and though it's a popular day trip from Marrakech, I would recommend at least an overnight as it is a 2 1/2-3 hour trip.
Morocco, A Visual Journey


I used an agent who provided a driver and also booked most of my accommodations. The driver was wonderful and I recommend him highly. Salem Karaoui, of Moroccan Family, has his own company, and if I do go back, I would use him in a heartbeat! He also offers short trips into the desert which may suit you. You probably don't want a driver for the entire trip, though.
https://moroccan-family.com/



https://moroccan-family.com/

Travel in Morocco is slower than most people imagine. Marrakech to Fez by train or car is most of a day taken out. Add Chefchaouen into the mix and it gets a nightmare—more than four hours each way essentially means an overnight is needed and you've taken out another three days of your holiday. So I strongly suggest you choose only one out of Marrakech or Fez and then do day or overnight trips from there.

If you have a driver he will stay in other accommodation and should pay for that and his meals himself. Personally I don't enjoy sharing my holiday with a stranger.

I'm not long back from Morocco - was there for 10 days with my two daughters, both in their 20's. We stayed in Marrakech and got a driver to bring us into the Atlas mountains - we stayed one night there and then one night in the desert. I would recommend our driver, too - the company was called Morocco Road Trips and the driver was great. He knew a lot about the history/geography of the country but also knew when we wanted some of our own space! He didn't eat with us and stayed in different accomodation. It took three days/two nights to do this trip from Marrakech. Tiring, but very much worth it!

Thank you for that information and perspective - very much appreciated Tim!

Sounds great! I did try to google that company though and it didn't come up...do you have the link......sounds like a good outfit to check out! Thank you!!!

Hi Babs, the link to the website is www.moroccoroadtrips.com - our driver’s name was Ali. You could mention that Noeleen recommended them and you never know, they might remember us and give you a good price! Enjoy your trip!