Hello all,
This post is in regards to a two week trip (max 14 days w/2 days travel added on).
In-country travel options are open to train, bus, private car/coach.
Initial arrival in Casablanca and departure from Marrakesh.

Initial plan is:
Arrive in Casablanca - if arrival is before noon we would be interested in a tour or couple tours of medina and other areas. If too late in day we would take one more day in town.
Leave Casablanca (morning) for Chefchaouen for overnight stay.
Leave Chefchaouen for Fez
On way to Fez interest in stopping in Meknes or seeing this as a day trip from Fez
From Fez leave for Merzouga for overnight desert stay. (wife's idea)
Otherwise, leave Fez for Essaouira for two days/one night.
From Essaouira go to Marrakesh.
Marrakesh to to Meknes for desert overnight.
Return to Marrakesh for departure.

So the underlying questions are:
1) Enough time in 14 full days to see all?
2) If so, is from Fez to desert better or going down along the coast to Essaouira and then to Marrakesh? My personal issue is NOT duplicating travel that does not gain any additional site seeing or other experience.
3) Preferred amount of time in Fez/Marrakesh/Essaouira.
4) Preferred travel mode train/bus/car/coach - where coach means group travel.

Personal opinions are welcome.

I suggest you consult some travel guides for some practical information to get you going rather than ask us for information that’s readily available, to put together a more lucid basic itinerary.

Along with the guides, use rome2rio.com to find transportation options. For any proper planning you need an idea of the most efficient ways to get from A to B, especially with so few days to visit that many places.

Once it’s clearer to you we can fine-tune, that’s our job, and suggest possible places you may want to drop to make it more enjoyable, rather than 12 days of rushing around & not really seeing much of anything.

Hello,
If you haven’t already made a decision, you might like to look at my trip report. We did not go to Casablanca but we did go to all the other places you mention. My husband and I went for 2 1/2 weeks and covered a lot of ground but felt we got a good taste of the country.
Morocco, A Visual Journey

As I’ve mentioned before, we worked with a wonderful guide, Salem Karaoui, who has his own company, and I can’t recommend him highly enough:
https://moroccan-family.com

Thank you very much. I will definitely review your trip report.

Hello again. We have not made it to Morocco this past year. We took off of traveling but looking into a trip in 2026.

I had a few concerns about moving through some of the cities such as Fez and Marrakesh. We would like to experience a less touristy side of the cities but still have the option to purchase something which catches our eye. Basically, the "be polite but have boundaries". I've read a few travel reports and often you have the experience of pushy store owners, scammers and just people willing to make some money off of a a tourist. Do you have any advice on how you navigated the towns? We are going to employ a guide to see the prominent sites but also know that some derive income from directing people to certain businesses. I had that experience in Istanbul. But overall that was an enjoyable experience (the roving vendors plying people while they are eating were more of a pest).
Thanks

I did not experience pushy sellers in Morocco -- in fact, I was impressed with how low key the vendors were throughout the country, including the medinas of Fez and Marrakesh. I also found it very easy to travel in Morocco without a guide. The only guide I used was for a half-day tour of Fez's medina specifically designed to allow me to interact with artisans; it was operated by Culture Vultures and is something I would highly recommend to anyone with a serious interest in Moroccan crafts. If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report:
Memorable, magnificent Morocco!

Don't visit Casablanca, but nearby Rabat (more scenic and much more to see).
Don't underestimate the time you need for a decent visit of Meknes and may be Volubilis.
The bus ride from Fez through the Atlas mountains to Midelt - Errachidia - Erfoud/Merzouga is very scenic.
So is the travel from there along the route des Kasbahs to Ouarzazate and finally to Marrakech.
IMO much better than a visit of Essaouira.
Visit the Kasbahs (small towns) on the way to Ouarzazate.
Rabat, Meknes, Fez can be visited in a full day each.
Rabat - Chefchaouen is 5 hrs by direct CTN Bus (once daily, in he afternoon) or 4 hrs by private transfer.
The CTM Bus Chefchaouen - Fez runs 4 times daily (4 hrs journey).

Sorry I didn’t go back to your original post before entering my comment about vendors.

FWIW, I skipped Chefchaouen after a number of friends told me it’s now overrun by tourists and, with only 3 weeks for my trip and other priorities, I decided it would not be worth the time to get there and away. With 14 days, I think you’ll need to be selective.

I used trains and buses (and found both easy and comfortable) and, for my time in the desert (at Erg Chigaga, not Erg Chebbi), private transport.

As for time:

• For my interests, 4 full days was barely enough for Fez.
• Including Volubilis, 1.5 days worked for me in Meknes, but again, I can imagine enjoying additional time.
• I thought 1 day enough for Essouria.
• I’m glad I had 4 full days in Marrakesh and could easily have spent more time there.

I did almost the same itinerary, just in 12 days instead of 14.

Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing that I still haven’t finished writing my full trip report about this journey with my family (4 adults and 2 kids) to post here, because I really think it would help and inspire many people planning a trip to Morocco. We traveled with a local Moroccan company, and they made everything much smoother and more enjoyable. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.

Our route was:
Casablanca → Chefchaouen → Fes (via Volubilis) → Merzouga Desert (Sahara) → Dades / Todra Gorges → Marrakech (via Ait Ben Haddou) → Essaouira → Marrakech

In my opinion, 14 days is more than enough for this itinerary.
The drive to the desert is a bit long, but it’s absolutely worth it. Our guide suggested stopping in Midelt if it felt too tiring, but we decided to continue, and we didn’t regret it at all. The moment we arrived in the desert, we completely forgot about the long drive. The Sahara ended up being the highlight of the trip, and it’s still what my family talks about the most.

For Fes and Marrakech, two full days in each felt just right. We only spent one day in Essaouira, and honestly, we wished we had stayed longer. We really fell in love with that city.

As for transportation, I would personally choose a private car/coach with a driver over trains or buses for this route. You won’t want to miss the scenery or photo stops along the way, and it’s much less stressful than worrying about train or bus schedules.

I'm always curious when someone provides a different estimate of the amount of time they found suited to a particular destination. Ultimately, though, it depends on what one wants to see and experience. I'd urge you to consult a good guidebook (the Moon Guide to Morocco is excellent; the Rough Guide nearly as good), decide what interests you, and mark up a calendar.

Hi Andrew,
I've simply cut/pasted below my personal opinions from a similar post last year.

'As Necker has pointed out, those two gorges are justly popular places. Our sunrise experience at one of them was amazing. I refer to the vista from the 3* hotel Kasbah Tizzarouine in Boumalne du Bades. Another highlight would be remote Skoura, found at the end of Vallee du Dades towards Ouzarzate (these spellings). You could reach Skoura via Boumalne, through the mountain piste at Valee Bou Thrar, an authentic Berber heartland. I had a serious fall down a rockface nearby at Tourbist, a careless accident that taught this photographer to be more careful. One could possibly stay in Skoura at the less-touristy 'Ait Abou'. Their tower is apparently the tallest in the country. Not luxe lodgings, but we loved it for its genuine, real-McKoy vibe.

As for Fes (plus Sefrou and Bahlil), we highly recommend guide Ali: SEFRIOUI ABDELALI [email protected] 34 RUE OUSSAMA IBNOU ZAID APPARTMENT 5 PHONE-- 061254058
If he is still guiding now into his '70s, Ali would be a great choice. Honest, reliable and possibly offering to end your tour with a meal at his family's home in the Ville Nouvelle part of Fes.

FWIW, few countries drew as many snarky comments from judgmental, traveler-than-thou types responding to itinerary discussions, as once did Le Maroc over on Lonely Planet's old Thorn Tree forum. Too many negative creeps with their ponytails tied too tight.

Finally: suggested listening: anything by Boujmia, the late great Bob Marley of that nation. Almost certainly killed by the government. Hard to find CDs.
See also (hear also?) anything by gnawa artist Abdermane Paco.
Good Luck.
I am done. the end'

Thank you for the info. Did you use the same company the entire tour? Or was that for the desert trip only? My wife and I are looking to do just this.

Hi Andrew,
You're more than welcome. So it was 2003 and we used the Denver-based travel agency 'Imilchil Travel' run by social worker Joanne Roberts and her husband Mohamed Takchi for the entire tour. Their LA-based flight partner was Pleasure Travel (Ed). They arranged for driver Hamid to take us around for the entire tour, copying a travel style we'd once learned in India.
Good Luck. Happy to try to answer any further questions if I'm able, but right now I must shovel us out for the fifth time---a Sahara of snow here in Toronto!
I am done. the dunes