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* Day family trip to Morocco in March

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* Day family trip to Morocco in March

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Old Jan 18th, 2014, 11:31 AM
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* Day family trip to Morocco in March

We are a family of four with older teenage kids. The plan is as follows:

Fly into Tangier from the US and stay there two nights- Sat and Sunday. Then fly to Marrakech on Monday morning (I have found a good fare with a one hour stop in Casablanca getting into RAK by 11.15 am). Stay there two nights and the entire day Wednesday. Take the 9,00 pm overnight train to Fez getting there at 7.30 am on Thursday. Spend two nights in Fez. Hire a car/driver to drive us to Tangier on Saturday morning for our 1 pm flight. I think leaving by 7 am should get us to the airport no later than 11 am. Perhaps leave 30 minutes earlier.

Please give me any comments and advice on this itinerary. Is it worth staying the extra night in Tangier or should I move that night to Fez. I thought about a road transfer with an overnight stop somewhere from Marrakech to Fez and although that will allow us to experience the desert I thought it we did not have enough time and could do a day trip to the desert from either Marrakech or Fez.

thanks.
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Old Jan 18th, 2014, 11:32 AM
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The title should say 8 Day trip.
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Old Jan 18th, 2014, 12:05 PM
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I suggest you spend a night in Tangier at each end of your trip.

From Tangier take the train to Fes, 4 nights. Day trips from Fes.

From Fes, "grand taxi" (car & driver) to Chefchaouen, stopping mid-way for a break at the Roman ruins at Volubilis. 2 nights in Chefchaouen.

From Chefchaouen, grand taxi or bus back to Tangier.

This itinerary does a nice tour of the north without rushing and you'll enjoy your 8 days every bit as much as you would your original plan without the time wasted in airports and the long distances.
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Old Jan 22nd, 2014, 03:16 AM
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I definitely agree with MmePerdu's suggested intinerary which would give your family the opportunity to see more of Morocco at a relaxed pace.

Fes is a great base for tours and Chefchaouen a wonderful choice to enhance a northern visit.

The Roman ruins at Volubilis are outstanding. Volubilis was home to many fine public buildings and beautiful town-houses, whose mosaic floors are very well-preserved as are many other buildings. I also recommend a stop there.

If you have any extra time left while in the Tangier area, you could stop by Asilah; it's a wonderful sea-side town on the Atlantic Coast and only 40 minutes from Tangier. It has a gorgeous small Medina and would give you another view of Morocco before departure.
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Old Mar 26th, 2014, 09:59 AM
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We have just returned from Morocco from a family trip and I can echo many of your comments. We only had 8 days and spent them in Marrakech, the High Atlas (Toubkal area), Fes and saw Volubilis, Moulay Idriss and Meknes with the final night in Rabat. Loved everything (with the possible exception of a wasted day taking the train from Marrakech to Fes as there were no direct flights). Wonderful, exotic, hassle free experience. The sense of time standing still and mystery in the interior souks in Fez, the incomparable atmosphere of Jamaa el Fna square in Marrakech, the YSL Majoram gardens, our absolutely wonderful trek in the high Atlas with perhaps the best meal of the trip at Kasbah du Tokubal (definitely most scenic eating outdoors surrounded by snow capped peaks and deep valleys), perhaps the finest Roman ruins I have ever seen at Volubilis, the Sultans granary in Meknes , Badia Palace, the stunning Riads we stayed it, the cosmopolitan elegance of Rabat, the list goes on and on.

Beautiful, medieval town centers in Fes, Marrakech, Meknes with architecture that reminds one of the Arabian nights, the snow capped mountains just outside Marrakech, the souks echoing with calls of the vendors, the sound of Belak-belak, to get out of the donkey carts way, the sounds of the artisans, metalworkers, leather craftsmen etc, yet just a few streets down from all this cacophony is your Riad, complete serene silence, an astoundingly luxurious oasis, with a beautiful bar and drop dead panoramic views from the roof.

The food was amazing but our culinary highlight was not the many fancy meals, but the street vendors in the Fes souks. See my review here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...n.html#REVIEWS

I regret missing out on the desert experience but the logistics did not work with our itinerary. For next time.
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