Hi There!

I will be traveling to Morocco this October for work, specifically Casablanca, and I plan to take a week after that and see more of the country. I'm somewhat all over the place with an itinerary and could really use some suggestions to help make sense of it.

I will arrive in Casablanca on Sunday, September 30th and I will work in Casablanca on October 1st and 2nd, and I will depart from Casablanca on Tuesday, October 9th. Because of my job those are the non-negotiables So it's just a matter of what to see and how to see it in between that time. I will be traveling with my boyfriend, who has given me free reign on where we go and what we see! I know one week really isn't enough, three would be better, but it's what we have and we're grateful for it!

Some initial thoughts... I think I would really like to see the Sahara (Merzouga area) and I would like to spend a few days (at the end) relaxing seaside. The hard part is the distance between Merzouga and the sea. Below are some potential itineraries, I would love some help tweaking or feel free to say good grief you're trying to squeeze too much in! It's so hard to decide what to do as I've hear some must sees are the Sahara, Ouarzazite, Fez, Marrakesh, Essaouria, Chefchaouen. I know I don't want to city hop and really like the idea of small towns better, plus boyfriend isn't a city person and really prefers the coast. Upon my initial research the Sahara and Ouarzazite really look appealing. I absolutely love the beach, but can't say that Essaouria or Agadir seem like what I'm looking for. I'm looking for small, quaint, charming, nice beach coastal town? Just for reference neither one of us are partiers, we enjoy a drink or two and good food. Sightseeing, beach, snorkeling but I don't think there's a lot to see snorkeling in Morocco.

This is a lot, I really appreciate all and any responses!

Thank you!
Steph

1)
Oct 2 - Evening Flight from Casa to Errachidia
Oct 3 - Drive/Tour/? to Merzouga
Oct 4 - Drive/Hire a Car to Ouarzazite
Oct 5 - Rent a Car to Agadir or Essaouria or other coastal town
Oct 6 - Coast
Oct 7 - Coast
Oct 8 - Coast/Drive to Casa
Oct 9 - 9 or 10am flight Home
Part B to this would be to fly back to Casa on 4th from Errachidia and then maybe fly to the Canaries... but I feel like I'm in Morocco and I should see Morocco! And I want to see Morocco!

2)
Oct 2 - Rent a Car or Hire a Drive - Drive to Marrakesh in Evening
Oct 3 - Drive or 3 Day Tour Marrakesh to Ouarzazite
Oct 4 - Drive or 3 Day Tour to Merzouga
Oct 5 - Drive or 3 Day Tour back to Marrakesh
Oct 6 - Drive to Coast - Essaouria
Oct 7 - Coast
Oct 8 - Coast/Drive to Casa
Oct 9 - 9 or 10am flight Home

3)
Oct 2 - After work Stay the evening in Casa
Oct 3 - Rent a Car Drive to Marrakesh
Oct 4 - Morning/Afternoon in Marrakesh then drive to Ouarzazite
Oct 5 - Morning/Afternoon in Ouarzazie then drive to Agadir
Oct 6 - Agadir
Oct 7 - Agadir - Maybe drive to Essaouria for the night?
Oct 8 - Coast/Drive to Casa
Oct 9 - 9 or 10am flight Home

4)
Oct 2 - After work Stay the evening in Casa
Oct 3 - Rent a Car Drive to Fez
Oct 4 - Morning/Afternoon in Fez, then Drive to Chefchaouen
Oct 5 - Morning/Afternoon in Chefchaouen the Drive to some coastal town on Mediterranean
Oct 6 - Meditterranean
Oct 7 - Mediterranean
Oct 8 - Fly or Drive back to Casa
Oct 9 - 9 or 10am flight Home

It’s asking a lot of us to expect we’ll read all that. I haven’t, but having noticed the phrase “Essaouira or Agadir” followed by “quaint”, you can eliminate thoughts of Agadir, Morocco’s cheap package tour capitol.

I suggest you eliminate the desert experience in favor of maximizing your few days closer to Casablanca. Either go to Fes and places that direction, or Marrakech & Essaouira. That’s plenty in the time you have. I’ve noticed posters here tend to doggedly persist in planning both desert & town visits, ignoring logistics. If you like Morocco come back with weeks to spend including desert camping and think of this add-on to your business trip as reconnaissance, to see if the country pleases you.

PS - It’s Ouarzazate.

Thanks, I really appreciate your response and suggestions!

What Mme. Perdu said. But don’t you dare NOT go see the stunning Hassan II mosque in Casa. Casa is ugly. Trust me, the Hassan II mosque is not.

Thank you! I'm not particularly excited about Casa, but I am very excited to see the Hassan II mosque!

Anything other thoughts on coastal towns with the quaint feel I may be looking for? I am now seeing that Agadir is a tourist resort area, that's not what I'm looking for. I'm just wondering is Essaouira now overly popular?

I don't find Essaouira crowded and if you find it so simply walk away from the port deeper into the medina and you'll find yourself in the company of residents and in local markets, not far but a world away.

Thanks, great to know!

Another vote for Essaouira. I had 2 nights and part of a 3rd day there and greatly enjoyed it. So different than much of Morocco due to the laid back, ocean vibe.

I tend to agree with MmePerdu, mostly because of the one week constraint. Pick a small circle either north of or south of Casablanca and enjoy what's close. Merzouga is cool, that's true. But it's also not that direct to get there.... so you drive and drive out there, have this one gorgeous view (though the Atlas route is pretty gorgeous on its own, it's just going to make you wish you had more time to stop and actually do something). And maybe the touristy camel and tent overnight and then you head back. Fun, but not Morocco in a nutshell or anything.

I'll just flat out say that Chefchouen is too far to bother with as well if you have to go back to Casa.

For what it's worth and just my opinion, but Essaouira isn't really all that big. It sort of looks it, because it has the medina feel to it. Tight streets, alleyways, low-rise. But maybe Oualidia would be more your speed? Didn't end up making time for it, but from past research it looks kind of small and beach resort-y, but with the fishing boats and such. Can't say if it's charming or not as I'm not charmed by the beach town thing specifically, but maybe have a look online? Probably more Euro-centric than Moroccan, but I'd almost describe Essaouira that way too, frankly, in terms of who is actually running many of the businesses and walking the streets with you. I get the impression Moroccans don't tend to do a lot of sun bathing.

Just a word about the aversion to cities. Not knowing how you travel or why, it's worth noting that a city's medina in Morocco is nothing like any western city you might have ever visited. (Casablanca aside, for the most part. It's modern and not atmospheric). However, for instance, Fes's ancient medina is free of cars and motorbikes and is really a wonder to see and even lose yourself in. Donkeys, open shop windows, the streets are warren of passageways. However, they are not particularly relaxing. People *will* approach you to interact, usually to sell you something. This will happen a lot. Personally, we found them to still be very nice people, they're just doing business the Moroccan way. So if your idea of a holiday is peace and quiet and communing with nature and intensity bothers you, the level of intensity with all the interaction inside the medinas of Fes or Marrakesh may be something you'd want to take into account. We loved it. You may not.

If you are interested in seeing photos of Essaouira (or other locations, for the most part(, look at my latests posts on my thread. It might give you a sense of what it would be like.
Morocco, A Visual Journey

Thanks, All! I really appreciate the responses, especially given the length of my initial post!

I will definitely check out your photos of Essaouira, thank you!

It's just a matter of going north from Casa, Fez to Mediterranean coast or south from Casa, Marrakesh to Essaouira; tough decision! I love cities and beaches! What you describe of Fez sounds right up my alley! The boyfriend is much more a fan of the coast and not a fan of cities, of course I'm talking New York or Bangkok and I know he would be more than willing to check out either Fez or Marrakesh. That is one thought behind not city hopping, the other thought is I just don't want to city hop myself . I think narrowing down the trip and skipping the desert will definitely give us a better opportunity to explore one region and I'm thinking we may rent a car to do so.