Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published
Base yourself in one Marrakech riad for 7 nights: two days for the medina, then day trips to the High Atlas (Imlil or the Ourika Valley), Essaouira on the coast, Aït Benhaddou over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, and an Agafay desert sunset, with a slow day in the middle. It avoids packing and repacking, and every trip is a return drive from the city. The trade-off is time in the car: Essaouira is about 3 hours each way and Aït Benhaddou about 4, so the plan alternates long days with short ones. This is a suggested plan, not our route: we spent 6 days in Marrakech in September 2022, a night on 9 September after 2 nights in Essaouira, and 5 more from 14 to 19 September after Ouarzazate, the Draa Valley and the dunes of Erg Chigaga. If you would rather trade the day trips for a night in the Sahara, see our 7-day Morocco itinerary.
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• Day 1, the medina: Jemaa el-Fnaa, the Koutoubia, the northern souks and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, then the square after dark.
• Day 2, palaces and gardens: Jardin Majorelle at opening, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, El Badi and the Mellah.
• Day 3, the High Atlas: Imlil and a walk to Aroumd, or the Ourika Valley and Setti Fatma. About 1 to 1.5 hours each way.
• Day 4, Essaouira: the walled Atlantic port, about 3 hours each way by bus.
• Day 5, slow day: a hammam, a cooking class, Gueliz or the tanneries.
• Day 6, Aït Benhaddou: the UNESCO-listed ksar, about 4 hours each way over the Tizi n'Tichka. The longest day.
• Day 7, last souks and an Agafay sunset: about 45 minutes out of the city, or fly home.
The order matters: a mountain day and a coast day early, a rest day before the long Aït Benhaddou drive, and the shortest trip last so a late flight can still fit.
Day 1. Cross Jemaa el-Fnaa in the morning, when it is quiet, with the Koutoubia minaret behind you, and walk north into the covered souks while the shutters are still going up. Aim for the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the carved cedar and zellij courtyard of a former Quranic school. Rest through the afternoon heat in the riad, and come back to the square at dusk, when the food stalls light up. Read our souk haggling guide before you buy anything.
Day 2. Be at Jardin Majorelle for opening at 8am; it closes at 5:30pm, with last entry at 5pm. Tickets are sold online only, on the garden's official ticket site, and tickets from other sites may not be valid. Then cross to the southern medina for the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the ruins of El Badi and the spice stalls of the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter. These are 10 to 15 minutes' walk apart and best done before midday. Our Marrakech and the Sahara guide covers each one, and how many days in Marrakech has more detail on the city days.
Imlil is a mountain village about 60 km south of Marrakech, below Jebel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak. It is about 1.5 hours by road via Asni, and the classic day is a walk up through walnut groves and terraced fields to the village of Aroumd. Hire a local guide: the region was badly hit by the September 2023 earthquake, and a guide knows which paths and villages are open and spends your money where it helps.
The Ourika Valley is the gentler option, a green river valley about 60 km south-east of the city, with riverside cafés and, at its head, Setti Fatma and a scramble up to a series of waterfalls. It suits families. Tours often add argan cooperatives and carpet shops; with a private driver, say upfront if you want to skip them.
The Atlas valleys are cooler than the city even in summer, which makes this the right first day out. Both are ranked in our day trips from Marrakech guide.
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Essaouira is a walled 18th-century port on the Atlantic, with a whitewashed medina, the Skala ramparts and their cannons, a working fishing harbour where you can eat grilled fish from the stalls, and a long windy beach. Supratours and CTM buses run between the two cities several times a day, and the trip is usually about 3 hours each way, sometimes longer, so a day trip leaves about 5 hours in town. Take the earliest bus and book the return before you go; our Marrakech to Essaouira guide compares the bus, grand taxis and tours.
We spent 2 nights in Essaouira just before Marrakech, and a night is better than a day trip if you can spare it: you see the harbour at sunset and the medina after the day visitors leave. To do that, sleep in Essaouira on night 4 and come back on day 5, which then becomes your slow day. Our Essaouira guide and how many days in Essaouira cover the town.
After two long drives, stay in Marrakech. Good uses of the day: a hammam in the morning, a cooking class with a market visit, the 20th-century new town of Gueliz for cafés and galleries, the tanneries, or a last search of the souks for the things on your list. Our best souvenirs from Morocco guide covers what is worth carrying home.
This is also the day to settle the driver for day 6. Agree the price, the route, the stops and the time back in writing, and whether shop stops are included. Our driver tipping guide covers the tip at the end.
Aït Benhaddou is the UNESCO-listed ksar, a fortified earthen village on a hill above the Ounila river near Ouarzazate. Getting there means the N9 over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, about 200 km and roughly 4 hours each way with stops, for a couple of hours at the ksar. Tours sell it as a day trip, and it can be done, but it is the longest day on this plan.
Our honest advice is to make it an overnight. We crossed the High Atlas and stayed in Ouarzazate, which lets you see the ksar in the early morning or late afternoon light, when the Marrakech tour buses are elsewhere. If you have the flexibility, turn days 6 and 7 into a night in Ouarzazate or near the ksar and drive back on day 7. Our Aït Benhaddou guide has the details.
If you want sand dunes rather than a ksar, there is no day trip for that: Erg Chigaga and Merzouga need at least 3 days and 2 nights. Our Erg Chigaga vs Merzouga guide compares them.
Agafay is a stony desert of bare hills about 45 minutes south-west of the city, with the High Atlas on the horizon. It is not the sand-dune Sahara, but it is the closest desert landscape to Marrakech, and camps offer camel rides, quad bikes, dinner at sunset and overnight stays. Spend the morning on any last souks, go out in the late afternoon, and be back in the city by late evening, or stay the night in a camp if your flight is the next day.
If you fly out on day 7 instead, skip Agafay or move it to the evening of day 5. For an early flight, sleep near Gueliz rather than deep in the medina, since taxis cannot reach most riad doors; our airport guide has the bus and taxi options.
Base. A riad inside the medina puts the souks and Jemaa el-Fnaa on foot; Gueliz has more modern hotels with easy road access, which helps with early pickups. Our where to stay in Marrakech guide compares the areas. Ask your riad where drivers can meet you: many medina lanes are too narrow for cars.
Season. March to May and October to November are the comfortable months. In summer Marrakech is very hot, so plan medina mornings, rest from about 1pm to 5pm, and make the Atlas day your coolest; winter days are mild but nights are cold. Before you go, read 18 things to know before visiting Morocco and is Morocco safe.
Swaps. Prefer waterfalls to a ksar? Replace day 6 with Ouzoud Falls, about 2.5 to 3 hours each way, fullest in spring. Want more of Morocco? Our 24-day Morocco itinerary shows the full route we took, from Tangier and Chefchaouen through Fes to the coast and the Sahara.
Two medina days (the souks, Ben Youssef, Jemaa el-Fnaa; then Majorelle and the palaces), then day trips to Imlil or the Ourika Valley, Essaouira and Aït Benhaddou, with a slow city day in the middle and an Agafay sunset on the last day.
Not if you use day trips. The city itself needs about 3 days; the rest go on the High Atlas, Essaouira, Aït Benhaddou and Agafay. We spent 6 days in Marrakech over two stays in September 2022.
Yes. Buses take about 3 hours each way, which leaves about 5 hours in town. A night is better: we spent 2 nights in Essaouira.
It is about 4 hours each way over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, for a couple of hours at the ksar. It works, but a night in Ouarzazate, as we did, is better for the early or late light.
Yes. Tickets are sold online only, on the garden's official ticket site. It opens at 8am and closes at 5:30pm, with last entry at 5pm.
Not as a day trip. The dunes at Erg Chigaga or Merzouga need at least 3 days and 2 nights. Agafay, about 45 minutes away, is a stony desert, not sand dunes.
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