Morocco on the List: Marrakech, Fes, and the Sahara

Why Morocco Is on the List

Morocco has been on the list for years and we are finally planning it seriously. The riads, the medinas, the Sahara — here is the trip we are building based on months of research and the hard-earned advice of people who have actually been. The consensus is clear: it is complicated, and it is worth it.

Updated April 2026 | 6 min read

Marrakech: Three Days in the Medina

Plan three days in Marrakech. The medina is genuinely disorienting. Streets that look like they should connect do not. Alleys that seem like dead ends open into squares. Getting lost is mostly fine — except when someone offers to “help” you find your way and then expects payment. If someone approaches offering directions you did not ask for, politely decline and use your phone.

Jemaa el-Fna, the main square, is worth seeing but skip it for dinner. The restaurants ringing the square are mediocre and overpriced. Go once in the evening to watch the performers and general chaos, then walk two streets in any direction for better food at half the price. The best meals in Marrakech are at small spots in the northern medina near Bab Doukkala — no English menus, plastic chairs, tagines that cost four dollars.

Jardin Majorelle

Yes, you have seen the photos. Yes, go anyway. The Yves Saint Laurent garden is genuinely beautiful — the cobalt blue buildings against the green of the plants is striking in person in a way that photos do not fully capture. Get there right when it opens at 8am. By 10am it is packed. Budget 90 minutes. The attached Berber Museum is included in the ticket and is worth walking through.

Where to Stay

Stay in a riad in the medina — traditional houses built around a central courtyard. They look like nothing from the street, then you walk through a door and there is a fountain, orange trees, hand-painted tile, and a rooftop terrace. Mid-range riads run $80-140 per night and book up fast. Riads in the northern medina tend to be quieter and cheaper than those near Jemaa el-Fna.

Fes: The Oldest Medina in the World

Take the train from Marrakech to Fes — about four and a half hours, comfortable, air-conditioned. Book first class, which costs about eight dollars more and is meaningfully better.

Fes el-Bali, the old medina, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest car-free urban area in the world. There are roughly 9,400 streets and alleys. Hire a guide for the first full day. Not because the medina is dangerous, but because having context for what you are looking at makes the whole thing make sense. Guides run about 300 dirham ($30) for a half day through your riad.

The Tanneries

The Chouara Tannery is the one you have seen in photos — circular stone vats filled with different colored dyes, workers standing in them dyeing leather the traditional way. Genuinely impressive. The viewing platforms are on the upper floors of leather shops surrounding the tannery, which means you are expected to walk through the shop. You do not have to buy anything. The smell is significant — they will hand you a sprig of mint at the entrance, which helps slightly.

Chefchaouen: One Night Is Enough

Chefchaouen is the blue city — most buildings in the medina are painted various shades of blue. Beautiful and extremely photogenic. Also completely overrun with tourists. One night is the right amount of time. The medina is small, the hiking nearby is decent, and the town is genuinely charming. Two nights would feel like waiting for something that is not coming.

The Atlas Mountains

The drive through the High Atlas between Marrakech and the Sahara passes through Tizi n’Tichka, a mountain pass at 2,260 meters. The road is good. The views are serious. Stop at Ait Benhaddou, the fortified ksar used as a film location for everything from Gladiator to Game of Thrones. It costs about 10 dirham to enter, takes about an hour to walk, and is worth it.

The Sahara: Merzouga and the Dunes of Erg Chebbi

Drive from Marrakech to Merzouga in two days with a night in Boumalne Dades (Valley of Roses — quieter and cheaper than anything closer to the dunes). Merzouga sits at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes — the dramatic orange dunes you picture when you think Sahara. They are real and enormous.

The standard camel trek at sunset into the dunes with a night at camp is worth doing — but be honest about what the experience is: it is touristy. The camp will have twenty or thirty tents, a generator, a dining tent, live music. It is not a raw wilderness experience. It is a well-organized tourist operation that puts you in a genuinely beautiful place. The dunes at sunrise, with the light hitting the sand, are worth the entire journey. Wake up at 5:30am and climb to a ridge.

Camel trek plus one night in a luxury camp runs about 1,200 dirham per person ($120). Budget camps exist for less.

Food: What to Order

Tagine is the right answer most of the time. Lamb with prunes and almonds, chicken with preserved lemon and olives, kefta in tomato sauce. Order it everywhere and compare. The difference between a tagine at a local spot (40 dirham) and a tourist restaurant (120 dirham) is real but not dramatic. Both will be good.

Couscous is traditionally served on Fridays. Seek it out — couscous with seven vegetables and lamb, served family style, is a different experience than what you have had at home.

Pastilla — a flaky pastry filled with pigeon or chicken, almonds, and cinnamon — is specific to Fes and worth ordering once. It sounds strange. It is good.

Mint tea is served constantly. Accepting it in a shop does not obligate you to buy anything, regardless of what anyone implies.

Haggling: How It Actually Works

Everything in the souks is negotiable. Offer about 40-50% of the asking price and negotiate from there. For smaller purchases, the difference is a dollar or two — not worth stressing over. For larger purchases (rugs, leather goods, silver), the gap can be significant. A rug priced at 3,000 dirham might go for 900 if you are willing to walk away.

Walking away is the most effective negotiating tool. If the vendor lets you go, the price was real. If they chase you with a lower offer, it was not. Do not feel bad about negotiating. It is the system.

What to Skip

Tourist-targeted cooking classes at $80-100 per person. The money is better spent on three real meals.

Tourist hammam experiences. The real hammams — neighborhood ones that locals use — cost 15-20 dirham and are a completely different experience. Ask your riad host for a recommendation.

Casablanca as a destination unless flying in or out. It is a business city, not a travel city. The Hassan II Mosque is impressive if you are passing through.

What Made This Trip Different

• Morocco is the only country in Africa with coastlines on both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
• The medina of Fes was founded in 859 AD. The University of al-Qarawiyyin, inside it, is considered the oldest continuously operating university in the world.
• The blue color of Chefchaouen is often attributed to Jewish refugees who settled there in the 1930s. The practice continued after they left.
• The Sahara is not all sand dunes. About 25% of it is sand. The rest is gravel, rock, and mountains. The dunes at Merzouga are spectacular precisely because they are an exception.
• Argan oil — offered approximately every fifteen minutes — comes from the argan tree, which grows almost exclusively in Morocco. Goats famously climb into the trees to eat the fruit.
• Morocco has four imperial cities — Marrakech, Fes, Meknes, and Rabat — each of which served as the country’s capital at different points in history.

Book Tours and Activities

• Marrakech tours on Viator — the 3-day Sahara desert tour from Marrakech is the trip highlight
• Fes medina walking tours — you will get lost without a guide
• Top-rated Morocco activities on TripAdvisor

Gear and Guides We Recommend

• Scarf or shawl: Essential for mosques, useful in the desert where temperatures drop sharply at night. This lightweight option packs flat and works for everything.
• Portable charger: Navigating the medina on your phone kills your battery fast. A compact power bank keeps you functional all day.
• Lonely Planet Morocco: Still the most useful single reference for this country. The current edition has solid medina maps and region-by-region breakdowns.

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Book Tours and Activities

• Marrakech Tours
• Sahara Desert Tour

Find Flights to Marrakech

Book Tours: GetYourGuide guided Marrakech medina tours and Sahara desert excursions | GetYourGuide day trips from Fes to Chefchaouen

Stay connected: Get an Airalo eSIM for Morocco — works from the moment you land, no SIM card hunting needed.

Flights: Compare flight prices to Marrakech on Skyscanner.

Travel insurance: SafetyWing covers you from $42/month with no fixed end date — perfect for flexible trips.

Need a rental car? Compare car rental prices for your trip.

Hotels: Compare hotel prices in Marrakech on Booking.com.

Related Reading

• Dubai and Abu Dhabi
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• Greece Road Trip

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Morocco safe for tourists?
Yes. Morocco is one of the safest countries in North Africa for tourists. The main hassle is persistent touts in Marrakech and Fes medinas. Stay aware of your surroundings, use registered guides, and you will be fine.

How many days do you need in Morocco?
10 days is ideal for Marrakech, Fes, and the Sahara Desert. If you only have a week, skip one city and do Marrakech plus the desert or Fes plus Chefchaouen.

What is the best time to visit Morocco?
March to May and September to November. Summer is brutally hot (40C+) in Marrakech and Fes. Winter is mild on the coast but cold in the mountains and desert at night.

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