How many days should you spend in Morocco?

Morocco is a country that can be explored over different lengths of time, depending on your interests and available time. In one week, you can explore the desert and Imperial cities at a moderate pace. For a two-week itinerary, you can add tracking in the Sahara desert and hiking in the Atlas Mountains, and relaxation on the Atlantic coast. If you have less than five days, it’s best to focus your time on a particular region or city.

If you only have three days in Morocco, you can still see a lot by visiting multiple places. For example, you could visit a couple of imperial cities, like Marrakech and Fes, or Marrakech and the desert, or Fes and the nearby Roman ruins of Volubilis.

With a few more days added to your trip, you can explore the cities of the north, including the stunning “Blue City” of Chefchaouen, or spend a night camping out in the Sahara. For a longer trip of ten or fourteen days, you can visit many of Morocco’s major sights, or choose a few places that you love and take the time to enjoy them fully.

Regardless of the length of your trip, there are plenty of suggested strategies and itineraries available to help you make the most of your time in Morocco.

Morocco in 3-4 Days

If you just have a long weekend to spend in Morocco, you’re not necessarily limited to one place. Fes and Casablanca are easily connected by private tour: the journey takes about four hours. You could start in Casablanca, where you won’t want to miss a tour of Hassan II Mosque, home to the tallest minaret in the world.

Then catch Fes, where you’ll probably want to focus your time. Fes el-Bali, the ancient walled city, is a labyrinth of more than 9,000 alleyways. Take a walking tour, shop in the souks, and set aside some time to admire the colorful vats of pigment at the world-famous Tanneries Chouara.

Alternatively, base yourself in Fes and enjoy short side trips. You could go to Meknes, where the ancient medina sees fewer tourists than you’ll encounter in busy Fes, and nearby Volubilis, where well-preserved Roman ruins serve as an interesting counterpoint to Maghreb architecture.

If you’d rather spend your time in the vicinity of Marrakech, there’s more than enough to keep you occupied in the city for three days: lively Jemaa el Fna Square, the stately Bahia Palace, and, for art lovers, the Majorelle Garden. The botanical garden and villa, created by French artist Jacques Majorelle and restored by Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé, is a dreamy refuge outside the medina.

From Marrakech, you can also take a side trip into the nearby Sahara Desert. Hiking, a camel ride, a glimpse inside a traditional Berber village? It’s all within a short drive of the city.

Morocco in 5-7 Days

A few more days in Morocco means that you can cover more ground in the country. Or that you can linger longer in a particularly fascinating destination like Fes, a city that ends up becoming a favorite of many travelers. Decide whether you’d rather focus on the imperial cities, the desert, or the mountains—or some combination of these—so that you don’t spend a disproportionate amount of time in transit.

One option is to focus on the northern cities, a suggestion that is popular with photographers, painters, and travelers interested in history. Visitors have plenty of time to wander around incredibly picturesque destinations like Chefchaouen, Morocco’s famous “Blue City.” This particular itinerary includes stops in Fes, Tangier, and Casablanca, but it could be shortened or altered to accommodate how many days you have—and where your flights are arriving or departing from.

Alternatively, base yourself in Marrakech and embark on an adventure tour into the desert. Combine four days in the Sahara with a day or two in Marrakech on each end. You will take a desert tour of the massive wind-shaped sand dunes at Erg Chebbi and Erg Chegaga and enjoy a camel ride at Merzouga.

Morocco in 10 Days

Ten days may just be the sweet spot when it comes to the ideal amount of time to spend in Morocco. It’s enough time that you won’t be rushed, and it’s easy to modify one of these weeklong itineraries to allow a couple of extra days in a place you love—and wish to linger in—along the way.

With ten days, you can sample all of Morocco’s unique ecosystems. This itinerary features a combination of adventure, and relaxation—you’ll start in the imperial city of Marrakech, explore the Sahara and surrounding desert towns, hike the High Atlas mountains, and chill out along the coast. The tour includes plenty of culture, too: highlights include traditional music around a campfire, a night with a local Berber family, and fresh seafood by the Atlantic in charming Essaouira.

Alternatively, take the grand tour of Morocco’s imperial cities. Start with this weeklong itinerary, and leave yourself some flexibility: if you fall in love with a particular city, you can always stay another night or two to really enjoy it.

Morocco in 14 Days

Two weeks is a generous amount of time in a country as compact as Morocco, and a grand tour of its offerings is more than possible. Explore the imperial cities of Rabat, Meknes, Fes, and Casablanca. Venture into the desert a few days exploring kasbahs, caravan routes, and the Saharan dunes. Cross up and over the high atlas mountains, and even spend a couple days hiking between small villages, spending the night with a local family. End your trip by relaxing in Essaouira before continuing along the coast back to Casablanca.

Travelers can also condense their sightseeing into fewer days, using the extra time for add-on adventures. For example, Sahara Desert trekking tour is the ultimate full desert experience. It is unquestionably the trek of a lifetime and one that will stay in your thoughts forever. To reach the dunes, this desert trip starts from Marrakech.