Is 7 Days Enough for Morocco?

It is the question we hear most often. Morocco is a big country, about the size of California, and the best-known places are far from each other. So is one week really enough?

Yes, if you choose a direction

Seven days works very well when your trip goes in one direction: arrive in Marrakech and fly home from Fes, or land in Tangier and leave from Marrakech. Open-jaw flights usually cost about the same as a return ticket and save you a full day of driving.

What fits into one week

• Two or three cities – for example Marrakech, Fes and Chefchaouen.
• The Atlas Mountains – you cross them on almost every route.
• One or two nights in the Sahara – in the Erg Chebbi dunes of Merzouga.
• Gorges and kasbahs – Dades, Todra and Ait Benhaddou lie on the way to the desert.

What does not fit

In one week you cannot see the whole country well. If you add the Atlantic coast, the south (Agadir, Tafraoute) and the north (Tangier, Chefchaouen) to the Sahara, you will spend your holiday in a car. Choose one theme instead: imperial cities, desert, or mountains and coast.

Why a private driver changes everything

Public transport between Morocco’s cities is good, but there is no train to the Sahara and buses to the desert are long. With your own driver you stop where you want, take photos at the viewpoints and arrive at your riad before dark. It is the main reason a week feels relaxed instead of rushed.

Our verdict

Seven days is the perfect first trip to Morocco. You will leave with the feeling that you saw the real country, and probably with a list of places for next time. Have a look at our 12 seven-day tours from six different airports.