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Itineraries/Africa/Morocco

10 Days in Morocco

Marrakech's Jemaa el-Fnaa square at night — snake charmers, acrobats, and a thousand food stalls — then camel rides into the Sahara at sunset, the medieval maze of Fes, and Chefchaouen's Blue City where every wall is a photo. Ten nights through Morocco's sensory overload — the North African family adventure that smells of spice, sounds like the call to prayer, and looks like a fever dream.

10 nights
Family of 4
~A$10,320
4 stops
Marrakech3n
Sahara Desert (Merzouga)2n
Fes3n
Chefchaouen2n
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Your stop-by-stop itinerary

4 stops across 10 nights. Each one chosen so you experience a different side of Morocco.

1

Marrakech

3 nights
Fly into Marrakech (RAK) from Sydney via Dubai, Doha, or Paris (20-26h total). Taxi from airport to Medina (€10-15, 20 min — negotiate before getting in). Marrakech Medina is entirely walkable (and un-driveable). Hire a local guide for the first souq visit (€15-25/half day).

Highlights

  • Jemaa el-Fnaa square at night — the world''s most intense public square. Snake charmers, henna artists, acrobats, storytellers, and 100+ food stalls. Free to wander. Eat at the stalls (tajine €3-5, fresh orange juice €0.50). Go at sunset when it transforms
  • Medina souqs — labyrinthine covered markets selling leather, lanterns, ceramics, spices, carpets. Expect to get lost — it''s part of the experience. Haggle everything to 50-60% of first price. Budget €20-40 for souvenirs
  • Jardin Majorelle — Yves Saint Laurent''s electric-blue garden, cacti, and art deco villa. €9/adult, €5/child 7-14. Beautiful and calm after the souq chaos. Go early morning
  • Moroccan cooking class — make tajine, couscous, and mint tea with a local chef. Often starts with a guided market tour to buy ingredients. €30-45/person, 3-4h including the meal. Kids love shaping the pastries
  • Bahia Palace — 19th-century palace with painted ceilings, mosaic courtyards, and orange trees. €7/adult. Less crowded than the Saadian Tombs and more beautiful
  • Oasiria Water Park — 10 km from the Medina, pools, slides, wave pool, lazy river. €12/person. The family heat-relief valve after 2 days of souq exploring

Local tips

  • 💡Stay in a RIAD (traditional courtyard house) — it''s the authentic Marrakech experience and often cheaper than hotels. Most riads include breakfast (bread, eggs, jam, mint tea) and have a rooftop terrace for sunset views. Book a family room or connecting rooms.
  • 💡The Medina is overwhelming for kids on Day 1 — hire a local guide (€15-25/half day) to navigate the souqs and fend off persistent vendors. By Day 2, you''ll feel confident on your own. The Medina is safe but disorienting.
  • 💡Marrakech is HOT (35-45°C in summer). Best months for families are March-May and October-November (25-30°C). If visiting in summer, do all outdoor activities before 11am and after 5pm. Midday is for the riad pool or Oasiria.
Suggested stay: Family riad in the Medina or near Jemaa el-Fnaa
2

Sahara Desert (Merzouga)

2 nights
Most families book a 2-3 day tour from Marrakech that includes transport, accommodation, and activities (€200-300/person all-inclusive). The drive is 9-10h via the Dadès Gorges and Todra Gorge — the tour breaks this into 2 scenic days with stops. Or fly Marrakech → Errachidia (1h, €60-80/pp) and transfer to Merzouga (1.5h).

Highlights

  • Camel trek into the Sahara at sunset — ride single-file into the Erg Chebbi dunes as the sand turns orange and pink. 1-1.5h trek to the desert camp. Included in most tour packages. The defining Morocco family moment
  • Desert camp under the stars — Berber tents, traditional dinner, drumming around the fire, stargazing in zero light pollution. The Milky Way is extraordinary. Included in camp rate
  • Sunrise from the dunes — climb the dune behind camp before dawn, watch the Sahara light up in gold and amber. Free and unforgettable. The silence is as impressive as the view
  • Sandboarding — slide down the dunes on boards. Most camps provide boards free. Kids (and adults) tumble and laugh. Works best on steeper, harder-packed dunes
  • Todra Gorge (en route) — 300m-high canyon walls with a river running through. Swimming in the shallow pools, rock scrambling for kids. Free. The tour stops here for lunch and a walk
  • Dadès Valley + Kasbahs — the ''Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs'' en route to the desert. Aït Ben Haddou (UNESCO, Game of Thrones/Gladiator filming location, €3 entry) is the most dramatic

Local tips

  • 💡Book a 2-3 day Marrakech-to-desert tour rather than driving yourself — the roads through the Atlas Mountains and gorges are winding and long. A reputable tour ($200-300/person) includes transport, driver/guide, 1-2 nights accommodation, all meals, camel trek, and desert camp. It''s the best-value way to see the Sahara.
  • 💡Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) has the big orange dunes that look like the Sahara you imagine. Some tours go to Erg Chigaga (near Zagora) instead — it''s closer but the dunes are smaller. Confirm you''re going to Erg Chebbi before booking.
  • 💡Desert camps range from basic Berber tents ($30/person) to luxury glamping ($150/person). For families, mid-range camps with proper beds, hot showers, and western-style toilets ($80-120/person) hit the sweet spot between authenticity and comfort.
Suggested stay: Luxury desert camp in Erg Chebbi dunes (glamping tent or berber tent)
3

Fes

3 nights
Drive or tour van from desert area → Fes (7-8h via Midelt and Ifrane — the tour usually includes this as a scenic driving day with Atlas Mountain stops). Or fly Errachidia → Fes (1h, €50-70/pp). CTM bus Merzouga area → Fes (8h, €15/pp).

Highlights

  • Fes el-Bali Medina — the world''s largest car-free urban area, a UNESCO medieval city that''s barely changed in 1,000 years. 9,000 alleyways, donkeys carrying goods, craftsmen working in doorways. Hire a guide (€20-30/half day) — you WILL get lost without one
  • Chouara Tanneries — the iconic dye vats of Fes, leather hides in pools of colour viewed from surrounding terraces. Free to view from leather shop terraces (they''ll offer you mint to hold against the smell). Buy a leather bag or belt as a souvenir
  • Bou Inania Madrasa — stunning 14th-century Islamic school with carved cedar, stucco, and mosaic tilework. €3/person. The most beautiful building in Fes. Non-Muslims can enter and explore
  • Pottery and mosaic workshops — visit zellige (mosaic tile) and pottery workshops in the Medina. Watch artisans cut and lay thousands of hand-cut tiles. Some offer hands-on family workshops (€15-25/person, 1-2h)
  • Moroccan cooking class in Fes — shop in the Medina for ingredients, then cook in a family home. Pastilla (pigeon pie), harira (soup), Moroccan salad. €25-40/person, 4h. The food in Fes is arguably better than Marrakech
  • Merenid Tombs viewpoint — ruined tombs above the Medina with the best panoramic view of Fes. Free. Go at sunset with mint tea from a nearby café

Local tips

  • 💡Fes Medina is MORE intense than Marrakech — the alleyways are narrower, the crowds denser, and navigation is genuinely impossible without a guide or GPS. Hire an official guide ($20-30/half day) from your riad for the first visit. After that, use Google Maps offline.
  • 💡The tanneries smell STRONG — the leather shops offer mint sprigs to hold under your nose. The smell is animal hides, pigeon droppings (used for softening), and dye chemicals. Kids find it hilarious or horrifying. Morning visits have the best light for photos.
  • 💡Fes riads are cheaper and quieter than Marrakech — €40-80/night for a beautiful courtyard house with breakfast included. The Medina is car-free so riads arrange porter service (€3-5) to carry bags from the nearest taxi point to the riad door.
Suggested stay: Family riad in the Fes el-Bali Medina
4

Chefchaouen

2 nights
CTM bus Fes → Chefchaouen (4h, €8/pp, comfortable with air conditioning). Or private taxi/driver (€80-100 for the car, 3.5h). Return: bus Chefchaouen → Tangier (3h, €6/pp) then fly Tangier → hub, or bus back to Fes/Marrakech.

Highlights

  • The Blue Medina — every building, door, step, and wall is painted in shades of blue. The most photogenic town in North Africa. Free to wander. Kids count the different shades of blue (there are dozens)
  • Ras El Maa waterfall — the spring-fed waterfall at the edge of the Medina where locals wash clothes and kids play in the water. Free. A 10-min walk from the main square. Peaceful and green
  • Spanish Mosque hike — 30-min uphill walk to an abandoned mosque on the hillside above Chefchaouen. Panoramic views over the blue rooftops to the Rif Mountains. Free. Best at sunset
  • Artisan weaving workshops — Rif Mountain women demonstrate traditional weaving on wooden looms. Buy handwoven blankets, bags, and scarves directly ($5-20). Some workshops offer hands-on lessons (€10-15/person)
  • Plaza Uta el-Hammam — the main square, Kasbah fortress (€2), cafés with rooftop terraces overlooking the blue streets. Mint tea and Moroccan pancakes for €2/person. The relaxed heart of the town
  • Talassemtane National Park — hiking in the Rif Mountains outside Chefchaouen, cedar forests, waterfalls. Half-day guided hike €15-25/person. The natural side of northern Morocco

Local tips

  • 💡Chefchaouen is the trip''s wind-down — it''s small, quiet, and gorgeous. After the sensory overload of Marrakech and Fes, the Blue City feels like a calm exhale. Don''t over-schedule. Walk, photograph, eat, and relax.
  • 💡The blue paint was introduced by Jewish refugees in the 1930s — it represents the sky and heaven. Locals repaint regularly. The blue is most vivid after rain (rare) or in the morning light. Sunset turns the blue walls purple.
  • 💡Chefchaouen is cheap even by Moroccan standards — family dinner at a rooftop restaurant is €15-25, riad accommodation is €40-60/night, and there are no entry fees to pay. The budget recovers here after the Sahara splurge.
Suggested stay: Family riad or guesthouse in the blue Medina

Good to know

Estimated cost

The ~A$10,320 estimate covers accommodation across all 4 stops. Flights, daily spending, activities, and transport are additional — use SaveToRoam’s savings planner to track it all.

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