8-Day Classic Morocco TourThe Complete First-Timer's Route
8 days / 7 nights·Max 12
About this journey
This is the route most first-time visitors have in mind when they picture a Morocco trip: Casablanca's arrival, blue-washed Chefchaouen, the Fes medina, a night in the Sahara, and Marrakech to finish. Eight days covers all of it without the compressed pace of a shorter tour. The route runs north to south: Casablanca and Rabat first (Morocco's two largest coastal cities), then Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains, Fes for the medina, south through the Middle Atlas and the Sahara at Merzouga, then west to Marrakech to close the trip. This suits first-time visitors who want to see the range of what Morocco offers — coastal cities, mountain towns, imperial history, desert — rather than deep-diving one region. It's a busier pace than our regional-focus tours, with a new base most nights, so it suits travellers who don't mind moving frequently in exchange for breadth. If constant movement isn't your style, our region-focused small-group tours (Marrakech and the Sahara, or the Atlas Mountains) cover less ground but at a gentler pace.
- The complete first-timer's route: Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Fes, Sahara and Marrakech
- Blue-washed Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains
- One night in a Sahara bivouac camp at Merzouga
- Covers Morocco's north and south in a single trip
- Small group, max 12, with weekly departures
Day by day
Your guide meets you at Casablanca airport for a short orientation drive past the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world and the only one in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors on guided tours (booked separately). Overnight in Casablanca.
- Hassan II Mosque exterior
- Casablanca orientation
A stop in Rabat, Morocco's political capital, takes in the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah of the Udayas before continuing north to Chefchaouen, the blue-washed town in the Rif Mountains. Arrival in the late afternoon with the medina's blue alleys catching the last light.
- Rabat: Hassan Tower and Kasbah of the Udayas
- Arrival in Chefchaouen
A relaxed day exploring the blue medina on foot — no fixed itinerary beyond a morning walking overview, since Chefchaouen rewards wandering more than a checklist. The Ras el-Maa waterfall at the edge of town is an easy afternoon walk.
- Chefchaouen blue medina
- Ras el-Maa waterfall walk
The drive south stops at Volubilis, Morocco's best-preserved Roman ruins, and Meknes, the smallest of the four imperial cities, before continuing to Fes for the evening.
- Volubilis Roman ruins
- Meknes imperial city
A local guide leads a walking tour of Fes el-Bali — the Chouara tanneries, the Al Quaraouiyine exterior, and the souks organised by trade. The afternoon is free to explore on your own.
- Fes medina walking tour
- Chouara Tanneries
- Free afternoon
The drive south passes through the Middle Atlas cedar forests near Ifrane and the Ziz Valley's palm groves before arriving in Merzouga as the dunes turn gold. A camel trek timed for sunset brings you to the desert bivouac camp.
- Ifrane cedar forest
- Ziz Valley
- Sunset camel trek to bivouac
Sunrise over the dunes, then a long day west through the Dadès Valley and Ouarzazate, stopping at Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO kasbah from Gladiator and Game of Thrones, before crossing the Tichka Pass into Marrakech by evening.
- Sunrise from the dunes
- Ait Benhaddou UNESCO ksar
- Tichka Pass into Marrakech
The tour ends after breakfast, with airport transfers arranged around your actual departure time. If time allows, a final walk through the Jemaa el-Fna souks rounds out the trip.
- Optional final medina walk
- Flexible airport transfer
Inclusions & exclusions
What’s included
- 7 nights accommodation (hotels and riads in each city, 1 desert bivouac)
- All transport in an air-conditioned vehicle
- Licensed English-speaking guide for the full 8 days
- Camel trek to and from the bivouac camp
- 7 breakfasts, 5 dinners
- Entry fees at major sites along the route
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches (budget $8–$14/day)
- Personal travel insurance (required)
- Tips for guide and driver
- Alcohol and personal purchases
Choose your style
Small-Group Tour
- Max 12 travellers
- Weekly departures Feb–May & Sep–Dec
- 7 nights accommodation included
- English-speaking guide throughout
What travelers say
“First trip to Morocco and this hit every place we'd read about — Chefchaouen was the highlight nobody had properly described to us in advance.”
“A lot of moving around but that's what we wanted for a first visit — now we know which region we want to go back and do properly.”
“Day 7 was long but Ait Benhaddou at the end of it made it worthwhile.”
Why choose AZA Morocco Tours
- Local expert guides — born and raised in Morocco
- Small groups capped at 10 people maximum
- All-inclusive pricing — no hidden fees
- Free cancellation up to 30 days before departure
- Weekly departures year-round (except desert tours Jul–Aug)
- Verified reviews on TripAdvisor
Questions about this tour
It moves more than our regional-focus tours since it covers Morocco's north and south in one trip, with a new base most nights. If you'd rather go deeper into one area, our destination-focused small-group tours are a gentler alternative.
It's enough for a genuine first taste of each — not deep exploration of any single place, but real time rather than a drive-by. Most first-time visitors use this to decide which region to return to for longer.
Most days are 3–5 hours, with day 7 (Merzouga to Marrakech) the longest at around 7–8 hours including stops.
February to May and September to December, avoiding peak Sahara heat in summer.
Yes — it's one of our most popular tours for solo first-time visitors specifically because it covers so much ground.
As a guideline, $8–$10 per traveller per day for the guide and $5–$6 per day for the driver, given directly at the end of the tour.