1 month road trip in Morocco 🇲🇦

14 years ago Jason and I visited Morocco (I was pregnant with Kaio at the time) and we loved the 5 day trip. It was exotic, interesting and even overwhelming compared to our day to day life in London.

When we saw there was a short 45min flight from Tenerife (Spain) to Agadir, Morocco, we booked it without hesitation.

This was our planned route for our month long road trip:

Agadir -> Essaouira-> Marrakesh -> Fes -> Chefchaouen -> Tangier -> Casablanca.

In Agadir we stayed 4 nights (which we thought was plenty). It’s a bigger city with lot’s of dust/sand (it is surrounded by desserts) and we found it to be dirty and a bit run down. There are western style stores and brands and many resorts but the tourist industry seemed to have taken it’s toll in the last years.

From Agadir we took the road by the coast to Essaouira, where we stayed for 1 week. We didn’t stay in the Medina or the touristy area, we stayed in a middle class neighborhood and it was perfect: waking up with the morning prayer call of the local mosques, the smells of bakeries, the fruit & veg stalls being set up and kids going to school was the Morocco we were looking for. We enjoyed long walks on the beach (being November, it was too cold to go in the water), the fish port (where you can buy fresh fish straight from the fisherman and have it grilled at the port. One of the cheapest and most delicious meals we’ve had), the Medina (where vendors, for the most part, were kind and honest) and even did a Moroccan cooking class with a local family (Kaio wrote a great review of this experience HERE!).

From Essaouira was headed east to Marrakesh. Another road that was in great shape and we had a smooth and easy drive into the bustling city of Marrakesh. We stayed at a Riad in the middle of the Medina, and a 20min walk from where we parked the car through the crazy maze of the souks, the horse carriage stop, the famous Jena el-Fnaa square (with it’s cobra charmers, monkey ‘whisperers’ and many exotic food options). It was the perfect location to explore Marrakesh and also experience the day to day life of locals. We stayed in Marrakesh for 6 days and we included 2 day trips to get out of the busyness of the city. (Day trips to Ouzoud Waterfalls and Imlil).

Ouzoud waterfalls, a perfect day trip from Marrakesh!

From Marrakesh we took our longest drive of the trip and went straight to Fes. This was a 6 hr drive. For this leg we took the toll roads to avoid a 8hr drive through small towns and windy roads. In Fes we also stayed at a Riad and it was perfect with lot’s of cool features of a 150+ Year old home with lot’s of nooks and crannies. Unfortunately it rained almost the entire 7 days we were in Fes, but nonetheless we explored and enjoyed this town. As it is not overly touristy as Essaouira and Marrakesh, we were the minority and often harassed by locals who wanted to guide us. Fes is home to the largest tannery in the country and it was mesmerizing to watch the process. Fes is also where the oldest university in the world is located, Mosque and University Karaouiyn. We were not able to go inside as it is also an active mosque and, unfortunately, non muslins can not enter. A great afternoon trip from Fes is visiting Volubilís. We were taken back by the amount of history and mosaics at this Roman city from the 3rd century BC and a UNESCO world heritage site. If you are in the area, this is a must! When the rain finally stopped we headed out to Chefchaouen, the blue city. Here we only stayed a night. Many people had told us that a couple of hours would’ve been plenty. We disagree and could’ve easily spent more time here. The city lays tucked into the Rif Mountain range and offers many hiking trails. Exploring the blue city with it’s many narrow and winding streets was fun and extremely picturesque!

Volubilis, a UNESCO world heritage site near Fez

Chefchaouen, the blue pill city (Rif mountains in the back!)

From Chefchaouen we drove to one of the most northern cities and closest to Europe, Tangier. Although this is a big city, we really liked the vibe with a good mix of European influence but also Moroccan charm. We could see Spain and Gibraltar from the boardwalk near our Airbnb. We also went to the Spartan point where you have the ‘official’ meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. We stayed 4 days in Tangier. We headed south on a very modern and fast toll road down to Casablanca. This city was big and we were glad we only planned to spend 3 days here. Although it was on the low end of favorite cities in Morocco, it is home to one of the most impressive buildings we have every seen, Mosque Hassan II. This is the largest mosque in Morocco and one of the few mosques open to non muslins (visits are allowed during non prayer hours) and it was just gorgeous! The architecture, attention to details, craftsmanship, grandeur and uniqueness of this place took us back! Our guide was very helpful and we learned a lot about the mosque, the construction process and materials but also the muslin culture.

*The moorish architecture throughout Morocco is stunning! It’s intricate, ornate, authentic and so unique!*

We have had many people ask us about the roads and general driving in Morocco. We can 100% attest that we had a great experience. Although some signs are in Berber and Arabic only, Google maps makes it easy. There are many police road blocs along the way. They mainly check papers and speed (which does make the roads safer as speeding is checked constantly) and police officers are friendly. We were stopped several times (not for speeding) and police officers were happy to hear we were Americans and chat in english. (We never had to show our papers!) There are plenty gas stations that offer snacks and bathrooms. There are numerous toll roads that are 100% worth paying as it will make drives quicker (road conditions are generally much better). The worst road we encountered was between Chefchaouen and Tangier and we later found out that we should have driven the extra miles to avoid that stretch of road. The most fun part is driving through towns and seeing the markets, donkeys, camels, road side vendors, kids running and playing, the beautiful mosques and seeing a glimpse of the Moroccan style life of smaller towns.

Berber and Arabic signs, at least we can read it is within 2500meters!

Morocco is an absolute gem and we love the food, people, nature, animals, diversity, culture and history. There is so much to see and experience, from the bustling beach town of Essaouira to the beautiful Atlas and Rif mountains. From the busyness of Marrakesh to the small berber villages near Imlil. From the modern cities of Casablanca and Tangier to the rustic medinas of Fes, Morocco has it all!