Morocco: Medinas, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara

Marrakech's medina is deliberately disorienting — a walled old city of narrow lanes, souks and riads where getting lost is close to the point, and Djemaa el-Fna square shifts from juice stalls by day to food stalls and performers by night. Chefchaouen, the blue-washed mountain town in the north, and the Sahara's dunes near Merzouga are both common add-ons, though Merzouga is a genuine two-day drive from Marrakech and usually built around an overnight camel trek and desert camp rather than a quick stop.

Getting around#

ONCF trains connect the main northern and coastal cities well — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes and Marrakech are linked by a comfortable, reasonably fast rail line, with Casablanca to Marrakech taking around 2.5-3 hours. Chefchaouen, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara routes aren't served by rail and need either a rental car or, more commonly, an organised multi-day tour with a driver — the mountain and desert roads are manageable but slow, and a local driver who knows them is worth the cost for a first visit.

When to go#

March-May and September-November avoid the most extreme heat, which regularly passes 40°C around Marrakech and the desert region in July and August. Winter (December-February) is comfortable in Marrakech and the coast but genuinely cold overnight in the Sahara and the High Atlas, where desert-camp nights can drop close to freezing — pack accordingly if a winter desert trip is planned.

What a trip costs#

Morocco is one of the better-value destinations within reach of Europe. A mid-range trip — a comfortable riad, meals at local restaurants, guided medina and souk visits — runs roughly $50-90 per person per day, before flights. Multi-day Sahara desert packages from Marrakech (transport, meals, one or two nights in a desert camp) are usually sold as their own fixed-price add-on rather than folded into a daily budget.

Before you go#

• Bargaining is expected in the souks; a starting counter-offer of roughly a third to half the initial asking price is a common approach, then meeting somewhere in the middle.
• Unofficial "guides" who approach unprompted in the medina, especially near Marrakech's main square, are best politely declined — arranging a guide through your riad avoids most of the friction.
• Modest dress (shoulders and knees covered) is appreciated outside beach resort areas, for men and women alike.
• Friday is a significant day in Morocco; some shops and offices reduce hours, particularly around midday prayer time.