4 min read
Morocco from the UK: a long weekend or a full itinerary?
Short flights from the UK make both genuinely possible: which one suits you depends on what you actually want from the trip.
Written by Morocco Tailored Tours.
Morocco is one of the closer long-haul-feeling destinations UK travellers can reach: flight times from the UK to Marrakech or Fez are typically under four hours, in the same range as a flight to the Canary Islands or southern Spain, which is part of why it works as both a long weekend and a full two-week trip.
A long weekend is enough for one city properly, Marrakech's medina and a day trip into the Atlas foothills, or Fez's old city on its own, but it isn't enough to add the desert without a rushed, mostly-driving itinerary that undercuts the point of going.
For UK travellers with a full week or two, the classic route, Marrakech, the Atlas, and a Sahara crossing to Fez or back, makes good use of the short flight: you cover more ground on the ground because you haven't lost a day and a half to travel on either end, the way a longer-haul trip would.
The short flight time also makes Morocco a realistic repeat destination rather than a once-only trip, which is why a fair number of our UK travellers come back for a different region on their second visit instead of trying to fit everything into one.
Want to see how this works on a real route? Our 9-Day Tangier to Marrakech Desert Tour via Fez and 10-Day Morocco Tour from Tangier via the Imperial Cities, Sahara and Essaouira are private itineraries we can adjust to fit.
Planning around Marrakech? Read the Marrakech destination guide, browse all tours from Marrakech, or see 9-Day Tangier to Marrakech Desert Tour via Fez, a sample itinerary that includes it.
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9-Day Tangier to Marrakech Desert Tour via Fez
A private 9-day Tangier to Marrakech desert tour covering Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fez, Sahara and Marrakech. The full north-to-south crossing: Tangier is the furthest of our departure cities from the Sahara, so this route takes longer than the others, with real stops rather than a rushed dash south.
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Read articleTours for this trip
9-Day Tangier to Marrakech Desert Tour via Fez
A private 9-day Tangier to Marrakech desert tour covering Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fez, Sahara and Marrakech. The full north-to-south crossing: Tangier is the furthest of our departure cities from the Sahara, so this route takes longer than the others, with real stops rather than a rushed dash south.
Visits Tangier · Chefchaouen · Fez · Sahara Desert · Marrakech
From€2,293(≈ $2,570 USD)€2,698 (≈ $3,025 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
10-Day Morocco Tour from Tangier via the Imperial Cities, Sahara and Essaouira
A private 10-day Morocco tour that runs south from Tangier through Tetouan and Chefchaouen to Fez, the Sahara, the Atlas kasbahs and Marrakech, finishing on the Atlantic coast at Essaouira. The route has a full guided day in each of Fez and Marrakech and a night in the Sahara, without doubling back.
Visits Chefchaouen · Fez · Sahara Desert · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · Essaouira · +5 more
From€2,625(≈ $2,945 USD)€3,088 (≈ $3,465 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
12-Day Grand Morocco Tour from Casablanca via Tangier, the Sahara and Essaouira
A private 12-day Morocco tour that starts at Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque and works clockwise round the country: the Atlantic coast to Tangier, the blue Rif, Fez, two nights in the Sahara, the Atlas kasbahs, Marrakech and finally Essaouira. It is the full country in one trip, with a guided day in each of the two great medinas.
Visits Chefchaouen · Fez · Sahara Desert · Ait Benhaddou · Marrakech · Essaouira · +7 more
From€3,591(≈ $4,030 USD)€4,225 (≈ $4,740 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room