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Marrakech, Fez, Casablanca or Tangier: where to start
The four usual entry points serve different kinds of routes.
Written by Morocco Tailored Tours.
Marrakech is the default starting point for most first-time visitors, and for good reason: it has the most international flight options, sits closest to the High Atlas and the main desert route, and is compact enough to explore easily on day one despite jet lag.
Fez makes more sense as a starting point if your route leans north and east: the imperial cities, Chefchaouen, or a desert crossing that finishes in Marrakech rather than starting there. It also has a smaller, calmer airport than Marrakech's, which some travellers prefer.
Casablanca is rarely the reason for a trip, but it's often the practical starting point simply because it has the most international flight connections of the four, particularly on long-haul routes from North America. Most travellers pass through quickly rather than lingering.
Tangier is the least obvious of the four, and the most useful if your route genuinely starts in the north: Chefchaouen, the Rif, and Akchour are all close by, and it has ferry connections from Spain that make it a natural entry point for anyone arriving overland from Europe rather than by air.
If you have flexibility, choosing based on flight cost and convenience is entirely reasonable: we build routes starting from any of the four regularly, and the 'right' city is really whichever one your flights (or ferry) make easiest.
Want to see how this works on a real route? Our 12-Day Grand Morocco Tour from Casablanca via Tangier, the Sahara and Essaouira and 7-Day Marrakech to Chefchaouen and Fez Tour are private itineraries we can adjust to fit.
Planning around Marrakech? Read the Marrakech destination guide, browse all tours from Marrakech, or see 12-Day Grand Morocco Tour from Casablanca via Tangier, the Sahara and Essaouira, a sample itinerary that includes it.
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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.
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Read articleTours for this trip
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(≈ $4,010 USD)€4,225 (≈ $4,720 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
7-Day Marrakech to Chefchaouen and Fez Tour
A 7-day Marrakech to Chefchaouen tour that loops north via Casablanca and Tangier, then south through the Fez medina and back to Marrakech. North to the blue town most Marrakech-based itineraries skip, with the Hassan II Mosque, the Atlantic coast and the Strait of Gibraltar worked into the same loop so the long drives earn their keep.
Visits Marrakech · Casablanca · Rabat · Tangier · Chefchaouen · Fez
From€2,088(≈ $2,335 USD)€2,457 (≈ $2,745 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room
14-Day Grand Morocco Tour from Marrakech
A private 14-day Morocco tour from Marrakech that circles the whole country in one trip: the Red City, the Atlas and the Sahara, Fez and the Roman and imperial north, the blue streets of Chefchaouen, Tangier and the Atlantic coast, finishing in Essaouira before a last night in Marrakech. It is the slowest way to see Morocco, with long stays in the places that deserve them.
Visits Marrakech · Ait Benhaddou · Sahara Desert · Fez · Chefchaouen · Essaouira · +7 more
From€4,006(≈ $4,475 USD)€4,713 (≈ $5,265 USD)15% off, reserve by 17 Feb 2027per person, double or twin room