My family is considering a trip to Morocco early / mid June of this year. My kids are 14 & 16. We will have approximately 8-9 nights. We have never been to Morocco. Marrakech and Fez are two places that keep popping up as must sees and do appeal to us. A desert experience would be a highlight for my family as well. Would love suggestions on an itinerary! What parts of this trip would you suggest we do on our own and what parts are best with a guide or small tour? Recs welcome. Thank you!
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Morocco, I’ve spent a bit over a week there from a trip that then went north into southern Spain.
For Fez:
Pottery and leather making workshops are fun, give you souvenirs, and keep kids entertained along with all the history.
If you have the ability to bake dada bread, that would be fun as well.
In Marrakech:
Make sure to eat the fruits that local vendors sell (while they’re in season.) Another cooking experience would be making tagine (or at least trying it at a restaurant if you can.) These pale in comparison to a sidecar ride. It would be a bit expensive, and you’d have to check with kids, but the motorcycles with sidecars are probably one of the best experiences you can have in Morocco.
If you want to get more into the desert, try atlas mountain and do some hiking trails near there while experiencing local culture.
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Sidney, BC, Canada
1169 posts
With only 8 or 9 nights you might want to look at a tour. I did one some years ago by Insight Tours which covered Casablanca, Fez, Erfud, Ouzareet, Marrakesh and back to Casablanca. We spent 2 nights in Fez, Erfud and Marrakesh, and one night each in Casablanca, Ouzareet and Casablanca again. It was the end of February when I went and it was pleasantly warm most of the trip, though we did have snow crossing the Atlas. June will be hot! Fez was fascinating and we had a guided tour through the Medina including visiting the tannery (interesting but not sure about the smell in the heat - it was bad enough in Feb!). Erfud was a visit to the desert for sunrise, including a camel ride if you wished. Marrakesh is interesting, I’d have liked longer there as lots to explore.
We also spent time in Rabat and Menkes enroute from Casablanca to Fez, both worthwhile stops. We had a very comfortable modern coach with air conditioning.
If you do your own tour think about how you will be traveling,,,,car, bus or train? Some distances are long, Erfud for example is quite a long drive from both Fez and Marrakesh.
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-- Lindsay, 8-9 nights with teens in June is doable. but you need a plan or you'll waste 2 nights just recovering from bad logistics.
don't start in Marrakech. I know it's on every list. Marrakech in June hits 40°C and the medina is a lot even on a good day. do it last, when your family has found its rhythm.
fly into Fes. 2 nights minimum. get a guide for the medina, not optional with kids. without context it's just noise and heat. with a good guide it actually makes sense.
then south to the desert. Merzouga, not Erfoud. the drive from Fes takes around 6-7 hours through the Ziz Valley and the Atlas. stop in Midelt for lunch. one night in a desert camp is enough for most families. two if you like it quiet.
-- then Marrakech. 2 nights. evening at Jemaa el-Fna, morning souks before the heat, Majorelle if the line is short. done.
on your guide vs solo question: Fes medina, hire a guide. desert logistics, don't try to figure out camp bookings alone in June. Marrakech you can mostly do yourself.
one thing nobody warns you about: June heat between noon and 4pm is serious. build rest into every day. your teens will handle it but you still need to plan around it.
-- if you want someone to actually talk to before you book anything, there's a Fes-based guide called Hamid. google "Travel With Hamid" and you'll find him. has a website, you can call him directly, speaks good English, works a lot with families. not a big agency, just a real person you can ask questions to.