A 9-Day Cultural Journey Through Casablanca, Fes & Marrakech

Flying direct into Casablanca is the smartest way to start this trip, and if you follow just one piece of advice from this guide, let it be this: arrange a meet-and-greet at the gate. After a long international flight, having someone waiting for you at the jet bridge—someone who knows the airport, speaks the language, and can walk you through customs without the stress—is worth every penny.

My greeter helped me navigate customs, pointed me to a reliable ATM so I could get local currency without getting ripped off, and gave me a spontaneous mini history lesson on Morocco that set the perfect tone for the week ahead.

No agenda today! Just transfer directly to the hotel, get horizontal, and rest up. Casablanca (and the Royal Mansour in particular) is the perfect soft landing for this trip.

The Hassan II Mosque is not optional. It is the only mosque in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors, and it is one of the most extraordinary buildings I have ever stood inside. I lost count of how many photos I took.

Our private guide walked us through the history, the architecture, and the fundamentals of Islamic tradition in a way that was genuinely fascinating. I loved that no question felt too basic, and we never felt rushed. When a massive tour group swept through the same space, I felt deeply grateful for our private experience.

Casablanca isn’t a conventional tourist destination, and that’s part of what makes it work so well as a starting point. It’s accessible, easy to navigate, and the contrast between the city’s Art Deco French colonial architecture and this towering 20th-century mosque tells a surprisingly rich story.

Dinner that evening at the Royal Mansour? Non-negotiable. The hotel is a destination in its own right, and the restaurant will remind you that Moroccan cuisine is one of the great underrated food cultures in the world.

The drive from Casablanca to Fes takes about three hours, and with a guide alongside you and wifi in the vehicle, it goes by fast. Use the time to ask questions, catch up on rest, or just watch the Moroccan countryside roll past. It’s a beautiful transition between two very different worlds.

Fes was my personal highlight of the entire trip. Nothing I had read or seen quite prepared me for it. We arrived at what appeared to be a random alley entrance—and then, suddenly, a team from Riad Fes appeared with little carts to take our bags, and we wound through three minutes of narrow, gritty, ancient Medina streets to reach the riad gates.

Honest moment: the medina is raw. It’s not manicured. The alleys are tight and can feel chaotic. Know what you’re walking into and embrace it—because the moment those gates open, you are stepping into a completely different world.

Riad Fes is a Relais & Chateaux property, and it is breathtaking. Mosaic tilework, inner courtyards, the sound of fountains—it is a true oasis tucked into the heart of the medina. (Madonna stayed here the week before us. The energy felt right.) You can opt for a hotel outside the Medina if that environment is more your speed—I toured several and can recommend options—but for me, being in the thick of it and retreating to this beautiful haven at the end of the day was the entire point.

Today was for arrival, a gentle walking orientation, and soaking in the history.

I won’t sugar coat this: do not attempt the Fes souks without a guide. This is the one part of the trip where I consider it a genuine non-negotiable, not just a nice-to-have. A good guide will help you haggle without getting taken advantage of, know exactly where to stand for the best elevated views of the famous leather tanneries, steer you toward quality vendors over tourist traps, and share context that transforms a chaotic maze into a living history lesson.

Plan on at least a half day of wandering—sampling street food, picking up souvenirs (the babouche slippers are a must, full stop), and getting happily lost. And then keep going.

Beyond the souks, Fes holds ancient mosques, a historically significant Jewish quarter (the mellah), stunning carved-cedar madrasas, traditional hammams, ornate government buildings, and some of the most intricate Islamic architecture anywhere in the world.

Have your guide take you up to one of the hilltop viewpoints on the edge of the city—the contrast between the ancient medina and the newer city below is genuinely fascinating, and it’s one of those perspective-shifting moments that makes a trip like this stick.

After a slow (and delicious) breakfast in the riad, head out to one of the large traditional pottery studios on the outskirts of Fes, where you can watch master artisans work at an enormous outdoor wood-fired kiln that has been operating for centuries.

The zellige tilework and handpainted pottery are extraordinary, and there is a hands-on class where you can try your hand at shaping your own piece. Fair warning: you will want to ship home a fountain. Maybe two. The geometric tile patterns are so mesmerizing and so distinctly Moroccan that restraint becomes very difficult.

This is a beautiful, unhurried day—the kind that reminds you why travel like this beats a highlights reel every time.

Today we take a quick domestic flight from Fes airport. It is easy, painless, and suddenly you are in an entirely different Morocco. Marrakech has a completely different energy from Fes: louder, more cosmopolitan, more see-and-be-seen. And nowhere embodies that shift more than La Mamounia.

Checking into La Mamounia after the intimate scale of Riad Fes is a full sensory recalibration: sprawling grounds, multiple restaurants, a legendary pool, and a guest list that has included Winston Churchill and countless heads of state. Get settled, take a stroll, and let the city’s energy find you.

One of the things I love most about La Mamounia is that you can walk directly from the hotel to the Djemaa el-Fna square and the souks. Unlike most parts of Morocco, where I’d strongly recommend a guide, this particular stretch feels easy and safe to explore independently.

Have you ever ridden through a city in a motorcycle sidecar? If not, today is the day. This was one of the most genuinely joyful experiences of the entire trip—your guide takes you through the medina, the Palmeraie, and the surrounding countryside with frequent stops for photos, local snacks, and unexpected detours. It’s playful, it’s photogenic, and it’s a totally different way to understand the city’s geography and scale.

In the afternoon, it’s time for a traditional hammam. I know—if you’ve never done one, it can feel intimidating. The whole thing is a bit of an unknown quantity. But I have you covered: I’ll walk you through exactly what to expect, which hammam to choose, which service level makes sense for first-timers, and how to feel completely at ease before you walk through the door.

A hammam is not just a spa treatment but a centuries-old ritual of relaxation and renewal, and doing it properly in Marrakech is one of those experiences that stays with you long after you’re home.

Your final full day deserves to be a good one, and this one delivers. Start with a last pass through the Marrakech souks—this is your chance to pick up anything you missed and to get your haggling in one final time. Rugs are the classic splurge, and if you’re going that route, remember this: the price of shipping back to the U.S. should always be included in the final negotiated price. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

This afternoon, finish the trip the right way with a cooking class at one of Marrakech’s most celebrated riads. You’ll learn to make a traditional tagine from scratch—the spice blends, the layering, the slow alchemy of it—and most classes will let you bring home your own tagine pot as a souvenir. It is an intimate, flavorful, deeply personal way to close out a week that has probably already changed how you think about the world.

Pack tonight. Tomorrow, you fly home with full bags and a fuller perspective.

Marrakech Airport has expanded its direct flight options back to the U.S. significantly—check for nonstop routes from your home city before booking connections. The airport is manageable, and if you’ve followed the advice in this guide and kept your travel days loose, you’ll leave with plenty of time and no stress.

Until next time, Morocco. You ruin people for ordinary travel in the very best way.