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First time in Morocco: the best day trips from Marrakech

You've landed, the medina is loud, and you'd like someone who knows the way. Start with the city, then a day in each of the landscapes: mountains, desert, ocean.

Marrakech to Marrakech, Ourika Valley.

The Koutoubia minaret over its palm-lined square in Marrakech under a pink dusk sky

  1. Stop 1: Marrakech
  2. Stop 2: Ourika Valley

Your first day out

A carved cedar double door in a whitewashed riad courtyard, brass chairs and a potted olive beside it

1/5 09:00

Meet your guide at the riad.

Marrakech

Arched courtyard and fountain at Bahia Palace in Marrakech

2/5 09:30

The Koutoubia and the Bahia Palace.

Marrakech

A shaded souk lane in Marrakech, shoppers walking under a reed-covered roof

3/5 11:30

The Saadian Tombs and the souks.

Marrakech

Tall cacti in front of a blue-rimmed pool in the Jardin Majorelle

4/5 15:00

Jardin Majorelle.

Marrakech

Jemaa el-Fna at sunset: food-stall smoke and lights across the square, the Koutoubia against an orange sky

5/5 17:30

Jemaa el-Fna at dusk.

Marrakech

Saddled camels resting on the sand in warm evening light at an Agafay camp

What we change for first-time visitors to morocco

1/3 A guide

A licensed guide on your first medina day makes the lanes and the shopping far easier.

2/3 Variety

One of each: the city, the mountains, the desert, the coast.

3/3 Advice

Tipping, haggling, what to wear: ask us anything when you request your quote.

Agafay Desert

Private tours for first-time visitors to morocco

Real trips from our catalogue, each one private.

Where first-time visitors to morocco go in Morocco

Bab Agnaou, the carved stone gate of the Marrakech kasbah, glowing in low sun beside the red walls

Bahia Palace

Marrakech

The palace courtyards.

Marrakech

One of the Setti Fatma waterfalls spilling over granite boulders at the head of the Ourika Valley

Ourika Valley

Ourika Valley

The mountains, an hour and a half away.

Ourika Valley

Build your first time trip from Marrakech

The planner opens with this style set: a balanced pace, 7 days. Change anything, then send it to us for a fixed written quote within 24h.

Build this trip

Get a quote for your first trip to Morocco

Trip style
First time
Private
Your own driver and vehicle, every day
Price
Fixed written quote within 24h. No deposit to ask.

Fixed written quote within 24h. No deposit to ask.

Details

What first-time visitors to morocco ask us

What should I do on my first trip to Morocco?

Spend a day in the Marrakech medina with a guide, then one day each in the mountains (Ourika or Imlil), the desert (Agafay) and on the coast (Essaouira).

How many days do I need?

Five to seven days from Marrakech covers the city and three or four day trips. Add three days if you want the Sahara.

How much does a first trip in Morocco cost?

We don't publish prices. The cost depends on your dates, how many of you there are, the vehicle and where you sleep, so we send a fixed written quote within 24 hours of your request. There is no deposit to ask for one.