Help a big fella out: Itinerary for 10 days

A three days tour means three days inside a car...
If you want to visit properly, you need more time.
You can easily spend more than half-day in Essaouira and one in Marrakech.
Try to have a travel and not a race...

Michel

I can say the same for Fez...

Michel

I'd say that the best idea, though it may be disappointing is to give up on the sahara tour for another time.... if you're too rushed, its not going to be fun..... You have a problem just in getting up to fes..... You need to decide soon whether you fly or train...Flying is 195$ .There are train tickets, but you need to get them on arrival. In theory you can now buy them online...See seat61.com for some info...There are some agencies that apparently will book for you but be aware of the prices... I worked thru the ticket website and came up with these prices... Its about 20$ 2nd class and 30 in 1st...

25 arrive in Agadir.... … buY bus ticket for next day
26 look around agadir morning…LAST bus to essouiera.. maybe 2 pm?? Fish Dinner
27 essaouira
28 morning ess out… bus to marrakesh..Buy train ticket
29 marrakesh Buy train/plane tickets to fes ASAP if not already
30Travel all day... leave 08:45 arrive 16:20
1fes
2chef
3fes
4fly

Or something similar to it.... Personally, I liked Fes more than Marakkesh...Prices were cheaper for buying goods in Fes if you're a shopper... IMO

...... she's always stressing out on itineraries for us when we travel. ... and you come-up with this itinerary.!

Effectively you have just 8 days to enjoy Morocco, excluding the 2 days arriving and departing. With such a short time, to avoid stress forget about the long bumpy road trip to the desert, these trips can take 12+hours each way from Marrakech, Agadir or Fez, a full 24 hours out of your short time. The same stress avoiding applies to the proposed slow road trip from Fez to Chefchouen as travel through the Rif is slow and time consuming, you have a mere 8 days to work with.

Arriving at Agadir a day spent here is not a bad idea and gives you time to find your feet before moving on to Essaouira. Spend a bit time in this small picturesque seaside town, a terrific place at night when the hoards of day-trippers from Marrakech leave in the early evening, otherwise it will be an overly touristically experience, two nights here. On to Marrakech, a week could to usefully spent here, (and you don't have a week to spend here) apart from the main tourist stampedes through the Medina and Place Jemma el Fna, the New Town Gueliz is worth exploring, a good place to shop and eat, follow the office workers to see where they go. From Marrakech using the citybus service to explore nearby mountain villages(bus L45) or the Agafa Desert (bus L33)shouldn't strain you...... http://alsa.ma/fr/marrakech and .. http://alsa.ma/fr/marrakech/itineraire-per-urbain

Moving on to Fez by bus or train to Fez and get lost in the labyrinth lanes and alleys and have fun doing it rather than rushing all over the place, spend your time on foot absorbing the experience, better than sitting in a hot stuffy van for 12 hours twice doing a Desert trip when you really don't have enough time.

Try to find good city-guides to Marrakech and Fez before you go...

To go to Morocco and spend all days only in cities without to see even a little of country it would be pity. You have only 8 days so forget in any case Chefchaouen, do as you plan to arrive to Agadir and travel straight out to Essaouira for 2 nights. It is much more picturesque town than Agadir which is not so small neither (sorry morocco traveler LOL). Spend then a 3 nights in Marrakech with some hiking around.
Then you can take CTM bus to Fes, better than go by train even if the train maybe is more comfortable, but so boring landscape there, while from the bus you will see a little more of the country than from the train. Stay then in Fes visiting even surroundings the rest of your time.
If you wish to see the desert anyway, then you would follow your original plan, though without Chefchaouen and take a 4 days tour from Marrakech via the desert to Fes. But, it would be stressful trip and you would feel you like you write above about your feelings.

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