7 Days in Morocco with Kids Without the Sahara

Start with the flight times

This plan works with an arrival on day one and departure on day seven. It gives you six nights, two full days based in Marrakech and one full day in Essaouira. Keep the first evening for check-in, dinner and sleep if you land late. A short stroll is enough if everyone is still awake.

Book the first three nights together. If you stay inside the medina, ask for the name of the gate where the driver can stop and arrange help with bags. Keep the last night easy to reach by car if pickup is early.

If your flights leave you fewer full days, use the trip length guide to decide whether to stay in one base.

Days 2 and 3: a medina morning and one flexible day

Set out after breakfast with one main destination. A palace visit and a short market walk make a reasonable morning if they are close to your room. Return for lunch or a rest. If the children want to see Jemaa el-Fnaa later, choose a meeting spot and decide together when you will leave.

Keep day three for a garden, a workshop or the foothills. If you go into the Atlas, ask for a walk with a clear turnaround point and check the drive back against your dinner time. You have a coastal transfer the next day, so a shorter outing may be enough.

Pick one or two stops from the Marrakech plan with children for your first full day.

If the mountains are the priority, compare Atlas day trips by walking time and distance before choosing day three.

Day 4: travel to the coast after breakfast

Check when the Essaouira room will be ready. If you reach town before check-in, arrange somewhere to leave the bags and choose a lunch spot within walking distance. Keep the first walk small enough to turn back if everyone is tired.

Ask both properties about vehicle access. The quote should say where the driver picks you up, whether stops are possible on the way, and where the car leaves you in Essaouira.

Check the car seat details for the coastal transfer separately from the airport pickup.

Day 5: choose a harbour day or a beach day

Start at the harbour and use the ramparts as the second stop. The old town was built as a fortified port, so ask children to look for how the walls, gates and sea fit together. Take a break inside the medina if the waterfront is windy.

If the family wants beach time, leave the afternoon unbooked until you see the conditions. A walk with shoes and a spare layer works when a swim or water activity does not. Check local guidance before going into the water.

Our Essaouira guide has more detail on the harbour walk and choosing a place to stay.

Days 6 and 7: put the airport drive on the calendar

Return to Marrakech on day six for an early departure the next morning. If the family loved the first property and pickup was simple, ask to book it again. For a very early flight, compare the ride from the old city with a room that has easier vehicle access.

If you have a late flight and would rather use a third coast night, ask your driver for a departure time that includes the road, a break and your airline’s check-in guidance. Price that option before you change the booking.

What to change for a shorter week or younger children

With five nights, either stay in Marrakech and take one short outing or use three nights in Marrakech and two in Essaouira if the flight home leaves time for the drive. Families with toddlers can replace the Atlas day with a garden or a room break. With older children, let them choose the workshop, coast walk or market stop they most want to do.

Ask for a proposal that names your rooms, the two city-to-city transfers and any extra outing separately. That way you can change one day without having to price the whole route again.

For longer routes, compare the seven, ten and fourteen day overnight plans.