Both Marrakesh and Fes connect to Erg Chebbi, but they lead there differently — one as a loop, one as a one-way crossing — and picking between them usually comes down to your flights more than a preference for one city over the other.
Starting from Marrakesh: the loop
Marrakesh connects to our 3-day Merzouga loop — you leave and return to the same city, over the High Atlas via Aït Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate. This is the right choice if your flights are round-trip through Marrakesh, or if Marrakesh is where you want to spend most of your city time before or after the desert.
Starting from Fes: the crossing
Fes connects to our 5-day one-way route, ending in Marrakesh — through Ifrane, the Azrou cedar forest, and the Ziz Valley before reaching the dunes, then back through Todra and Dadès. This suits travelers flying into one city and out of the other, or anyone who wants Fes's medina as part of the trip rather than Marrakesh alone.
Which city itself is "better" to visit?
Both are worth time in their own right, and this shouldn't be the deciding factor. Marrakesh is more geared toward first-time visitors — easier to navigate, more tourist infrastructure, livelier nightlife around Jemaa el-Fnaa. Fes has the older, more intact medina and a slightly quieter, more traditional feel. Neither is a compromise; they're just different flavors of the same country.
What locals and repeat visitors tend to say
Travelers who've done both routes on separate trips often describe them as complementary rather than competing — the Marrakesh loop as the more efficient, hit-the-highlights version, and the Fes crossing as the slower, more textured one. Neither view is wrong; they're just optimizing for different things, which is exactly why the honest answer to "which is better" is usually "which fits your flights and your pace."
Can you do both cities regardless of which route you pick?
Yes — many travelers add the other city as a separate stop before or after the desert route, especially on a longer trip. If you start in Marrakesh for the 3-day loop, a few days in Fes afterward (reached by train or a short flight) is a common addition, and the reverse works just as well.
Does one starting point cost more than the other?
The 5-day Fes crossing costs more in absolute terms than the 3-day Marrakesh loop, but that's a function of length, not the starting city itself — see our full cost breakdown for the specific numbers. If budget is the main constraint rather than which city you'd rather see, the shorter Marrakesh loop is the more economical option regardless of which city you'd prefer to spend time in.
Flight considerations worth checking early
International flights into Fes are less frequent than into Marrakesh, which is the busier, more connected airport for most long-haul routes. If you're flying from outside Europe specifically, it's worth checking whether a direct Fes option exists at all, or whether you'd be connecting through Marrakesh or Casablanca anyway — in which case starting the loop from Marrakesh may simply be the more practical choice regardless of route preference.
Quick answers
A few follow-up questions travelers ask about this.
Is there a direct way to travel between Fes and Marrakesh without the desert route?
Yes — a train connects the two cities directly in about 7-8 hours, or a short domestic flight, if you'd rather see the desert on a separate, shorter trip.
Which route has better scenery along the way?
Both are strong in different ways — the Marrakesh loop has Aït Ben Haddou and Todra Gorge, while the Fes crossing adds the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas and the Ziz palm oasis.
Does one route cost more than the other?
The 5-day Fes crossing costs more in absolute terms simply because it's longer — see our full cost breakdown for the specific numbers.
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