A Road Trip for Two in Morocco: 3 Romantic Escapes Behind the Wheel

For two people, a rental car changes everything: no coach timetable, no group, stops whenever you feel like it. You drive with the windows down past oleanders and walnut trees, pull over for a sunset on the ocean, and sleep in a kasbah among the palms. Here are three roads made for it, and the car to match.

Photo: Ahmed.magdy — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Published on 11 February 2026

1. From Marrakech to the Ourika valley: lunch with your feet in the water
2. The road to Essaouira: sunsets and ocean air
3. The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs and the Skoura palm grove
4. Which car suits a trip for two?

1. From Marrakech to the Ourika valley: lunch with your feet in the water

The P2017 heads south out of Marrakech and climbs the Ourika valley to Setti Fatma, a little over 60 kilometres away: allow about an hour and a half. As you climb, the air cools and the river runs alongside the road.

In Setti Fatma, park at the entrance to the village and have lunch at one of the riverside restaurants, where tables and benches sit almost in the stream. On the menu: tajine, Moroccan salad and mint tea. In summer, avoid Sundays, when many Marrakech families drive up for the cool air, and in stormy weather keep away from the riverbed: the water rises very fast.

2. The road to Essaouira: sunsets and ocean air

Leave Marrakech in the morning: Essaouira is about 180 kilometres away, two and a half to three hours' drive. The landscape turns from ochre plain to argan forest, where you may see goats perched in the branches. Often a herder has put them there for photos and expects a coin.

Late in the day, walk the Skala ramparts while the sun drops into the Atlantic, then have dinner in a riad in the heart of the medina. Cars can't get in, so leave yours in a guarded car park at the gates of the old town.

3. The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs and the Skoura palm grove

For real peace and quiet, cross the Tichka pass to Ouarzazate and carry on about forty kilometres east to the Skoura palm grove.

Date palms, olive and pomegranate trees surround mud-brick kasbahs there, several of them now guesthouses. Kasbah Amridil, one of the best known, is open to visitors during the day. In the evening, eat in your guesthouse courtyard: far from any town, the sky is dark and the stars are sharp.

4. Which car suits a trip for two?

Two people with two cabin bags need nothing more than a recent city car: easy to park near the medinas, steady on the main roads.

If you plan to cross the Atlas passes or take the tracks to remote guesthouses, go for a compact SUV: more ground clearance and a higher driving position make the climbs more comfortable. Check, too, that the agency's contract allows tracks.

Frequently asked questions

Is a foreign licence enough to register both partners as drivers?

Yes, if each licence is valid and written in the Latin alphabet, as French, Belgian, Swiss, British or Canadian licences are: no international permit needed. Otherwise an international permit is required. On Loccor, the additional driver is a paid option you tick when booking, and its price is shown before payment.

Is it easy to find romantic places to stay with secure parking?

Usually, yes: many guesthouses in the Atlas and the south have a closed courtyard or a night watchman. Ask when you book, especially in a medina, where the car generally stays in a car park at the entrance to the old town.

How many kilometres a day should we plan so we don't wear ourselves out?

On national and mountain roads, aim for 150 to 200 kilometres a day, about three hours at the wheel. You enjoy the stops and arrive before dark, which matters away from the motorways.

Sources

Visit Morocco — visitmorocco.com

UNESCO — whc.unesco.org

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Written by the Loccor editorial team, the platform connecting travellers with car rental agencies in Morocco.

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