morroco....essaouira, casablanca, fez, meknes

Hi,
I'm going to be in Morocco two weeks in September. Want to see the most, but I think I have to take some places out of my route in order to see Morocco well. In the north, is Fez, Casablanca and Meknes really worth it? Which isn't? I've heard Meknes can be skipped, but what about the Roman ruins of Volubilis? In the south, I was thinking about going to Ourazante, though I'm not really sure, and then heading Erg Chiraga for the dunes (are these the best dunes?) or M'hamid. What places should I skip and what other places am I missing?

Thanks a lot,
Alex

I just got back from Morocco last month, what a wonderful place it is! I Would definitely recommend Marrakech, I really liked it. I also went to Zagora, it was a real trek getting there though. I heard Mergouza is supposed to be better.

Essouira is a must visit, its only small so can be done in a day or so. I went to Agadir too, if you are in to the beach then its ok, if not, not much else there.

We also went to see the waterfalls at Ozoud, that was definitely worth the visit too.

Unfortunately unable to make it to Fez, but its supposed to be worth it. Enjoy your stay in Morocco, I really had a great time there and generally, the people were really helpful.

hi there
i was in morroco 2 month back and i travel to marrakesh frequently.
i really recomend marrakesh, nice place and people.
essouaira is a one day tour,u can take a car from marrakesh to there.
oureka near marrakesh have a nice waterfalls,
casablanca is crowded and nice beach , big city
agadir have nice beach,but i dont recomend it because it is tooooooo crowded

Hi,

This may come a bit late as you said some time in September. I just wanted to make a comment about Meknes and the surroundings. It has long been said in many guide books that Meknes could be skipped. The idea behind this is that anything you find in Meknes can be found in Fez or Marrakech. This is in a way true because the medina of Meknes is much smaller but people are now coming to Meknes for it's authenticity. The other imperial cities have been completely overun by tourism and it's difficult to get lost in their medina without being constantly harrassed or to find craftsmen who aren't working exclusively for the tourist industry. As I said things are changing and reports of people's stay in Meknes are of course drawing more people and riads are popping up here and there but for the time being it is still calm and a real medina.
Concerning Volubilis, I definitely think you should give it a shot if you find the time. The site in itself is of course of great interest but you will see that the surroundings and mount Zitoun are equally wonderful. A few kilometers from the site you will go through Moulay Idriss where you should really find the time to stop for a walk. This traditional village and important religious site is built into the side of the mountains and is a great site when you arrive in the valley.
I hope you have a great holiday in Morocco,
Lionel