4-Day Odyssey Filming Locations Tour in Morocco

Walk in the footsteps of Troy. A private 4-day journey from Marrakech to every Moroccan filming location of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey: Aït Benhaddou, Essaouira, the Atlas foothills and Ouarzazate. Timed for the best light and the fewest crowds.

Tour Overview

See where Christopher Nolan built ancient Troy. This private 4-day / 3-night tour starts and ends in Marrakech and takes you to every filming location of The Odyssey inside Morocco — from the windswept Atlantic beach at Essaouira, where the giant Trojan Horse washed up, to the earthen towers of Aït Benhaddou, which became the city of Troy and its spectacular destruction.

We run tours across Morocco and know these places inside out. Each one is worth the trip in its own right, each has a completely different vibe, and each carries centuries of history and culture that go far beyond the film. And that’s exactly what our local guides love to show you. Between the film sites you’ll cross the High Atlas Mountains on the legendary Tizi n’Tichka pass, explore UNESCO kasbahs, and stand for sunrise at Aït Benhaddou, when the whole hillside turns gold.

It’s a private tour, at your pace, and it’s fully customizable. Start or finish in another city, or extend it with the Sahara or anywhere else in Morocco.

✔ Private tour with your own driver-guide

✔ Aït Benhaddou — the city of Troy, photographed at golden-hour sunrise

✔ Essaouira — the Atlantic beach that held the 35-ft Trojan Horse

✔ Tahannaout & the Agafay foothills — the landscapes that doubled for parts of the city

✔ Ouarzazate — “Hollywood of Africa,” Atlas Film Studios & Taourirt Kasbah

✔ The Tizi n’Tichka pass across the High Atlas Mountains

✔ Fully customizable

New to the story behind the sites? Read our full guide to The Odyssey filming locations in Morocco.

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Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Marrakech – Essaouira (the Trojan Horse coast)

Pick-up from your accommodation in Marrakech and drive west through the argan groves to the Atlantic port of Essaouira (about 3 hours). This is where The Odyssey‘s giant Trojan Horse sat half-buried on the sand, and where Nolan turned his cameras on the ocean to play the raging sea.

Walk the 18th-century Skala ramparts and cannon-lined bastions, then the long beach south of the medina where the coastal scenes were staged. Time to wander the whitewashed, UNESCO-listed medina and the working fishing harbour. Essaouira is famously breezy. That Atlantic wind is exactly what made it work on screen.

Overnight in Essaouira.

Day 2: Essaouira – Agafay & Tahannaout – Marrakech

After a relaxed morning by the coast, we drive back east toward the mountains. This afternoon we explore the Agafay stone desert and the olive-press town of Tahannaout in the High Atlas foothills, the rugged landscapes that doubled for “parts of the city” of Troy, and a beautiful contrast to the coast.

Continue into Marrakech, the production’s base city, for the evening. Overnight in Marrakech.

Day 3: Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Ouarzazate – Aït Benhaddou (Troy)

A spectacular driving day across the High Atlas Mountains on the Tizi n’Tichka pass, with panoramic stops and Berber villages along the way (optional detour to the Glaoui Kasbah at Telouet).

We reach Ouarzazate, “the Hollywood of Africa,” to visit the Atlas Film Studios and Taourirt Kasbah.

In the late afternoon, we arrive at Aït Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar that Nolan transformed into the city of Troy, adding a pillared Temple of Athena and city gates before staging its destruction. The climb up through the ksar’s lanes feels like stepping into another century, and the view from the top is every bit as good as the journey up.

Overnight in Ouarzazate/Aït Benhaddou.

Day 4: Aït Benhaddou sunrise – Marrakech

The highlight for photographers: we’re at the ksar for sunrise. Its towers face east, so about 30 minutes after the sun clears the ridge the whole hillside glows molten gold, and you’ll have it nearly to yourself before the day-trip coaches arrive. Shoot from the far bank of the Ounila River, then explore at your own pace.

After breakfast we recross the Atlas and return to Marrakech, where you’ll be dropped at your accommodation by evening. End of tour.

Tour availability: year-round

Accommodation categories: standard, luxury, mixed (on request)

Difficulty/fitness level: easy to moderate, suitable for most travelers with basic mobility

Included

Experienced driver/local guide (we speak fluent English, Spanish, French…)
Private transportation in a comfortable, air- conditioned vehicle
Fuel, tolls & all transport expenses
3 nights' accommodation (hand-picked riads, kasbah stays & hotels)
3 breakfasts
1 dinner
Pick-up and drop-off at your Marrakech accommodation (or airport)
All filming-location visits and the scenic Atlas crossings as per the itinerary

Not Included

Drinks
Lunches
Tips & gratuities
Personal travel insurance
Flights to and from Morocco
Monument, museum and studio entrance fees (e.g. Atlas Film Studios)

Optional add-ons available on request.

Price per person starting at 329€.

Final price depends on travel dates (low/high season), chosen accommodation category, number of travelers, and room type. Please contact us for an exact quotation tailored to your group.

Accomodation

	Category 1	Category 2	Category 3
Night 1: Essaouira	Riad Azul	Riad Raoud Rayhana	Riad Mimouna
Night 2: Marrakech	Riad El Walida	Riad Nesma	La Maison Arabe
Night 3: Ouarzazate/ Aït Benhaddou	Riad Amlal	Yo Palace Ouarzazat	Oz Palace Ouarzazat

If the listed hotel is fully booked, we will arrange a similar option of the same category and standard.

Customize This Tour

This is a private tour, so it’s yours to shape:

Choose where you start and finish. The standard route runs round-trip from Marrakech, but we can begin and end in Casablanca (add a transfer day), or in Fes or Tangier. Ideal if you’re arriving or leaving from a different city.
Extend it with a trip to the Sahara or anywhere else in Morocco. No trip here is complete without the desert: from Ouarzazate/Aït Benhaddou we can continue southeast through the Dades and Todra Gorges to Merzouga and the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi. Think camel trek at sunset, a night in a Berber desert camp, and sunrise over the Sahara. Prefer somewhere else? We can add Fes, Chefchaouen, the Todra valley, the coast, or any region of Morocco you’d like to see.
Add days or comfort levels. More time in Essaouira or Marrakech, a cooking or music experience, or an upgrade to luxury riads and desert camps — just ask.

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FAQs

Is this tour private or shared?

This is a 100% private tour. You will travel only with your own group and driver/guide.

Where does the tour start and finish?

It starts and ends in Marrakech by default. You can also start or finish in Casablanca, Fes, Tangier… Just ask and we’ll adjust the route.

Can I extend the tour to the Sahara or elsewhere?

Yes. We can add Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes (camel trek and a night in a desert camp) via the Dades and Todra gorges — usually 2–3 extra days, and we highly recommend it. We can also extend to anywhere else in Morocco, from Fes and Chefchaouen to the coast.

Which Odyssey filming locations does the tour cover?

All of the Moroccan ones you can visit: Aït Benhaddou (Troy), Essaouira (the Trojan Horse beach), the Tahannaout/Agafay foothills, and Ouarzazate (Atlas Film Studios). The film’s Calypso scenes were shot at Dune Blanche near Dakhla in Western Sahara, which is outside this itinerary.