The short answer
Realistically, no. Fes is about 530 km from Marrakech, roughly 6h30 each way on the motorway without stops, and the train takes longer with a change at Casablanca. Even flying, the schedules and airport time make a same-day return rushed and poor value. Fes needs at least one night, ideally two or three.
In more detail
A day trip would give you a few hours in a medina that takes two days just to understand. You would see one tannery terrace and one madrasa, and spend the rest of the day in transit. It is the kind of trip people regret.
The better answer is to make Fes a leg of a wider route rather than a trip out from Marrakech. Marrakech, then Fes, then Chefchaouen, flying home from Fes or Tangier, is a natural line. So is a loop from Marrakech south to the Sahara and north to Fes.
If time is short and Fes is a must, fly from Marrakech to Fes (about an hour) for two nights and fly back. Otherwise, the drive north can be broken at Beni Mellal or in the Middle Atlas so the road itself becomes part of the trip.
Good to know
- Book a one-way trip and fly home from Fes.
- On the drive north, plan a stop rather than going straight through.
- If you only have a week, choose the north or the south, not both.