Imperial Cities of Morocco 7 Days tour
Highlights
- Travel to the Moroccan imperial cities
- Visit the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
- Excursion to the Blue city Chefchouen
- Explore the must-see of Fes
- Visit the UNESCO site Volubilis
- Guided tour to the must-see of Marrakech
Day 1: Tangier & “The Blue City” of Chefchaouen
For the first day of your Grand tour to the imperial cities of Morocco, you will explore Tangier, which is the portal city that connects Europe to Africa. You can choose to wander around the narrow streets of the old medina, enjoy a café at the Zoco Chico square or simply have a relaxing walk. Then we will move on to our next destination, which is the blue town of Chefchaouen. On our way there, we will make a stop at the Akchour waterfalls in order to explore the landscapes of the beautiful Rif Mountains. After that, we will finally reach Chefchaouen, which is a quiet town that attracts people from all around the world for its lovely and hospitable locals, its iconic blue-colored houses and buildings, and its historical old Medina. We will make sure you’ll get to explore all of the most important locations and attractions that Chefchaouen has to offer, including the main square called Outa El-Hammam, the narrow alleyways of the old medina, the small shops and vendors of artisanal handmade products, and the old fortified Kasbah with its garden, its museum, and its ancient prison cells. Finally, as the day nears its end, we will hike up to the Spanish Mosque in order to catch a panoramic view of the sunset over the entire city and the neighboring mountains as well.
Day 2: Roman ruins at Volubilis, Meknes, and the Cultural Capital of Fes
If you’re looking to have a moment of quietness to freely explore Chefchaouen and take some amazing pictures of its empty streets, we suggest that you wake up early because tourists don’t usually fill the streets until the afternoon. We will then start driving towards the city of Fez, and on our way there we will make a stop at Volubilis. Volubilis is a city rich in ruins left behind by the great Roman Empire that dates as far back as the year 1 AD. This site is considered a UNESCO world heritage site for its well-preserved ruins that you will explore today, including remains of public buildings, private houses, temples, and intricate works of mosaics.
Our second stop on our way to Fez will be one of the most important imperial cities of the kingdom: the city of Meknes. Meknes is where we will have lunch, after which we will explore what this beautiful city has to offer. The two most interesting areas of Meknes are the imperial city and the old medina. Meknes and Fez actually share a lot of similarities in this regard, except that Meknes is smaller with way fewer visitors, and most importantly: its vendors are not as insistent as those in Fez. During our tour of the imperial cities of Morocco in Meknes, we will visit the iconic Bab El Mansour gate, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the Royal Stables, and more. As for the Old Medina, we will explore its narrow streets and small souk markets, the Madersa El Bouinania (1358), and last but not least, the Dar Jamai Museum (1882).
As we get closer to the city of Fez, we will meet the ruins of the Merenid tombs. This location is famous for its historical value, as well as for being a perfect spot to get a panoramic view over the Old medina. Finally, you will have dinner and spend the night at a traditional Riad in Fez.
Day 3: Fes: Exploring the Imperial City and medieval medina
The city of Fez is considered a protected UNESCO world heritage site, for it still preserves its authenticity from the impact of French colonization. The Old Fez (Fez El Bali), on which our tour will be focusing, still looks almost identical to what it looked like originally. However, Fez today has expanded and so it contains two more main areas: The new Fez (Fez El Jdid) which was constructed during the Marinid rule as an extension to the Old Fez; and finally the “Ville Nouvelle” part which was constructed by the French during the time of the colonization.
We will start our tour of the city by exploring the Old Medina through a guided tour lasting half a day. As a starting point, we will go through the Bab Boujeloud gate traversing the main connecting way of Talaa Kebira. Both sides of the street are filled with colorful shops and boutiques. As we keep progressing inside the old Medina, the streets will get narrower and windier; and unlike Marrakech, the streets of Fez are much steeper. In the middle of the Old Medina, you will get a panoramic view over the colorful Chouara leather tanneries, in which the traditional techniques of leather making (the full process) have not changed over the years.
The next thing you will get to visit during our trip to Fez is the world-famous Al-Qarawiyyin University. This university is the oldest in the world, and it is a marvelous work of Islamic architecture. Some other nearby places also worth visiting are the dormitories called Medersa El Bouinania and also the Attarine Medersa.
Day 4: To the Coast: Rabat and Casablanca
A new day of your tour to the imperial cities of Morocco. After spending one last morning at Fez, we will leave it in the direction of Rabat, the capital of the kingdom. Rabat is a very active and modern city that holds at the same time a lot of important history in its crevices. You will get to walk through the ancient Chellah Necropolis, which is a site rich in Roman ruins and Islamic remains as well. Another important historical monument that we must visit in Rabat is the Kasbah of Oudaya, through which you will feel like you’ve traveled back in time. After that, we will take a break from the business of the city, by paying a visit to the beautiful Andalusian Gardens. Finally, we will visit the famous Hassan tower Minaret and the Mohammed V mausoleum before ending our tour of Rabat. After we’re done exploring Rabat, we will head straight to Casablanca where we will have dinner and spend the night.
Day 5: Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, onwards to Marrakech
You will spend the entire morning discovering the beauty of the Hassan II mosque, which is the third-largest mosque in the world, and the largest in all of Africa. Hassan II mosque is a true masterpiece of Moroccan-Muslim architecture that can hold up to 80 000 worshipers in its huge courtyard and about 25 000 more in its main hall inside. Thankfully, the Hassan II mosque is one of the few mosques that allow entrance to non-Muslims on guided tours which means you will get the chance to closely explore the marvelous artisanal details of the mosque, including the mosaic, wood, and marble craftsmanship.
This is not all that the city has to offer! You can have a nice walk around the Parc de la Ligue Arabe, pay a visit to the Casablanca Cathedral, or explore the old Medina part of the city which dates back to before the French colonization. In contrast to that, you can walk around the markets of the Hobous, or the new medina built by the French during the 30s. You’ll also get to walk around Corniche Boulevard, also known as “The Miami of Morocco”. We will end our tour in Casablanca with a visit to Rick’s Café, which was made famous thanks to the classic movie “Casablanca”. Finally, after about a 3-hour drive, we will reach the fascinating Marrakech.
Most of our tours that start from Casablanca reach the imperial cities of Morocco. See also the grand tour from Casablanca to the desert.
Day 6: Marrakech: Exploring the Red City
Marrakech is one of the most important cities in Morocco, also known as the “red city” for its brick red colored walls and buildings. It used to be a massive trading point for merchants and tribes from all over the High Atlas area. You can navigate by yourself through Marrakech’s busy streets, knowing that Jamaa El Fna square alongside the Old Medina is North, the Koutoubia Mosque and its gardens are West, the Saadian tombs and the Bahia and El Badi palaces are South. Finally, the modern part of the city is called Gueliz and in it, you can find the beautiful Majorelle Gardens.
If you’re looking for a fun and special way to travel through the Old Medina, you can get a horse-drawn carriage ride (also called a Caleche in french) to get somewhat familiar with the area. You will meet many fondouks along the way, which are traditional guest houses that merchants used for shelter and supplies. For a fresh breather from the heat of Marrakech, you can head to the gardens near the Koutoubia mosque and explore them as well. Make sure to also appreciate the beauty of the architecture of the Koutoubia mosque (which doesn’t allow entrance to non-Muslims).
You will also benefit from a little tour of the Ben Youssef traditional school, where you can explore close up the beautiful artisanal work of Moroccan craftsmanship: from carved wood to Islamic calligraphy, you will explore it all!
Contact us to customize a tour trip to the imperial cities of Morocco.
Day 7: Depart Marrakech
For the last day of your tour to the imperial cities of Morocco, you might want to wake up early to do some last-minute souvenir shopping, after which we will visit the breathtaking Bahia palace. This palace is a masterpiece of Arab-Muslim architecture and design that dates back to the 19th century. The interior is an artistic display of all sorts of traditional Moroccan craftsmanship. The 8 hectares palace contains outdoor gardens and open rooms that connect to the courtyard. This makes for the perfect spot to relax for a bit before the time of your flight.
Desert tours in morocco Inclusions:
- A comfy and private SUV or Van with fuel costs during the journey.
- An English Speaking driver.
- Camel Trekking in Erg Chebbi Dunes.
- Airport Arrivals and Departs.
Desert tours in morocco
Exclusions:
- Lunches, Drinks
- Snacks
- Entrances & flights.