Imperial cities - 7 days

Explore the beautiful Imperial Cities of Morocco

Detailed Itinerary [brief itinerary...]

This trip is an excellent introduction to Morocco’s centuries-old culture in a remarkably short space of time. You’ll visit the country’s three most beautiful imperial cities, ancient strongholds with maze-like streets surrounded by towering walls. You’ll see colourful markets, grand mosques, Koranic schools and ancient palaces. You’ll visit splendid Roman ruins, Morocco’s most important pilgrim city, its capital city and the snow-capped mountains of the High Atlas. And you’ll return home feeling that you’ve not only observed all of this Eastern culture at arm’s length but that you’ve been immersed up to your neck in it!

Day 1:	This first day we spend in Casablanca. If you arrive early you can visit the Hassan II Mosque, the world’s second largest and the only working mosque in Morocco that can be visited by non-Muslims.
Day 2:	Today we’ll drive via Rabat to the charming city of Meknes, with its yellow ochre houses and green tiles, situated amongst orchards and olive groves. Formerly an imperial city, it boasts a huge system of ramparts that form part of the ancient palace complex.
Day 3:	A short drive from Meknes will take us to the once-great Roman city of Volubilis, where we can pay a combined visit to its impressive ruins and to the nearby pilgrim city which holds the bones of the founder of Islam in Morocco, Moulay Idriss. We then drive further to Fes
Day 4:	Today we pay a visit to the old medina of Fes is a particularly exciting experience because when you enter the sprawling labyrinthine alleys you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Donkeys and mules are the only form of transport in these steep and narrow streets. The most delicious scents come from the souk, where perfumes and spices are traded. But the most appalling stink from the leather tanneries, where men often stand up to their waists treating leather in noxious baths in much the same way as has been done for centuries, shouldn’t put you off going there too. Ethnic leather goods make great souvenirs!
Day 5:	Today we’ll leave for the largest of all the imperial cities and the southern capital, Marrakech, where we will spend the final three nights of the tour. Our journey will take us through the Middle Atlas Mountains, where cedar forests abound, and nearer to Marrakech we’ll be able to glimpse the even more imposing snow-covered peaks of the High Atlas Mountains.
Day 6:	Today you have a free day to explore Marrakech. Marrakech has a magical reputation because of its immense souks (bazaars), numerous landmarks and ancient Berber heritage. Its central focus is Djemaa El Fna, the famous square where young and old alike gather every day to enjoy arts and crafts, storytellers, snake-charmers, herbal doctors and jugglers. As darkness falls food-stalls appear and you would be forgiven for feeling that you’d stepped back a thousand years or more. Marrakech is also famous for great gardens, of which the Majorelle Gardens, created in 1920 by the French artist of the same name, is probably the most beautiful. The bright blue villa contrasts perfectly with the surrounding tropical plants growing in enormous jars and pots.
Day 7:	Departure from Marrakech
Itinerary notes On occasion local weather conditions may require the trekking/desert route to be altered to ensure your safety. Is this itinerary not exactly what you had in mind? Please contact us, all itineraries can be changed according to your wishes.