Embark on an 8-day journey through Morocco’s most iconic historical cities, from the modern energy of Casablanca to the ancient spiritual heart of Fes and the vibrant charm of Marrakech. Discover centuries-old medinas, Roman ruins, imperial palaces, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Explore rich cultural heritage, stunning architecture, and traditional crafts passed down through generations. Along the way, enjoy panoramic landscapes, Berber villages, and Moroccan cuisine. This tour offers a perfect blend of history, culture, and unforgettable experiences.
Pick up at the Casablanca airport and transfer to your hotel.
► Hassan II Mosque
You can start your day with a guide visiting the famous mosque of
Hassan 2 the largest religious building in the world during the Fridays
this building opens for no Muslims.
This mosque is absolutely extraordinary higher minaret of the Muslim
world located on the Atlantic coast of casa , the bigger space of prayer of
Africa, and real symbol of the city. A mixture of modern techniques and
antique Moroccan know-how. will offer you a magnificent visit!
►Old Medina (old city)
Then we go through until the Souk in the old medina where we find a big
gate called Bab Marrakech and surrounded by the rampart considered
as the oldest district of metropole was created in 7 th century. We find also
charming small hotels there, which built in the time of the protectorate,
It’s very pleasant and allows you to discover the everyday life of the
inhabitant
► United Nations Square.
Another curiosity is the Nation united square that makes the link between
the past and the present. This is the meeting place of the major arteries,
we find everything nearby a station of streetcar, the souk, luxury hotels,
restaurants, coffees shops but also banks, seats of large companies,
travel agencies and visit of the bar of Hyatt regency, famous decoration,
set of the movie interpreted by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman for
a last coffee break.
►The Corniche and Morocco Mall.
In the other hand we suggest you to visit the cornice in Ain Diab and its
various beaches, swimming pool, coffee and other very popular places
for entertainment and also we will visit the big shopping mall of the city
opened in 2011, "Morocco Mall" is the 20th biggest Mall shopping in the
word the second in Africa
After breakfast depart to Rabat. Rabat has a population of 2 million, is
a main university town and the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. The
city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Bou
Regrag River.
During your one-day tour you will learn Rabat’s history and enjoy its
beautiful domes, minarets, wide avenues and green spaces. Your guide
will escort you on a walk around the picturesque Almohad northern walls
of the Oudaïa Kasbah. The kasbah was built by Moulay Ismaïl from
1672-1727 to protect the city and is enclosed by ramparts dating from
the Almohad period. Visit Bab Oudaïa, a monumental gate and example
of Almohad military architecture. See the Musée de Oudaïa, Moulay
Ismaïl’s palace exhibiting collections of Moroccan folk art. Before moving
on to city medina, relax in the Moorish style Andalusian garden.
In the medina, your guide will take you through the labyrinth of souks and
artisan shops. Visit Place Souk el- Ghezel (the Wool Market Square)
where Christian prisoners were once sold as slaves. Walk the famous
and lively Rue des Consuls where foreign consuls were once obliged to
live. Browse shops selling clothes, shoes, food and other crafts. South of
the Rue Souk visit the Mellah, the Jewish quarter.
Next, continue to the Hassan tower, which stands on the hill overlooking
the Wadi Bou Regreg. It is a gigantic mosque, emblematic of Rabat and
famous for its unfinished minaret where storks nest. Next door, visit the
beautiful Mausoleum of Mohammed V decorated with stained glass
windows, white marble and a wrought-iron entryway with a stairway
leading to an impressive dome. Also on the list is Ville Nouvelle. The new
town has wide boulevards, open green spaces and avenues lined with
residential blocks, a railroad, the Bank of Morocco, Musée de la
Poste and the cathédrale Saint -Pierre.
Visit the Musee Archeology, which houses the most extensive
collection of Archeological Artifacts and the unbelievably
beautiful Necropolis at Chellah. In the necropolis are vestiges of the
Roman town of Sale.
►Spend the night in a hotel in Rabat, Morocco’s capital.
After a breakfast of fresh fruits, jams, bread and mint tea, drive
to Meknes.
We will take the road from Rabat to Meknes. Arrive in Meknes and begin
your tour of Meknes at Bab Mansour. First we will pass through the
triumphal arch. Standing at sixteen meters high with an eight meter long
arch, the intricately patterned triumphal arch is argued to be the most
beautiful in Morocco. Enter Place El-Hedime (Square of Ruins) which
links the medina and the kasbah. The square is lined with modern
residential buildings and a covered food souk (market).
We will stop and visit the Musée Dar Jamaï, a museum showing modern
Moroccan arts, woodwork, ceramics, carpets, costumes,
jewelry andmetalwork. The sophisticated building was once a palace
incorporating a mosque, menzah (pavilion), courtyard, kitchen and
hammam.
Drive to Fes where you will settle in at your traditional riad hotel
Today start our day by travel for two hour excursion outside of Fes to
explore the breathtaking archaeological site of Volubilis (Walili). Once
occupied by the Romans, Volubilis has been recognized by UNESCO as
a world heritage site and gained international acclaim when Martin
Scorsese made it a feature location for his film, The Last Temptation of
Christ.
Begin your visit by discovering the fascinating Roman ruins adorned with
beautiful mosaics and colorful tiles depicting Roman mythology. The
ruins are spread out across several acres and what remains visible is
several fragments of wall, parts of massive columns, the capitol, the
basilica and a triumphal arch. The ruins reveal how the Roman
Empire transformed the original Carthaginian settlement into a typical
Roman city complete with mansions, a town center, a triumphal arc and
temples devoted to the Roman gods.
Upon returning to Fes, your driver will take you briefly through the city
of Moulay Idriss. You can stand on one of the twin hills of Moulay Idriss.
From there you see a panoramic view and appreciate the green plateau
upon which Volubilis is situated.
Return to your hotel in Fes and then head to the Nouvelle (new city) for
dinner at a modern Moroccan restaurant.
After a breakfast your day will begin at the visit of Fes . The first
destination is capital cultural and religious of
the Kingdom, we will do walking tour to capture the historical moments.
You will be engulfed in the mystical ambiance of an old oriental medina
filed with the streets that bend and are narrow. You will follow the routes
passing through the numerous historical and architectural structures
belonging to the Mereneid and Alaouite dynasties that ruled Morocco
when this city used to be the capital of this kingdom They (monuments)
are often favored because they are the best models of Moorish
architectural style. You will have the opportunity to see the Bue Inanya
mosque at close range, wonder at the universities of manuscripts
makers, Nejjarine square, and the beautifully designed fountain.
Therefore, you will realize how the climax of the story is set in the
handicraft shops, where leather and pottery masters work in accordance
with the technology inherited from their grandfathers and great-
grandfathers; the secrets about which are carefully transferred from one
generation to another. We will continue next to the Jewish quarter
situated in the modern times. It depicts their cohabitation, the
affectionate attitude of the two communities, Muslims and Jews, towards
each other.
Within the medina, we will visit following historical sites :
►Medersa Bou Inania: An (Islamic school) founded by Abu Inan Faris.
►Kairouan Mosque: Morocco’s second largest Islamic monuments in
north Africa was built by Fatima AL Fihri .
►University of Al Karaouine : Founded in 859.
►Medersa el Attarin: A (Koranic school) Founded by Sultan Abou Saïd
in the 14th century .
►Zaouia Moulay Idriss II: A zaouia (shrine) dedicated to and the tomb
of Moulay Idriss II, who ruled Morocco from 807 to 828 and founded the
city of Fès for the second time in 810.
►Dar Batha: A Hispano-Moorish palace dating from the end of the
19 th century that houses admirable collections of traditional art from Fès.
Journey trough middle Atlas mountains heading to Beni Mellal, a modern
town surrounded by orange and olive groves. The nearby Bin-el-Ouidane
Dam keeps the groves and other cultivated crops like Beetroot and
sugarcane well watered.
Enjoy a traditional Berber lunch in Beni Mellal. Located at the foot of
the Middle Atlas Moutains, Beni Mellal is on the edge of the great Tadla
Plain where cereals are cultivated. The town has an interesting history of
also being called Day and Kasba Belkouche and was inhabited by
the Berbers and Jews before the arrival of Islam. In the 13th century Beni
Mellal stood on the border between the kingdoms of Fes and Marrakech,
which were the objects of dispute between the Merinid and Almohad
dynasties. In 1680 Moulay Idriss built a kasbah in Beni Mellal.
In Beni Mellal we will have the option of trekking around waterfalls,
springs, caves, and wooded gorges populated by monkeys. Moving on
we can stop at the Kasba Tadla, the focal point of a garrison town built
by Moulay Ismaïl in the 17th century.
Continue to Marrakech where you will stay the night .
Depart from your hotel.
Your introduction to Marrakech will begin in the Medina, the old quarter
of the Marrakech. From here we will explore this historically charming
area by foot. In Jemma El Fena, you will visit the famous 12th century
Koutouba Mosque and its influential minaret.
Your guide will lead you through the labyrinth streets and alleys of the
Djemma. Enjoy aromatic smells, taste fresh squeezed orange juice and
venture into the souks specializing in Berber carpets, silver jewelry,
artisan workshops,handmade shoes and tanneries.
Marrakech is a city of underground channels built by the architects from
Cordoba, Spain to provide water for the town and Palmery. We will drive
to the Lower Medina to explore more of Marrakesh’s secrets: El Mansour
mosque, the sixteenth century Saadian Tombs with its stark towers, the
ruined 16th century El Badhi palace, and the Mellah and the Jewish
quarter.
Enjoy a three- course lunch consisting of fresh salad, tajine and fruit at
one of Marrakech most delectable restaurants.
After lunch we will head north of the Mellah to visit the 19th
century Bahia palace, originally built for Si Moussa, a former slave who
became King Moulay Hassan’s chamberlain. The palace holds a
courtyard and riads decorated with beautiful carved stucco, Arabic
architecture.
Next we will visit the contemporary Moroccan Art Museum or Tiskiwin, a
private museum dedicated to popular arts & crafts, styled as a beautiful
Spanish-Moroccan house, next door to Dar Si Said palace, a smaller
version of the Bahia. Now onward to the new city, we will navigate our
way to French, Geuliz and head to the Majorelle Gardens, a magical and
lush small garden estate designed by Jacque Majorelle and maintained
by Yves Saint Laurent.
The Majorelle Garden is filled with colorful walkways, ponds,
cactus and plants as well as a beautiful shop with hand-made goods. On
our return to your hotel, we will pass by the La Mamounia Hotel
Garden (where Alfred Hitchcock wrote the famous film The Birds).
Attend the Chez Ali Fantasia and music show. Dinner served on site.
Return to your riad for the evening
Depart from your hotel and take the road back to Casablanca. Our team
ensures you will arrive at the airport 2 or 3 hours before your flight . This
ends your Moroccan Historical Cities Tour .