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Exotic Morocco Imperial Cities
By Morocco Discoveries
Free cancellation available
per adult
Features
- Free cancellation available
- 8d
- Mobile voucher
- Instant confirmation
- Multiple languages
Overview
Nothing could be more representative of Morocco enticing qualities than its Majestic Imperial cities one week tour. With a powerful history thousands of years old, exceptional cultural and social diversity, and immeasurable intellectual depth, Morocco distinctive nature enriches all who experience it.
If you have only 8 days to spend in Morocco, this is the best trip for you to explore the history, architecture, culture, and cuisine of this fascinating country. You will visit Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fez, then the Atlas Mountains which lead to the best man-made oasis on earth, namely Marrakech. Join our one week Morocco tour for groups in 2019-2020
Activity location
- Rabat Old Town
- Rabat Center
- 10030, Rabat, Morocco, Morocco
Meeting/Redemption Point
- Rabat Old Town
- Rabat Center
- 10030, Rabat, Morocco, Morocco
Check availability
Extra Options as Add-On
- 8d
- English
Riads in Fez and Marrakech: You can upgrade to luxury riads in Fes and Marrakech
Hammam, cooking class: These options are available in Fez and Marrakech
Pickup included
Price details
AU$113.34 x 1 AdultAU$113.34
Total
What's included, what's not
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- All Fees and Taxes
- Breakfast and dinner daily
- Land Transport in AC Luxury Vehicle
- Excellent and personable tour leaders
- Historic cities Local guides tours
- Service charge to Guides and drivers
- Personal expenditure
Know before you book
- Service animals allowed
- Public transport options are available nearby
- Specialised infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travellers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Travel Insurance
- Masks and Gels
Activity itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Casablanca Airport and Transfer to Rabat. Afternoon City Tour of Rabat, the Capital of Morocco.
- 1 stop
- Meals: Not included
- Accommodation: Not included
Rabat Old Town
- 4h
- Admission ticket included
Start your Morocco tour by meeting your guide upon arrival at the Mohamed V Airport in Casablanca, your guide will take you immediately to check-in to your hotel in Rabat. This is a wonderful short drive of about 45 miles.
You will reach Rabat, a city styled in a spaciously elegant European style, yet slightly aware of its modernity. Rabat and its twin city Sale Colonia are separated by only a river but are historically different. Each civilisation that has inhabited each of the cities has left its mark, resulting in a wide variety of architectural styles, including those from the ancient Phoenician and Roman eras.
You will spend your day discovering the delights that Rabat has to offer. Your guide will take on a historical and lively tour of the Jewish quarter, the Mellah in the Heart of the city starting at Place Sidi Makhlouf. The 12-century ramparts are best seen from this landmark. Walk up to Bab Chellah in the medina and cross Sidi Fateh St. This will lead you to the traditional Souk Laghzel (Yarn market). Your guide will introduce you to the importance of this guild on a textile role in the Moroccan society.
Later, you will cross to the citadel of the Oudaya Kasbah entering from its 12th-century main gate to explore an extraordinary Medieval Moorish marvel overlooking the delta of Bourgreg River. You will have the opportunity to visit the old-fashioned Moorish gardens, stop in a traditional coffee house for mint tea, and in between explore the Oudaya museum of tribal arts and crafts. A docent will introduce you to traditional Berber Textiles.
You will continue your quest exiting the Oudaya Kasbah and up the hill to visit the Hassan Tower and Mohamed the V Mausoleum, an emblem of the real Moroccan architecture at its finest. You will reach the Royal Palace and the Necropolis of Chellah at the end of your tour. Finally, you will return to the hotel for dinner and other accommodation.
Day 2: Travel from Rabat to Fez visiting Meknes, Volubilis and Moulay Idriss Zerhoune on the way
- 1 stop
- Meals: Not included
- Accommodation: Hotel L'Escale 4 stars or similar
Volubilis
- 6h
- Admission ticket included
The first stop will be the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. Volubilis was a critical city in the imperial Roman department of Mauritania (modern-day Morocco, and Western Sahara) during the reign of Caracalla. Volubilis is impressively well preserved and the genius of Roman urbanism is still intact. The two central integral streets in every Roman castrum, the Cardo, and Decumanus, are prominent. The cardo is the boulevard which runs north-south and the Decumanus, east-west. The crossroads of the two is the heart of every Roman city. There you will find the ruins of the ancient forum.
On the other side of the hill, just a few minutes away you will visit with your guide the venerated citadel of Moulay Idris, founded in the 8th century by Moulay Idris Al Akbar, grandson of the Prophet Mohamed (s.a.w.s). This citadel is considered to be both the cradle of Sufism to Moroccan society as well as the first Islamic capital for the premier Arab dynasty. The city was created primarily for the indigenous population that migrated with Moulay Idris from the Middle East.
You will drive around 15 miles to the next stop, the imperial city of Meknes. A guided historic tour of Meknes is yours. Meknes is a 17th Century city built by Moulay Ismail to rival Fez. It is also considered to be the Versailles of Morocco.
Congratulation, you have reached your final destination of the day, the ninth-century city of Fez. In the evening, your guide will get a taste of the greatest of the Imperial Cities. You will visit the sights on the outside of the Medina, an ancient walled city, including the ramparts, the gates, and the Borjas (Moorish Forts). After this introductory visit aperitif to Fez, you will dine in your hotel and prepare for day three: Fez!
Day 3: Fez Guided City Tour
- 1 stop
- Meals: Not included
- Accommodation: Overnight at Hotel L'Escale or similar
Fez Mellah
- 6h
- Admission ticket included
absolutely fascinating, Fez stimulates the senses with its haunting sounds, visual splendour, and evocative smells. This world Heritage is featured in most of Morocco Tours. The most ancient of the imperial capitals and the complete medieval city of the Islamic world, Fez is reminiscent of a city suspended in time, unfazed by the constantly evolving world outsides of its walls. Fez owes nothing to the modern world, but electricity.
Time spent in Fez will reveal much about the sophistication of the Moroccan artisan, providing an unparalleled learning experience to those who cross its path. Your morning will be spent visiting the Medina. Our unmatched guide will take you on a historic discovery of the city of Fez starting at the King s Palace and its Meshwar with ramparts and majestic gates.
Next, you will walk through the Jewish quarter, a 15th-century town with all its Moorish maze architecture and medieval glory. Visits to Sephardic synagogues and mausoleums of holy Rabbis will be the highlights of this part of town. Then, we will drive to the Merinides hill to visit their necropolis. Enjoy the best panoramic view of the old walled Medina, brimful with its countless minarets to call for the prayers in a city that has responded to these calls for 12 centuries. Drive down the hills to the gate of Bab Guissa to leave your vehicle and enter an ancient world. Fez has preserved its walled Medina as it was centuries ago. Not even a bicycle is able to be used as a tool for transport. Only donkeys, mules and horses are able to help to move all that the city produces and needs as supplies.
You will end your walk in the afternoon at foundouk Lihoudi where a local Fez family will host you for traditional mint tea in their home. Finally, you will return to your hotel for dinner and other accommodation.
Day 4: Travel from Fez to Marrakech visiting the Atlas Mountains and Berber Villages on the way
- 1 stop
- Meals: Not included
- Accommodation: Overnight at Hotel El Andalous or similar 4 star in central Marrakech
Jemaa el-Fnaa
- 8h
- Admission ticket included
You will spend your day discovering the rural vistas of the Atlas Mountains Berber villages, wards, and nomadic encampments. Covered with evergreen pines, tall cedar trees, and poplars, and laced with flowing streams, your first view of the Middle Atlas will appear oddly un-Moroccan. Passing by Imouzzer, with a quick stop at the Swiss-like town of Ifrane, you will soon come across the first real town of the Middle Atlas, Azrou.
Azrou is an important market centre for the region Berber tribes, located at a major junction of mountain routes. Your driver will take a little detour in a cedar forest of Ain Leuh to introduce you to one of the oldest inhabitants of this region, the Barbary apes. This may also coincide with the encounter of a nomadic family at its temporary encampment. Berber Nomads are very hospitable people, whenever we encounter them we are all invited at least for a mint tea under their tents.
At Khenifra, the Middle Atlas give way to the High Atlas Mountains, whose peaks are visible through the haze, soaring to over 12,000 feet. After lunch, you will leave the Mountains finally arriving in the foothills which overlook the magnificent oasis city of Marrakech Alhamra. Some of the aforementioned stops will include visits to Berber villages, scenic views, and traditional markets. You will conclude your day with dinner at your hotel.
Day 5: Enjoy a walking historic tour of Marrakech with your local guide specialised in Marrakech History and culture
- 1 stop
- Meals: Not included
- Accommodation: overnight at Hotel El Andalous or similar
Jemaa el-Fnaa
- 6h
- Admission ticket included
You will devote your morning to the exploration of Marrakech s many historical sites, starting at the Menara, a magnificent pool surrounded by flowerbeds, reflecting the image of an exquisite Moorish edifice. It was constructed in 1866 for dignitaries, who enjoyed glorious sunsets with the ethereal Atlas Mountains as a backdrop. The pool also functions as an innovative irrigation system that is serving dry life in the desert.
Your tour will cover many impressive sites, including the Koutoubia Minaret (which is identical to la Giralda, a tower found in Sevilla, Spain), and the Saadien tombs, which demonstrate Moorish architecture at its best. The tombs consist of sixteenth-century mausoleums, which had lain walled-in and undiscovered until 1917. Next, you will explore the gardens of the Agdal then the Marjorelle. Finally, you will return to your hotel for dinner and other accommodation.
Day 6: Enjoy a day at your leisure in Marrakech to do what you wish or join us on an excursion to Ourika Valley rural life.
- 1 stop
- Meals: Not included
- Accommodation: Overnight at your hotel
Ourika Valley
- 4h
- Admission ticket included
It is your day with free time to do what ever you wish and explore Marrakech your way. However an optional excursion to the Ourika Valley is offered for those who like to discover the beauty of the Atlas Mountains nearby.
Day 7: Travel to Casablanca in the Morning and visit its highlights with a local guide in the afternoon
- 1 stop
- Meals: Not included
- Accommodation: Overnight at Hotel Oum Palace or similar 4 star
Old Medina of Casablanca
- 4h
- Admission ticket included
In afternoon, your guide will take you on a monumental tour exploring Casablanca, the largest port of the Maghreb, and “capital in all but administration.” Next, you will visit the Habous quarter to be introduced to your first Spanish Moorish ambiance of a lively market in old Casablanca, then of course the Art Deco colonial city centre with the real flavour of the Mystic French connection.
Your guide will introduce you to La Corniche and Ain Diab shoreline. This will give you an idea of the creative architecture in areas of the well off Moroccans of Anfa quarter, and also the inclusive resort of La Corniche. And of course, you will not miss the great mosque of Hassan II, the second largest mosque in the world. Finally, you will return to your hotel for dinner.
Day 8: Morning transfer to the Casablanca Airport
- 1 stop
- Meals: Not included
- Accommodation: Not included
New Medina of Casablanca
- 45m
- Admission ticket included
You will take you to Casablanca airport to connect for your flight back home. Assist you with checking and bid you goodbye. Thank you for visiting Morocco with us. Come back again on another Morocco tour.
Location
Activity location
- Rabat Old Town
- Rabat Center
- 10030, Rabat, Morocco, Morocco
Meeting/Redemption Point
- Rabat Old Town
- Rabat Center
- 10030, Rabat, Morocco, Morocco
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