Imperial Cities Morocco Tour 7 days from Rabat

Imperial Cities Morocco Tour 7 days from Rabat. Arrival at Rabat airport, meet the driver, and transfer to the hotel (30-45 min).

dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

We will start our Imperial Cities Morocco Tour 7 days from Rabat. by exploring Rabat with local Guide visiting the Kasbah of Udayas, with its pretty blue and white streets and typical Andalusian gardens, which are in full bloom all year round.

We will have a mint tea and a Moroccan dessert at a Moorish café with a beautiful view of the Bourgreg delta, then climb up to the observation deck where we can enjoy a panoramic view of the city and the sea. Next up is the majestic Hassan Tower, once the minaret of the largest mosque in the world. All that remains of the mosque now are fragments of walls and pillars. Here is also the tomb of Mohammed V, the founder of modern Morocco, richly decorated with mosaics. It is guarded by colourful royal guards and you should be in awe of the silence inside. Now it’s on to the mysterious fortress of Shera, home to the oldest settlement in the region. The Phoenicians and Romans left their footprints here and in the 14th century the Sultan of Merinid built the royal cemetery and the strong protective wall here, which is still in use today. If there is time, we can explore the palace and admire its mighty entrance gates (the entrance to the palace is forbidden to outsiders).

Check-in at your hotel in Rabat. Complimentary dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Transfer to Meknes (2 hours). Visit Meknes, the smallest imperial city in Morocco, which was the capital in the 17th century. During the 7 days imperial cities tour from Rabat, we will see the beautiful gates of Bab El Mansour; the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, a true museum of traditional Moroccan decoration, rich in mosaics, Qur’anic verses and Arabic poetry; the magnificent royal stables and the barn of Heri es-Souani, which once housed 12,000 horses, with a system of underground water channels that keeps them cool all year round.

Lunch (extra charge). Transfer to Moulay Idriss (30 minutes). This is a Moroccan shrine built around the tomb of the founder of the Idris dynasty (the first Moroccan dynasty) more than 12 centuries ago.

Visit the ruins of the town of Volubilis (UNESCO World Heritage Site), built in the 1940s BC, one of the best preserved Roman ruins in North Africa. The huge ruins are set amidst lush fields. Impressive administrative buildings, palaces and baths, as well as splendid mosaics and sculptures, testify to the former greatness of the city, which was the administrative centre of the Kingdom of Mauritania.

Transfer to Fez (1 hour). Free dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day guided tour of Fez, the oldest imperial city in Morocco. Founded shortly after the Arab invasion of North Africa and Spain, Fes soon became the religious and cultural centre of the country.

We will stroll through street the Old City of Medina, the largest medieval Muslim city in the world. We will pass through the streets and bazaars of the Old City, the ancient caravanserai and artisan workshops, the oldest Karawin Mosque and University in the world, built in the 9th century, the mausoleum of Moulay Idris II, the most revered tomb in the city (not accessible to non-Muslims), the Buinanian School, a jewel of Merinidadian architecture, richly decorated with mosaics, carvings and stucco. Nedjarin Square with its mosaic fountain; the elegant Attarin Madrasah; and of course Fez’s famous tannery where you can observe the leather processing using medieval techniques. Lunch (extra charge).

We continue our tour Imperial Cities Morocco of the new town of Fez and walk through the Jewish quarter of Merah. Once home to the largest Jewish community in Morocco, this area is now almost in ruins. Here you can see typical Jewish community houses with balconies overlooking the street, an old synagogue and a cemetery. We will continue our journey by admiring the beautiful golden gates of the palace (the palace itself is off-limits) and then climb the hill with the Merinid tombs, which offers an impressive panoramic view of the old town. Complimentary dinner and overnight at the hotel.

After Breakfast at the hotal, We start our tour Imperial Cities Morocco Tour 7 days from Rabat. with a visit Majorelle Garden, owned by the famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. A stroll through its shady streets filled with the sweet scent of flowers is a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. Here and there, in the midst of lush exotic vegetation, bright blue pavilions can be seen, whose architecture combines Moorish style with art deco.

This colour, called ‘big blue’, has become the trademark of Marrakech. The ashes of the great couturier were scattered here and a modest monument was erected in his honour. Next we will see the 12th century Koutoubia Mosque, the symbol of Marrakech (outside viewing, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter). The simplicity and balance of the architecture and the exquisite decor have made the building one of the most beautiful monuments in the Maghreb.

Take a stroll around the town’s main square, Jemaa el-Fna, which means ‘square of severed heads’, as it was once used to execute criminals. Here you will come alive day and night and experience the flavour of Morocco’s tourism capital: snake charmers and monkey tamers, gnaoua musicians and acrobats, henna and fortune tellers, water peddlers and traditional healers, date and orange juice vendors.

Now find yourself immersed in the maze of streets and alleys of the traditional bazaars of Marrakech. They are divided into specialised quarters which can be wandered endlessly. The profusion of colours, sounds and smells is overwhelming. The spice market, the baboush market, the fabric and kaftan market, the embossed goods market, the carpet market… Here is a small part of what you can see here. A visit to the “Berber pharmacy”, where traditional remedies, roots and herbs are sold, and to an artisan’s workshop where you can observe the making of Moroccan mosaics or leather goods. Unexpectedly, behind an inconspicuous wall, we will discover one of the most beautiful palaces of Morocco, the Bahia Palace built in the 18th century.

Once it was the residence of a confidant of the Sultan with his 4 wives, 24 concubines and numerous children. Take a tour of its richly decorated halls and mosaic patios and gardens. Transfer to the hotel. Free dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Return flight Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Free time in Marrakech, optional extra excursions or activities:

hammam cooking class shopping Transfer to Casablanca airport (2.5h), return flight. and will be the Ending of Imperial Cities Morocco Tour 7 days from Rabat.