Imperial Morocco

Arrive at Mohamed V airport in Casablanca. Meet and greet by your English-speaking driver/guide, then transfer to Rabat, the capital of Morocco and one of the imperial cities. Check in at your hotel to relax. Optional dinner. Overnight in Rabat.

Breakfast in the hotel. Enjoy the city tour of Rabat. Visit the Kasbah of the Oudayas. This Kasbah was constructed during the realm of the Almohads dynasty (12th century). Stop next at Mohammed V Mausoleum, which is home to the tombs of the current king's father and grandfather. Your last stop in Rabat is Hassan Tower, which is a minaret built in 1195. Transfer to Meknes, the "Moroccan Versailles" and one of the oldest cities in the kingdom. Enjoy the city tour of Meknes. The city was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727), a contemporary of Louis XIV. Stop at the massive Bab El Mansour gate, which is the grandest of all imperial Moroccan gateways. Stop next at Hri Souani, which is a complex of three different buildings built for granaries and stables. This amazing site has been used as a scene for many films, the most famous of which is probably “The Last Temptation of Christ” in 1988 by Martin Scorsese. Optional lunch at a local restaurant. Continue to the UNESCO-sponsored Roman ruins in Volubilis, a city partly excavated by the UNESCO. Volubilis was considered as the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania. It was developed from the 3rd century BC onward as an Berber, then proto-Carthaginian, and from the 1st century AD onward, the city grew rapidly under the Roman rule. Late in the afternoon, transfer to Fes, the spiritual capital of Morocco. Optional dinner in the hotel. Overnight in Fes.

Breakfast in the hotel. Enjoy the guided city tour of Fes. Begin with the entrance to the largest royal palace in Morocco. Continue with a panoramic view of the ancient medina. Enjoy an authentic experience at the traditional ceramic crafts village. Your next stop is Fes El Bali, the ancient town or Medina, which is a medieval part of Fes that has not changed for centuries. Optional lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the famous Al-Karaouine mosque, built by Fatima Al Fihria in 857. Al-Karaouine mosque became home to the University of Al-Karaouine, which is the first university in the world and the world's foremost center of learning at the beginning of the second millennium. The university was built by Fatima Al Fihria in 859, and, since then, it has become one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the Muslim world. In the medina, visit also a Merdersa, which is a Coranic school. Complete the city tour of Fes with the leather Souq and the oldest Leather Tannery in the world. The tannery dates back at least nine centuries. Optional dinner in the hotel. Overnight in Fes.

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Marrakech, “Paris of the Sahara” as Winston Churchill once described it. The journey takes you through the Middle Atlas Mountains. Stop first in Ifrane, a charming town and ski resort. Ifrane is famous for its Alpine climate, European-style houses and its 1665 metres (5,460 ft) in elevation. Ifrane experiences snow during winter months and a cool climate during summer. Ifrane is also the place where the lowest temperature was ever recorded in Africa, -24 °C in 1935. Expect to find animals like the threatened Barbary Macaque and local tree species such as the native Atlas cedar, Scrub oak and the introduced London plane. Arrive at Beni Mellal, which is an important economic centre in Morocco in the areas of petrochemical production, textile manufacturing as well as agriculture. Optional lunch at a local restaurant. Late in the afternoon, arrive at your hotel in Marrakech. Optional dinner. Overnight in Marrakech.

Breakfast in the hotel. Enjoy a guided city tour of Marrakech. Stop first at the Koutoubia Mosque, which is an old monument built under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184 to 1199). This monument inspired other buildings such as the Giralda in Seville in Spain and the Hassan Tower in Rabat. Stop next at the Bahia Palace. This Palace was built in the late 19th century and was intended to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan style. Visit Madrasa Ben Youssef after that. This Coranic school is named after the Almoravid Sultan Ali Ibn Yusuf (reigned 1106–1142). Madrasa Ben Youssef is the largest in all of Morocco. Stop next at the Saadian tombs, which is a site that dates back to the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603). The tombs were discovered in 1917 and were restored by the Beaux-arts service. Optional lunch at a local restaurant. Continue the tour with the world famous Jema El Fna Square where you will enjoy amazing performance of traditional activities by storytellers, snake charmers, peddlers of traditional medicines. Your last stop is the bustling souks in the old medina. Optional dinner. Overnight in Marrakech

Breakfast in the hotel. Enjoy a guided city tour of Marrakech. Stop first at the Koutoubia Mosque, which is an old monument built under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184 to 1199). This monument inspired other buildings such as the Giralda in Seville in Spain and the Hassan Tower in Rabat. Stop next at the Bahia Palace. This Palace was built in the late 19th century and was intended to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan style. Visit Madrasa Ben Youssef after that. This Coranic school is named after the Almoravid Sultan Ali Ibn Yusuf (reigned 1106–1142). Madrasa Ben Youssef is the largest in all of Morocco. Stop next at the Saadian tombs, which is a site that dates back to the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603). The tombs were discovered in 1917 and were restored by the Beaux-arts service. Optional lunch at a local restaurant. Continue the tour with the world famous Jema El Fna Square where you will enjoy amazing performance of traditional activities by storytellers, snake charmers, peddlers of traditional medicines. Your last stop is the bustling souks in the old medina. Optional dinner. Overnight in Marrakech.

Breakfast in the hotel. Enjoy the morning at leisure in Marrakech. Optional lunch at a local restaurant. Late in the afternoon, transfer to Casablanca. Optional dinner. Overnight in Casablanca