Description
Imperial Cities History & Culture 7 days to Marrakech
Uncover the best of Morocco with our escorted group tours or create your own magical journey with a tailor-made holiday.
Uncover an exotic mix of imperial cities, bustling souks, striking landscapes, delecious food and a diverse of culture in Morocco, all awaiting discovery, discover unspoilt kasbahs, lose yourself in the labyrinthine alleyways off Marrakech’s famed Djemaa el Fna Square and travel back in time to wander through the ancient medina of medieval Fes. With enchanting imperial cities, impressive waterfalls of ouzoud, and the laid back Atlantic coast in Essaouira, Morocco is a truly dramatic holiday destination unlike any other.
Day -1 : Welcome to Casablanca Airport, Transfer to the hotel
Arrive at Casablanca airport; Meet and greet by your English speaking driver/Guide. Enjoy an orientation tour of Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco and its largest city. Visit the famous Hassan II mosque, the landmark mark of the city with the tallest minaret in the world (210 metres, 689 ft)). Stop next at Ain Diab Corniche, which is one of the city’s most fashionable districts. Complete the city tour with the visit of Mohammed V Square in the city center. Optional dinner in the hotel. Overnight in Casablanca.
Accommodation: Hotel
Included Activities
Casablanca Hassan 2 Mosque – Welcome Dinner
Meals Included: Welcome Dinner
Day – 2 : Visit Rabat – Meknes, Volubilis – Fes
After Breakfast, depart for 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. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727), a contemporary of Louis XIV, before it was relocated to Marrakesh. Stop at the massive Bab El Mansour gate, which is the grandest of all imperial Moroccan gateways. Bab El Mansour gate was completed by Moulay Ismail’s son, Moulay Abdallah, in 1732. 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. Transfer to the UNESCO-sponsored Roman ruins in Volubilis, a Berber and Roman city partly excavated by the UNESCO. Volubilis was considered as the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania. The city was developed from the 3rd century BC onward as an Amazigh, then proto-Carthaginian, and from from the 1st century AD onward, the city grew rapidly under the Roman rule. Arrive to Fes, the spiritual capital of Morocco. Optional dinner in the hotel. Overnight in Fes.
Accommodation: Riad (2 nights)
Included Activities
Rabat – Guided Walking Tour / Chella, Oudaya, Hassan Tower
Guided walking Tour Volubilis
Meals Included
Breakfast
Day – 3 : Fez Sightseeing
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 of Fes after that. 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.
Included Activities
Guided walking tour Fes
Fondouk Nejjarine
Mederassa Bou Inania, Tanneries, Jewish Quarter
Meals Included
Breakfast
Dinner Pastilla
Day – 4 : Fes – Ifran – Marrakech
Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Marrakech, “Paris of the Sahara” and 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 where you will stop for an optional lunch. Beni Mellal is an agrecultral city near the middle Atlas, we then continue to Marrakech, an optional visit to Ouzoud waterfalls.
-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 where you will stop for an optional lunch. Beni Mellal is an agrecultral city near the middle Atlas, we then continue to Marrakech, an optional visit to Ouzoud waterfalls.
Day – 5 : Marrakech Sightseeing
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 Marrakesh. Overnight in Marrakech.
Accommodation : Riad
Included Activities
Guided walking tour Marrakech
Majorel Gardens
Bahia Palace
Souks
Jamaa lfna & Koutoubia
Coranic medrassa ben youssef
Monuments and Heritage Tour
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day – 6 :Marrakech – Essaouira
Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Essaouira, which is another charming town in Morocco. Essaouira is a relatively small, easily navigable beach city. Essaouira has got a distinct multicultural feel, resulting from the large Portuguese, French, and Jewish populations that once called it home. Its mild climate and expansive stretches of ocean sand also place it among Morocco’s top beach towns. Essaouira’s walled medina was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 2001. Its well-preserved, late-18th-century fortified layout is a prime example of European military architecture in North Africa. For the visitor, the mellow atmosphere, narrow winding streets lined with colourful shops, whitewashed houses and heavy old wooden doors make it a wonderful place to stroll. Optional lunch at a local restaurant. Late in the afternoon, transfer back to Marrakech. Optional dinner in the hotel. Overnight in Marrakesh.
Included Activities
Argan co-operative, Visit Fishing boats port, Skali
Free time
Meals Included
Breakfast
Day – 7 : Casablanca Airport Transfer
After breakfast, we will assist you to Casablanca airport for your departure flight according to your flight details.
MPT@ –
Prior to our trip at Morocco, while my friends and I understood that the locals were mostly welcoming and friendly, we have also heard some stories from our friends who were unfortunately ‘scammed / rip-offed’ during their travels. As we wanted to avoid any unpleasant incidents from occurring, we insisted on finding a tour company that would allay our concerns. We decided to go with Morocco Premium Tours, and at the end of our trip, we were all very satisfied with the performance of the company!
Our tour guide, Abdul, was very responsible and a genuine person. He ensured that we had a peace of mind through out the entire trip, was attentive to details and very accommodating to our needs. We did not have to worry about anything as we knew that we were in good hands. Not to mention, Abdul also made the long car rides a lot more bearable by providing us with a thorough account of Morocco and also cracked some jokes along the way! He also has a good command in English, allowing for clear communication throughout – impressively, English is in fact his fourth language!
As the team consisted of 11 of us, we were given a comfortable van as well. Jamal, our driver, was a professional – he navigated throughout the winding roads smoothly, which is important considering that a lot of the trip consisted of travelling from one location to another.
Ideally, the trip should be longer. As we were on a time constraint, we were only there for 4 days and had to skip certain destinations. Nevertheless, Abdul did his best to ensure that we could see as much as time permitted. Also, I would suggest that if food is an important part of your travel, try to arrange this with the company so that this could be incorporated into the trip. Our team wanted a change on day four of our trip, and we managed to arrange to have some French food which was a good change after having similar food for a few days in a row.
Overall, an amazing trip – one of the best I’ve had. Aside from a beautiful country, an excellent tour company we have found in Morocco Premium Tours. InsyaAllah (God willing), we will return again to Morocco – with Abdul and Jamal as our guides again!