Description
In 8 days, it will possible to visit Marrakech, Fez, Meknes and Rabat, the 4 Imperial cities of Morocco. Each city, at different times, was chosen to be the capital by the reigning dynasties alternating over the centuries.
The visit to the archeological site of the ancient Roman city of Volubilis and to the massive Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca can be added to the tour.
It’s also possible to combine a tour of 2 or more days in the desert.
We’ll decide with you the itinerary and the days to spend in each city according to your interests, the time you have and the arrival and departure airport (it does not need to be the same).
MARRAKECH
“Before Marrakech, everything was black. This city taught me colour, and I embraced its light, its insolent mixes, and ardent inventions.”
Yves Saint Laurent perfectly described Marrakech, one of the four imperial cities of Morocco. It’s impossible not to be fascinated by the blue of its sky, the pink of its city wall, the thousands of colors of its souks brimming with beautiful and unique handicrafts. Visiting its palaces, enjoying its museums, letting ourselves be overwhelmed by the daily evolution of Jemaa El Fna square (inserted in the UNESCO Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage), getting lost in the medina’s narrow streets (UNESCO World Heritage Site)…it’s something to do at least once in a lifetime.
FEZ
“Our Medina streets were narrow, dark, and serpentine-filled with so many twists and turns that cars could not enter, and foreigners could not find their way out if they ever dared to come in.”
With these words, the Moroccan writer describes Fez’s Medina in her book “Dreams of Trespass,” a true labyrinth of narrow streets that haven’t lost their original charm with their wooden balconies, old buildings, mosques, madrasas (religious schools) and the famous tanneries. The Medina of Fez – the biggest one in the world with 9000 narrow streets – was the first site of Morocco to be recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The cultural and spiritual capital of Morocco, here we find one of the oldest universities in the world, Fez lost its political capital status to Rabat in 1912.
RABAT
Currently capital of Morocco, it had already been an imperial capital in the 12th century under the Almohad Caliphate: Rabat will welcome you with a mix of history and modernity, on one side the beautiful Kasbah of the Udayas that overlooks the sea and its splendid medina surrounded by 1500s wall, on the other side the modern city’s boulevards, state offices buildings, embassies and universities. The entire city of Rabat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the mix of ancient and modern influences that make the capital a “microcosm of the whole country.”
Rabat is a city of great architectural and artistic importance, with its minarets, the massive city wall that surrounds it spaced out by monumental gates, the Hassan Mosque, left unfinished and considered one of the greatest sanctuaries of the Muslim world and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, which is not only a tomb but also a symbol of the craft of Moroccan craftsmen.
The huge gardens deserve a visit as well, they are the pride of the city, the beaches, the historic site of Chellah and the impressive seafront cemetery nearby the Kasbah.
MEKNES
Considered the Versailles of Morocco, Meknes was founded at the end of the 1600s by Moulay Ismail, the Arab “Sun King” whom the legend says had a harem of 500 concubines! Meknes may be the smallest of the Imperial cities, but it boasts monuments of unique grandeur and the longest and tallest city wall of Morocco with majestic, richly decorated gates of access. Attractions worth mentioning are the royal stables and the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail with elegant Moorish decorations, one of the very few Muslim religious monuments that can be visited by non-Muslim tourists.
The old medina, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, is surely smaller and less chaotic than the ones of the other imperial cities, but this doesn’t mean they are less rich in charm. Of particular interest is the Bou Inania Madrasa, one of the most beautiful Koranic schools in Morocco.
The Tour Includes
The Tour Does Not Include
Write and tell us what you have in mind, we will suggest the perfect itinerary for you based on the dates of your trip!
