Morocco’s Imperial Past and Present – 7 Days

This one week Morocco tour from Tangier is built for travellers who arrive by ferry at Tangier, for example from Spain. From Tangier’s port, a private driver and licensed local guides, speaking English, Spanish or any language you choose, take you through the imperial cities of Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech, with a stop at the Roman ruins of Volubilis on the way.

The route covers Morocco’s history in seven well-paced days: Rabat’s royal monuments, a full guided day in the medina of Fes, a scenic crossing of the Middle Atlas and three nights in Marrakech, including a free day with your driver and guide. As with all Morocco Private Trip itineraries, the trip is yours alone, so pace, hotels and stops can be adjusted to suit you.

Day 1: Tangier to Rabat along the Atlantic Coast

Your driver and guide meet you at Tangier’s port as you step off the ferry. After a short tour of this cosmopolitan city on the Strait of Gibraltar, you head south for about four hours along the Atlantic coast, passing the towns of Asilah, Larache and Kenitra.

Your destination is Rabat, Morocco’s capital since 1912 and one of its four imperial cities, founded in the 12th century. Depending on your arrival time, the evening is free to relax at your hotel or riad, or to explore the souks with your guide.

Meals: Not included · Overnight: Rabat

Day 2: Rabat, Meknes & the Roman Ruins of Volubilis to Fes

The morning starts with a drive along Rabat’s avenues to the Méchouar of the Royal Palace. The palace is closed to visitors, but its gates and arches make a fine photo stop. You then visit the Chellah, once the Roman town of Sala Colonia and later a Merinid royal necropolis, now a garden of palms, fig and olive trees around the ruins.

Next come the Mohammed V Mausoleum, resting place of King Mohammed V and King Hassan II, and the Hassan Tower beside it. Begun in 1195, this minaret was meant to crown the world’s largest mosque but stopped at 44 metres when Sultan Yacoub el-Mansour died in 1199. You finish in the blue-and-white lanes of the 12th-century Kasbah of the Oudayas, with views over the Bou Regreg river towards Salé, once a base of the Barbary corsairs.

From Rabat you continue to Meknes, an imperial city whose historic centre is on the UNESCO list. Sultan Moulay Ismail made it his capital in 1672. You see the Bab Mansour gate, the vast vaulted granaries of Heri es-Souani, the Christians’ Prison, the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum and Place el-Hedim, with a lunch stop at the Palais Terrab restaurant.

A short drive north brings you to Volubilis, a Roman city later settled by Berbers. Your guide leads you past olive presses, the Triumphal Arch, the Capitol and houses paved with mosaics, including the Labours of Hercules, Orpheus and the Dolphins, and Bacchus drawn by panthers. You then follow the ridges of the Zerhoun hills to Fes and your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast · Overnight: Fes

Day 3: Full-Day Guided Tour of Fes & its Medieval Medina

Fes grew into one of the great centres of Islamic learning, and its walled medina, Fes el-Bali, is listed by UNESCO. After breakfast you stop for about 15 minutes at the Royal Palace (Dar el-Makhzen) to see its seven bronze doors, then walk through the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, with its Hispano-Moorish houses.

From the Borj Sud viewpoint you look over the whole medina before exploring it on foot. The walking tour takes in the dyers’ street of es-Sebbaghine, the coppersmiths of es-Seffarine, and the Al Quaraouiyine Mosque and University and Attarine Medersa from outside. You pass the spice stalls of Souq el-Attarine to Nejjarine Square and its fountain, stopping for a light lunch at the Palais Asmaâ restaurant.

In the afternoon you visit the tanneries on the banks of the Oued Fes, leave the medina through Bab Boujloud and drive around the ramparts to the 16th-century Saadian fortress of Borj Nord, before returning to your hotel or riad.

Meals: Breakfast · Overnight: Fes

Day 4: Fes to Marrakech across the Middle Atlas Mountains

Today is a full travel day of about six hours through changing mountain scenery. You head south into the Middle Atlas, passing Imouzzer Kandar and Ifrane, a mountain town often likened to a Swiss Alpine village. In the cedar forest near Azrou you may spot Barbary macaques, the same species found on Gibraltar.

The road continues through Khenifra and Kasbah Tadla to Beni Mellal for a lunch stop at the Hotel Chems. In the afternoon the High Atlas comes into view, including Jbel Azourki (3,690 m) and Irhil M’Goun (4,071 m), before you skirt the Jbilet hills and arrive in Marrakech for a three-night stay.

Meals: Breakfast · Overnight: Marrakech

Day 5: Guided Tour of Marrakech – Gardens, Palaces & Souks

After breakfast your guided tour of Marrakech begins; you can choose to start with a calèche ride around the ramparts (optional, not included). You visit the Majorelle Garden and its museum, long associated with Yves Saint Laurent, then see the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque, whose 77-metre minaret inspired the Hassan Tower in Rabat (the mosque itself is open to Muslims only).

At Jemaa el-Fna you break for lunch at the Al Baraka restaurant overlooking the square, with its musicians, storytellers and henna artists. The afternoon covers the Saadian Tombs and the Hall of Twelve Columns, the ruins of the 16th-century El Badi Palace, the Bahia Palace with its tiled courtyards, and the Dar Si Said Museum of Moroccan crafts.

You then visit the Ben Youssef Medersa, a former Qur’anic school that once housed around 800 students, the Almoravid Koubba, the oldest building in Marrakech, the Marrakech Museum and the Bert Flint Museum at Maison Tiskiwin, with its collection of crafts from the Atlas to the Sahara. The tour ends in the souks and back at Jemaa el-Fna.

Meals: Breakfast · Overnight: Marrakech

Day 6: Free Day in Marrakech with Driver & Guide

Today is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Your driver and guide remain at your disposal, so you can return to a favourite souk, relax in a hammam, visit a garden you missed or simply enjoy your riad.

Meals: Breakfast · Overnight: Marrakech

Day 7: Departure from Marrakech or Casablanca

After breakfast, and depending on your flight time, you are transferred to Marrakech Menara Airport or to Casablanca’s Mohammed V Airport for your flight home. Hotel check-out is at 12:00.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation

You stay six nights in hotels or traditional riads: one in Rabat, two in Fes and three in Marrakech. Every property is handpicked for its authentic character, and VAT and regional taxes are included. For couples and small families, we suggest choosing riads in Fes and Marrakech, where courtyard houses in the medina offer more atmosphere and privacy.

Good to Know Before You Book

• Arrival: the tour starts at Tangier’s port, so it suits travellers crossing by ferry, for example from Spain. The Tangier visit on Day 1 depends on your arrival time.
• Guides: English-speaking licensed local guides are standard, and you can opt for a guide in Spanish or any other language you prefer.
• Meals on this tour: daily breakfast from Day 2 (6 in total). The itinerary suggests lunch stops each day; lunches, dinners and drinks are paid locally.
• Not included on this tour: ferry tickets or international flights, lunches, dinners, drinks, tips, the optional horse-drawn calèche ride in Marrakech, any optional activity and personal expenses.
• Holiday dates: this itinerary does not run in its standard form between 24 December and 5 January, because most hotels in Fes and Marrakech require a minimum stay of five to six consecutive nights over that period. Contact us to discuss options for those dates.
• Site access: the Royal Palaces in Rabat and Fes are seen from outside only, as are the Al Quaraouiyine Mosque and Attarine Medersa in Fes and the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech.
• Travel times: about four hours from Tangier to Rabat on Day 1 and about six hours from Fes to Marrakech on Day 4, with stops.
• What to pack: comfortable walking shoes, a hat and warm layer, a small day pack, sunglasses and sunscreen, hygiene wipes, zip-lock bags to protect camera lenses from dust, and swimwear depending on the season.

Who Is This Tour For?

• Travellers arriving in Morocco by ferry, for example from Spain, who want a one week loop ending in Marrakech
• First-time visitors who want to see the four imperial cities in seven days
• History lovers drawn to Roman ruins, medinas, palaces and medersas
• Couples and families who want a private vehicle and a guide in their own language rather than a group coach
• Anyone who wants a free day in Marrakech at the end of a guided trip

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about this one week private tour. Payment, deposit and cancellation questions are answered in the booking FAQ on this page.

Route & Travel

Meals, Accommodation & Fees

Guides & Travel Dates