8 Days from Tangier to Marrakech

Arrival at the port or airport of Tangier, meeting and departure with the driver/guide in the direction of Asilah, the fortified city on the north-western tip of Morocco 42 km south of Tangier. It was probably built by the Phoenicians as a trading port around 1500 BC. The city has the appearance of a Greek Aegean city and is a beautiful tourist resort with white buildings. You can admire the Portuguese ramparts, the ancient doors, the flowery streets of the medina and various buildings in Islamic and Andalusian style. Asilah is also famous for its long beaches of fine and golden sand. Free dinner. Overnight in riad/hotel.

After breakfast departure in the direction of Rabat. Rabat is the capital of Morocco and is a modern city overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Besides being the seat of government it is the main centre of Moroccan cuisine and architecture. After Casablanca, Rabat is the largest city in the country. The medina is picturesque and characterized by narrow, cobbled alleys, art galleries and local craft shops. We recommend for a short visit the Hassan Tower, a minaret that was once part of the homonymous mosque that was supposed to be the highest in the world but was never finished, because it was destroyed in 1755 following a strong earthquake that had the epicentre in Lisbon. Today the bases of the columns remain of the mosque. The isolated minaret is 44 meters high and is reminiscent of the famous Giralda tower in Seville. Opposite is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V which houses the remains of the King of Morocco and his two sons, King Hassan II and Prince Abdullah. Continue in the afternoon to Casablanca. Free dinner. Overnight in riad/hotel.

After breakfast, a short visit to the city of Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco where most of the country’s foreign trade is managed. The city is located along the west coast and resembles a centre of southern Europe. It was built in 1906 where a 7th century Berber town once stood, destroyed by an earthquake in the second half of the 18th century. Outside the medina is the built city of the French, the Nouvelle Ville, full of gardens and avenues, shopping centres, hotels, banks and shops. The most important building to visit is the Mosque of Assan II, the largest after that of Medina and Mecca. Continue in the afternoon to Marrakech and arrival in the evening. Free dinner. Overnight in riad/hotel.

One of the major cities of Morocco, Marrakech is the most important of the four Imperial Cities and is located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. After breakfast departure with the official guide and the driver for the discovery of the city also known as “Pearl of the South” and “Red or Ochre City” for the red walls that surround it and for the various buildings of this colour built in the same period using red stones and sand. Visit to the Bahia Palace, El Badi Palace, the Saadien Tombs, the ancient Koranic school of Ben Youssef, the Menara Gardens, the Mosque and the Koutoubia Minaret. Short stop for lunch and a mint tea in one of the terraces overlooking the Jemaa el-Fna square, continuation to the Mosque and the Koutoubia Minaret, the Majorelle Gardens with the possibility to visit the new museum just opened, dedicated to Yves Saint Laurent. Return in the afternoon to your riad/hotel.

After breakfast departure from Marrakech to Meknes, stop for a short visit, the most recent and modest of the four Imperial Cities, it was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail inb Sharif. Its name derives from a Berber tribe, called Miknasa, in Arabian medieval sources. It is also known as the Versailles of Morocco or the city with a hundred minarets. In addition to the souks, not as big as those of Fès or Marrakech but equally interesting and lively, this city is full of beautiful buildings, beautiful gardens, houses with balconies of the Jewish quarter, narrow streets of the old mellah. Arrival in the evening in Fès. Dinner and overnight in riad/hotel.

Fès is considered the true stronghold of the culture and identity of Morocco, located in the bottom of a fertile valley about 350 m above sea level. The old city, with its markets and mosques, is considered one of the most attractive centres of the entire Islamic world. Among the major cities of Morocco, Fès is the oldest of the four Imperial Cities and owes this prestige to its secular political prevalence and the importance of its ancient university on culture and art. After breakfast, departure with the official guide and the driver for the discovery of the city, Fès is divided into New Town, that is the imperial city built starting from 1200 where there are the station, the Royal Palace and the Jewish quarter, the Old Town or Medina, the oldest walled part of Fès, a real labyrinth of narrow streets with markets of all kinds and the Ville Nouvelle, the area where there are restaurants, bars, cafes and bookshops. We will visit the Madrasa Bou Inania, the Al Karaouine Mosque (closed to non-Muslims), the Medersa Attarine, the Najjarine square famous for its magnificent fountain decorated with mosaics, the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss and the tombs of the Merenids, We will then reach the famous tanneries in Fès and visit a pottery factory. Return in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight in riad/hotel.

After breakfast departure for Volubilis, the most famous Roman archaeological site in Morocco and included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites, short visit to the city. Continuation for Chefchaouen, the city is called the “Blue Pearl” because all buildings, doors, windows, fountains and streets are painted in different shades of blue. The city was considered sacred for centuries and it was even forbidden to enter foreigners. Only recently, in the ’50s, things have changed and the city has become a tourist destination that few people know. The medina is a maze of narrow streets and coloured blue and the reason is purely religious and not aesthetic. Inhabited by Berber peoples, it was founded by Spaniards who came from Andalusia, which is why the ancient part of the city resembles the Andalusian villages with narrow streets and walls full of flowers. Most of its inhabitants still speak Spanish today. In the centre of the old city you will see the Outa-el-Hammam Square where the Tarik-Ben-Ziad Mosque is located, which hides an octagonal-inspired minaret inspired by the Torre de Oro in Seville and a splendid fortress. The new city is built further down. Free dinner Overnight in riad/hotel.

After breakfast departure in the direction of Tangier and end of our service.