Morocco has had four imperial capitals, and each one is a different century made permanent: Fes the medieval one, Meknes the baroque, Rabat the administrative and Atlantic, Marrakech the southern and Saharan.
This itinerary gives each of them a proper share of time, with a licensed local historian in every medina rather than one guide stretched across the country, and puts Volubilis on the road between the first two.
A full day on foot in Fes el-Bali with a Fassi historian — the Chouara tanneries, Al-Qarawiyyin, the Bou Inania madrasa and the caravanserais — finishing at a viewpoint over the medina at sunset.
West to the Roman city of Volubilis for its mosaics and basilica, then the holy hill town of Moulay Idriss, and on to Meknes for Bab Mansour, the imperial granaries and the sultan's stables. Night in Meknes.
To the coast for the current capital — the unfinished Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the blue-and-white Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth, and the Chellah necropolis with its storks.
A morning stop at the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca, one of the few in Morocco open to non-Muslims, then south across the Chaouia plain to Marrakech. Evening free on Jemaa el-Fna as the food stalls are set up.
The Koutoubia, the Saadian tombs, the Bahia palace and the souks with a local guide, finishing around 14:00. Airport drop-off or an extra night can be arranged.
Exactly as described
Booked three things through Atlas Nomad in a week and every pickup was on time. The driver on the Agafay trip went out of his way to find us a quieter spot for the sunset.
Worth the early start
A long day but the guide paced it well and never rushed us. Being able to pay the balance on the day made booking from home much easier.
Très bien organisé
Organisation impeccable et guide passionnant. Le déjeuner n était pas inclus, ce qui est clairement indiqué, mais prévoyez des espèces.
Nine thousand lanes, no cars, and a guide who grew up in them — the tanneries, the world's oldest university, and where to actually eat.
Free cancellation
Roman mosaics still in the floors they were laid in, a holy hill town, and the monumental gate of Morocco's shortest-lived capital.
Free cancellation| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
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