Iconic Cities of the Moroccan North

Various arrivals and airport transfers. Consider arriving into Casablanca, Rabat or Tangier airports, or arrive at Tangier Port by ferry if coming from Spain. Contact us if you require help with flights. You could arrive a day earlier to rest from your travels -speak with us about pre- tour arrangements.

The tour will start with a welcome drink before dinner, where you will meet the rest of the group hear from your host about the adventures that lay ahead.

Overnight: Fairmont Tazi Palace Tangier
Meals included: Welcome drink and dinner

Today your guide will join you for a visit of this fascinating city, to include St Andrews Church (entry is by donation, there is a box near the door), the souk and Medina and a very special private visit to the American Legation, where you will see the fine collection of paintings, prints, books with a room especially devoted to Paul Bowles. The atmosphere and mood have proved irresistible to writers and artists alike in the past; Henri Matisse, Paul Bowles, Tennessee Williams, Orson Wells and the heiress Barbara Hutton added a bohemian touch to this remarkable city.

From 1932 until its incorporation into Morocco in 1956, Tangier was an international city, under control of a committee of 30 nations. This was an era that was characterized by financial fraud, espionage, large-scale smuggling and outrageous sexual license by wealthy and eccentric expatriates.

From the mountains that surround Tangier, a magnificent spectacle unfolds as the evening sun sinks into the Atlantic Ocean and a bright moon slowly rises up out of the dark waters of the Mediterranean. This cape, famed since antiquity, contains the Caves of Hercules-for centuries the haunt of the Barbary Corsairs, the savage pirates who were the curse of the Mediterranean. The Phoenicians set up a trading post here and it later became the Roman town of Tangier. Arab rulers from the east took over in the 8th Century AD and Portugal captured it in the 15th Century. Lunch will be during the tour at a local café, and dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Fairmont Tazi Palace Tangier
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

This morning, your English-speaking guide and your driver will collect you for your Historical Tour of Fes with a visit to the Royal Palace, the Mellah (Jewish quarter) followed by a walk through the Unesco World Heritage, mind boggling ancient medina and Fes El-Bali. Fes has various claims to nobility as one of the most prestigious cities in the Muslim world and is also the oldest of the imperial cities and the capital of the first Arab dynasty of Morocco.

You will visit the not to be missed Tanner’s quarters, small Moroccan art and craft museums, the water clock, the most colourful Souk el-Attarine, Fondouk el-Nejjarine and the Medersa Bouanania, a dazzling example of architectural refinement. You will pass the Medersas and the Al Karaouiyne University, which has existed for the past 1000 years and see craftsmen working in the narrow lanes much as they had done for centuries.

A short visit to the Tanneries holding your bunches of mint to keep the smells at bay! Your guide will take you to some hidden Art Galleries so you can see the amazing craftsmanship that Fes is famous for. Lunch will be at a local restaurant during the tour, and dinner at a private riad.

Overnight: Palais Amani
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Leave after breakfast for the drive to Volubilis, a site that dates back to the 1st and 2nd centuries. It is the best-preserved archaeological site in Morocco and was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1997. Its most amazing features are its many preserved beautiful mosaics. After the visit, stop in Moulay Idriss just nearby for lunch at the fabulous Scorpion House, offering world-class views over the mausoleum and Volubilis. The vibe is eclectic, the décor unique, and the food sensational. The access is via steep steps, but the reward is well worth the effort! After the lunch feast, continue onto Rabat, arriving mid- afternoon. Rest of the day at leisure, we suggest just a light dinner at own arrangements at your property after the lunchtime feast.

Overnight: Euphoriad
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Your driver and your local guide will join you after breakfast to take you for a tour of the capital city of Morocco, where the King mostly lives. It includes a visit to the Royal Palace, the Tour Hassan, the Mausoleum of Mohamed V and the old fortress Chellah with views surrounding the city, then onto the charming Oudayas where the young artists hang out together, just across the road from the Medina. Lunch will be in a local restaurant in the marina. In the afternoon, visit of the Mohamed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Some time at leisure before dinner at a lovely riad in town.

Overnight: Euphoriad
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Leave Rabat after breakfast to drive to Casablanca, about a 1.5 hour journey. Meet with your guide to begin a historical tour. The city is famous for its Art Deco and you will visit the fine cathedral, with its famous stained glass windows. Then to the great Mosque of Hassan II, completed in 1993 after great expense and artistic labour. It is one of the largest and most beautiful mosques in the world. Its gleaming newness and tremendous wealth is in stark contrast against the rest of Casablanca. Lunch and Farewell dinner at local restaurants.

Overnight: Le Casablanca
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Various transfers to airport for departures, or private post-tour arrangements. Marrakech, or the coastal towns of Oualidia or Essaouira are well worth visiting if you would like to prolong your Moroccan sojourn. Speak with us about various options.