Ancient Empires

After arriving at the Marrakech airport, a car and driver will take you into the city, where you’ll check into the Riad Azoulay. Nestled deep in the heart of the Medina (old city), it’s an easy walk to everything Marrakech has to offer, and you’ve got the rest of the evening to get acquainted with the city.

As the sun sets, Marrakech comes alive at the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square. Rows upon rows of vendors fill the square with an otherwordly haze of their cookfires, offering every flavor of Morocco set to the sounds of musicians and the shrill drone of the snake charmers’ flutes. As you walk the rows, you’ll encounter wave upon wave of aggressively helpful cooks and servers touting their meals.

After dinner, the square is the center for musicians, acrobats, storytellers, and strongmen delighting the crowd for tips. When you can no longer withstand the energy of the Jemaa, head back to your riad for the night.

Today Marrakech awaits! Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the riad before your guide meets you for a private 4-hour guided walking tour of Marrakech (with admissions included).

The world comes to Marrakech, filling the narrow streets with a symphony of sounds and voices punctuated with the ever-present scooters weaving their way at breakneck speed through the crowds.

You’ll walk the Medina led by your guide and not miss a site. From the Saadian Tombs to the Madrasa and everything in between. You’ll see magnificently restored palaces and massive ruins of long past empires.

In Marrakech, food is everywhere! Instead of stopping for a sit-down lunch, enjoy a Taste of Marrakech (included). During the city tour, your guide will ensure you can stop and sample the local delicacies of Marrakech, making the city a roving buffet.

After the tour, the rest of the day is yours to explore Marrakech. Take a carriage ride to the Menara Gardens with its olive groves and a massive artificial lake. Or head to the Majorelle Gardens for a rest from the hustle and bustle of the city. Then back to the riad for the evening, a bastion of tranquility after a day exploring Marrakech.

Enjoy an early breakfast at your riad before checking out and meet your driver for the transfer to Casablanca.

After a 3-hour transfer, you’ll arrive in Casablanca for a sightseeing drive. The colonial Frech colonial and Art Deco district are just the start before moving on to the magnificent Hassan II Mosque for a tour (closed on Fridays).

After Casablanca, you’ll go north for 1 hour to Rabat, the bustling, modern capital of Morocco, where you’ll see the ruins of the Hassan Tower and the magnificent Royal Tombs. Guarded by smartly dressed honor guards, the ornate tombs are the resting place of the currently ruling dynasty.

A short drive away, nestled high on the bluff overlooking the Sale River, is the pirate fortress Kasbah of the Udayas. Once the fortress of the Barbary Coast pirates, it’s now primarily an artist settlement. As you stroll, keep an eye out for the garden entrance in the center of the Kasbah. After Rabat, it’s 4 hours to your next destination, the blue city of Chefchouan.

Arriving in the late afternoon, the city is still vibrant and welcoming. Check into the Riad and the rest of the evening is yours to explore.

After breakfast, the city is yours to explore. Nestled in the Rif Mountains, deep in the heart of Berber country, Chefchouan is unique in all of Morocco. The city is less of an activity-filled destination and more just a state of mind. Check into your Riad and then walk the narrow winding streets of the Medina with its radiant blue buildings. The vibrant blue soothes and relaxes everywhere you look, and each lane is more photogenic than the last. Stroll to the waterfall and gentle stream flowing along the city’s edge, or hike to the Spanish Mosque for a magnificent sunset.

Small restaurants are concentrated in the Medina’s main square so enjoy a laidback evening before returning to your Riad for the night.

After breakfast, you’ll join your driver for a 3-hour drive south, arriving at the Roman ruins of Volubilis.

Initially founded in the 3^rd century BC, Volubilis became a vital outpost of the Roman Empire. As the centuries passed and the world changed, Volubilis became the ruins you see today. When you walk the streets and enter the ruins of shops and homes, you can still almost hear their voices in the wind. Explore on your own, or upgrade to a guided tour.

When you have fully explored Volubilis, it’s a short drive to the Imperial City of Meknes. Your self-guided tours include the massive Heri es Souani granary and stables, the Prison de Kara, where Barbary Pirates would keep their Christian prisoners, and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail.

After the tours, it’s a 1-hour transfer to Fez, where you’ll check into the Riad el Yacout. The moment you walk in the door, the luxury embraces you like an old friend. You’ll have dinner and the rest of the evening on your own.

Before sunrise, the call of over a hundred muezzin in Fez fills the morning stillness. Your day starts with breakfast in the courtyard of the Riad El Yacout before being met by your guide. Then, for the next 5 hours, you’ll be taken on a walking tour of the Fez Medina.

One of the largest labyrinth cities in the world, the Fez Medina is a riddle waiting to be solved. Its narrow streets and alleys twisting and turning through thousands of years of history.

Fez is THE place for shopping for traditional crafts. Around every corner, another market appears. The cacophony of the metalworkers echoes off the narrow streets as they hand hammer and carve brass and bronze. The rhythmic ticking of the weavers working their looms adds to the sound, and the sweet smell of cedar from the woodworkers fills the air. And, of course, the overpowering aroma of the tannery as they produce the finest Moroccan leather.

The Medina of Fez is an epicurean delight. Instead of stopping for a sit-down lunch, enjoy a Taste of Fez (included). During the city tour, your guide will ensure you can stop and sample the local street food of Fez, making the city a roving buffet.

Almost as a respite from the overload of the senses, your guide will take you to Fez’s historical and cultural sites. These bastions of history and faith are islands of reflection in the turbulent sea of daily life in the Fez medina.

After the tour, take some time to relax at the Riad, have dinner, and get ready for your Ghost Tour of Fez. In 2.5 hours, you’ll see this ancient city like never before.

After the Ghost Tour, you’ll return to the Riad for the night.

After breakfast (time allowing), you’ll check out of the Riad and be transferred to the Fez Airport (FEZ) for your flight out.