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Imperial cities in a weekRoute: Casablanca – Rabat - Meknes - Fes - MarrakechThis cultural itinerary will take you to the imperial cities of Morocco in one week - Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech. During your trip, you'll explore the rich culture and history of these majestic imperial cities, visiting the Roman ruins at Volublis and walking beneath the huge grand gateways. You can wander aimlessly for hours in the narrow streets of the souks and watch the world go by with a glass of mint tea. You'll take a trip back in time in Fes, filled with traditional tanneries and weaveries. In Marrakech, you can try fresh couscous and grilled kebabs at rickety food stalls while snake charmers and storytellers cast their magic spell on you. Throughout our Morocco imperial cities itinerary, you’ll stay in charming hotels and stylish riads, travelling between the cities by train and private transfer. |
| Duration |
8 days / 7 nights departs daily from Marrakech |
Accommodation |
Charming hotels and stylish Moroccan riad hotels. Comfort levels 3-4 (see accommodation). |
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Price |
£418 per person - based on 2 people sharing. £579 - special stay option (see bottom of page for more information) |
Includes |
7 nights accommodation with breakfast, transfers, train tickets, private transfers as described |
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Transport |
Train, private transfer |
Excludes |
Return flights UK - Morocco, insurance, other meals, entrance fee Volubilis (£1.50 per person), cooking workshop Marrakech |
Day 1: Arrival RabatTravel time: 1.5 hoursWhen you arrive at the airport, you’ll be met by our driver and transferred directly to your hotel in Rabat. You’ll spend the next two nights is located opposite the old train station in the Ville Nouvelle, the newer part of Rabat.The small-scale hotel has a typical Moroccan atmosphere and small terrace where you can sit down with a drink and watch the world go by. Once you’ve unpacked and freshened up, you can head out to explore the city. Below, we’ve listed some of our favourite tips and things to do in Rabat. |
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Day 2: RabatOnce you’ve woken up slowly, you can make your way down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast - usually a cup of coffee or tea, a piece of French bread with jam and perhaps a glass of fresh orange juice.The easiest way to get around the city is by blue ‘petit taxi’. Trips cost £0.80 - £2 to most of the sights within the city. Make sure you agree on a price beforehand. Ask the petit taxi to drop you off at the impressive Kasbah Oudaias on the edge of the old city (the medina) and then continue on foot. If you want to grab a cheap bite to eat, try the Baahia restaurant a little further up. Build within the city ramparts, it’s a great find. As you walk out of the kasbah you’ll see a lovely little street (Rue des Consuls) filled with small shops selling aromatic spices, leather, silver, rugs and wood carvings. Other interesting sights include the Bab Chellah, considered by many to be the most beautiful city ramparts in Morocco, the Parc du Triangle, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the uncompleted Hassan Minaret. In the evening, you can stay in the hotel for dinner or try one of the local restaurants. Just behind the hotel ‘La Mamma and La Bamba’ serves local, Italian and seafood dishes. |
Day 3: Rabat - MeknesTravel time: 2.5 hoursThis morning you’ll check out and cross the street to the train station. The train journey to Meknes takes about 2 hours. The rail service in Morocco is excellent - comfortable and fast. Sit back, relax as orchards, vineyards, cacti, and (in the spring) fields full of bright yellow rapeseed glide by. Depending on your departure time you’ll arrive in Meknes late in the morning.In the 17th century, Meknes was little more than a small provincial town, but Sultan Moulay Ismail transformed a majestic walled city with more than 20 monumental gates (Babs) and over 50 palaces. From the station, you can take a petit taxi to your riad hotel in the historic part of the city which, by happy coincidence, is home to one of the best restaurants in town. Everything is freshly prepared and the pastilla and tajine are out of this world. For lunch, try one of the small food stalls on the Lalla Aouda square, just a short walk from your riad. If you want to enjoy fantastic views across the valley and the Ville Nouvelle as you tuck into your lunch, just cross the square and follow the signs to the Collier de la Colombo. |
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You can spend the rest of the day wandering through Meknes. Most of the sights are quite close together and it’s all easy to do on foot. If you like, the staff at your riad can arrange a local guide (approx. £8). From your riad, follow the small street to the Place El Hedim with its grand Bab Mansour, Bab Jemaa and Nouar Gate. On your right, you'll find the covered souk (local market). Here, rows of spices in all shapes and colours are piled high, and olives, figs and dates wait to be tasted. Diagonally across the square is the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the founder of what is now Meknes - one of Morocco's Imperial Cities. If you retrace your steps to your riad, but continue past it to the little street at the back you’ll pass several souks, divided into separate sections - tapestries, textiles, bric-a-brac, tents and musical instruments. After a day of sightseeing, you can head back to your riad to relax and freshen up for dinner. As it gets dark, the riad is filled with candlelight and you’ll be treated to a magical dinner in true Moroccan style. |
Day 4: Meknes - Volubilis - FesTravel time: 2 hoursAfter a tasty breakfast it’s time to bid farewell to your little Moroccan palace, and continue to another of Morocco's imperial cities. You’ll be picked up at the hotel around 9.30am by your driver. Driving along twisting roads, you'll soon catch your first glimpse of the impressive ruins of Volubilis, the most remote city in the Roman Empire. Surrounded by green hills, Volubilis was built as an outpost from which to conquer the tribes beyond the Atlas Mountains. It never came to that, but the remnants and particularly the colossal pillars and mosaics are astonishingly well-preserved. If you want to know more about the ruins, one of the official guides waiting at the entrance will be happy to show you around for about £8-£12, plus tip.When you’ve finished exploring the ruins, it’s another 30 minute drive via the pilgrimage site of Moulay Idriss to Fes. You’ll be dropped off at your cosy hotel in the Ville Nouvelle, the new part of Fes. The hotel is ideally located in a little side street of the Avenue Mohammed V where you’ll find shops, tea stalls, juice stands and restaurants. You'll arrive in the afternoon which is why we recommend saving the old medina until tomorrow morning, when you can see it at its best. Please bear in mind that everything in Fes closes pretty early. The restaurants and food stalls start packing up at 9.30pm, so to enjoy a relaxed dinner it's best to leave around 6pm. Fes has plenty of small restaurants where you can get a delicious tajine for less than £3. A tajine is a clay pot filled with chicken, beef, goat’s meat and vegetables, stewed over a charcoal fire for about an hour. |
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Day 5: FesAfter breakfast, it’s easiest to take a petit taxi to the medina in the old part of this imperial city. This is the most authentic, inhabited ‘medieval’ city in the Arabic world. The medina is divided into separate quarters, each with its own bakery, mosque, fountain and hammam. Fes is journey back in time and walking through the narrow streets, you can sense medieval Morocco. The tanneries are well worth seeing.To get the most out of your stay in Fes, buy the travel guide Fes from Bab to Bab, available at one of the many book stalls close to your hotel for a couple of pounds. It's an interesting read with some great tips for things to see and do this afternoon, like the doors of the Royal Palace and the Jewish Quarter with its pretty balconies. There are two good viewpoints for an unlimited panorama of the city. The Borj Nord is best to visit in the afternoon, the Borj Sud in the morning. You can also pay a visit to one of the many potteries on the edge of the medina to see how they make the colourful Moroccan pottery as well as hand-painted fountains, tables and traditional tajines. |
Day 6: Fes - MarrakechTravel time: approx. 8 hoursFrom Fes you’ll take the train to Marrakech, the last of Morocco's imperial cities on your itinerary. The trip takes around 8 hours and we’ll take care of your train tickets in advane. The trains in Morocco are excellent and they’re a comfortable, fast way to travel between the imperial cities. You can buy refreshments on the train so you don’t need to worry about stocking up before you board the train. There’s only one railway which means you’ll travel back to Meknes, Rabat and Casablanca and then south to Marrakech. You won’t need to change trains, so you can settle down and just enjoy the journey. In Marrakech, hop in a beige petit taxi to your hotel (£2), around the corner from the famous Djemaa el Fna. If you’d prefer to stay in a real Moroccan riad, just let us know.Once you’ve settled into your hotel and freshened up, it’s time to explore. The moment you set foot out of your hotel, you’ll be greeted by intoxicating smells and colours. Marrakech has surprisingly few tourist attractions (though the tropical gardens and the bizarre baby blue house of the Jardin Majorelle make for a worthwhile visit). Its main attraction is the atmosphere and it’s something you have to experience rather than see. |
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The Djemaa el Fna and the surrounding souks form the beating heart of the city and it’s probably where you’ll spend most time in Marrakech. During the day, the area is quiet except for the odd storyteller, snake charmer or group of musicians, but (as you'll see) the whole place comes alive at night. Bordering the square, you'll find the souks, a warren of little streets lined with stalls and shops selling everything under the sun from Moroccan rugs to live tortoises.For something a little different, you could choose to visit the hammam, a traditional Moroccan bathhouse. As the sun begins to set, take a stroll back to the Djemaa el Fna. As if by magic, the square will have transformed into a huge open-air restaurant with acrobats, musicians and storytellers entertaining the crowds. Mouth-watering aromas drift from the food stalls with rickety tables. The stalls are numbered an each has its own speciality. For fresh fish go to Number 14, for kebabs and grilled vegetables try Number 55 and Number 5 does a great harira, the national Moroccan soup of tomatoes, chickpeas, vermicelli and green lentils. You can get a full meal for around £4. Everyone’s really friendly and the atmosphere’s great. |
Day 7: MarrakechToday is for you to spend as you wish. However, If you want to get a taste of the every day life in Marrakech, then join us for our Marrakech city tour and cookery lesson. If you go for this choice, you'll be collected at your hotel by Gemma, a Dutch lady who's lived in Marrakech for quite some time. She’ll take your into the souks to buy ingredients for tonight’s meal and as you follow Gemma through the narrow alleys you’ll see Marrakech like a local. She knows the way like the back of her hand and everyone knows her. Once you’ve filled your bags with ingredients, you'll roll up your sleeves for Gemma’s Moroccan cooking workshop. Ghita and Khadija will show you the ropes and teach you how to prepare a traditional tajine - a meat, fish or vegetable stew prepared and steamed in a triangular clay pot. You’ll also learn how to make couscous and Moroccan salads. After two hours of chopping and stirring you’ll sit down to feast on your homemade Moroccan meal. |
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Day 8: Marrakech - End of itineraryToday it's time to bid farewell to Morocco's imperial cities and board the plane back home. We'll take care of your airport transfer for you. It's about 20 minutes drive to Marrakech airport. Once you're back at home, we would love to hear about your Morocco travel experiences.If you have any other questions about this Morocco itinerary, drop us an email at info@moroccotravelplan.co.uk or give us a call on 01273 322 056. You can book this itinerary using our online booking form. |
Extension idea: Essaouira sea breezeWhy not extend your trip by a few days to enjoy some sea air in the artistic town of Essaouira, a small authentic fishing village between Casablanca and Agadir where the wind always blows. It's a wonderful place to soak up some sun, a paradise for wind and kite surfers and a great spot to enjoy fresh fish. You'll stay in one of our selected traditional riads, making Essaouira a brilliant way to end your Morocco trip. |
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Special stay accommodationDuring this Morocco imperial cities itinerary you'll stay in different types of accommodation, each with its own style and atmosphere. We've visited the accommodation ourselves and selected the best ones based on location, friendly staff, service, cleanliness and value for money. If you'd like to add something extra to your trip, you can choose to book this itinerary on Special Stay basis, staying in unique accommodation with an added touch of Moroccan style and ambience. |
Imperial cities Morocco accommodation
Special stay accommodation
Special stay accommodation