The Imperial Cities of Morocco: Fes, Meknes, Rabat and Marrakech
What makes each of the four royal capitals different, and how to link them in one journey.
Imperial cities · From Casablanca
7-Day Morocco Tour from Casablanca: Imperial Cities
An imperial cities journey for travellers who love medinas, monuments and history.
About this tour
Tour Overview
This week-long private tour is dedicated to Morocco's royal cities rather than the desert. You explore Casablanca, the capital Rabat, Roman Volubilis, imperial Meknes, Fes and Marrakech, with guided visits in both great medinas and a scenic crossing of the Middle Atlas in between.
Expect monuments and history, but also food, crafts and daily life: the tanneries and madrasas of Fes, the souks and palaces of Marrakech, and the evening show of Jemaa el-Fna. Driving days are short to moderate, and you spend two nights in each of the great medinas.
Want to add a night in the Sahara? We can easily build Merzouga into the route.
Best for: Culture lovers and first-time visitors who prefer cities, architecture and food to long desert drives.
- Duration 7 Days / 6 Nights
- Starts Your hotel or the airport in Casablanca
- Ends Casablanca airport
- Departure 8:00 am
- Group Private: only your party
- Tour type Imperial cities
Tour Highlights
- The Hassan II Mosque on the Casablanca waterfront
- Rabat's Hassan Tower and Kasbah of the Udayas
- Roman Volubilis and imperial Meknes
- A guided day in the Fes medina
- Ifrane and the Middle Atlas cedar forests
- A guided day in Marrakech
Day-by-Day Itinerary
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01 Day 1 Welcome to Casablanca
Casablanca · Hassan II Mosque · Mohammed V Square · Corniche · About 1 hour of driving
Your driver-guide greets you at Mohammed V airport or your hotel. After settling in, visit the Hassan II Mosque, whose prayer hall stands partly over the Atlantic and whose minaret, about 210 metres tall, is visible from across the city. Guided tours allow non-Muslim visitors to see the interior.
Later, stroll through the centre of Casablanca, where Mohammed V Square is framed by elegant buildings from the early 20th century, pause for a photo at Rick's Café and finish with the sunset along the ocean Corniche.
- Hassan II Mosque
- Mohammed V Square
- Rick's Café
- Corniche
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02 Day 2 Rabat, the calm capital
Casablanca · Rabat · about 90 km · About 1.5 hours of driving
After breakfast, drive an hour and a half up the coast to Rabat, the country's elegant and green capital. Walk among the stone columns of the unfinished Hassan Tower, begun in the 12th century, and visit the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, with its guards in ceremonial dress. Then climb to the Kasbah of the Udayas, whose whitewashed and blue lanes look out over the Bou Regreg river and the Atlantic.
The afternoon is free to walk the medina, the gardens of the Andalusian quarter or the riverside. Rabat is relaxed and easy to explore on foot, a good introduction before the busier medinas to come.
- Hassan Tower
- Mausoleum of Mohammed V
- Kasbah of the Udayas
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03 Day 3 Imperial Meknes and Roman Volubilis
Rabat · Meknes · Volubilis · Fes · About 4 hours of driving
Leaving Rabat, drive inland through farmland and olive groves to Volubilis, once a thriving outpost of the Roman Empire. Wander among its triumphal arch, basilica and villa ruins, where floor mosaics of gods, animals and athletes have survived almost two thousand years. The hillside town of Moulay Idriss, one of Morocco's holiest places, overlooks the site.
In the afternoon, explore Meknes, the grand capital built by Sultan Moulay Ismail at the end of the 17th century. Admire the monumental Bab Mansour gate, walk through the immense royal granaries and stables and see the Sahrij Souani reservoir, then continue to Fes for the evening.
- Volubilis
- Bab Mansour
- Royal stables
- Sahrij Souani
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04 Day 4 Fes el-Bali with a local guide
Fes el-Bali · Royal Palace · Mellah · Borj Sud · Walking tour
Today is dedicated to Fes, the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco. With a licensed local guide, start at the brass doors of the Royal Palace and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, then take in the view over the medina from the Borj Sud fortress. Below you stretches Fes el-Bali, founded in the 9th century and often described as the largest car-free city in the world.
Inside the walls, follow your guide through lanes filled with mule carts and craftsmen: the Al Quaraouiyine mosque and university, founded in 859, the carved stucco and cedar of the Attarine Madrasa, the Nejjarine fountain and the Chouara tannery, where leather is dyed in stone vats as it was in medieval times. The afternoon is free for shopping or relaxing in your riad.
- Royal Palace gates
- Borj Sud panorama
- Al Quaraouiyine
- Bou Inania madrasa
- Chouara tannery
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05 Day 5 Through the Middle Atlas to Marrakech
Fes · Ifrane · Azrou cedar forest · Beni Mellal · Marrakech · About 7 hours of driving
Leave Fes through Ifrane, the alpine-style 'Switzerland of Morocco', and the cedar forests near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live. The road then follows the foot of the Middle Atlas past Khenifra and Beni Mellal, surrounded by olive groves and orchards.
In the late afternoon, the plains open out and the High Atlas appears ahead as you arrive in Marrakech. After checking in, stroll to Jemaa el-Fna as the food stalls and storytellers take over the square.
- Ifrane
- Barbary macaques
- Beni Mellal
- Jemaa el-Fna
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06 Day 6 A guided day in Marrakech
Marrakech medina · Kasbah quarter · Gueliz · Walking tour
With a local guide, visit the 19th-century Bahia Palace with its painted ceilings and gardens, the Saadian Tombs, rediscovered in 1917, and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, once one of the largest Koranic schools in North Africa. Admire the 77-metre minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque from its gardens.
Spend the afternoon in the souks, among spice sellers, lantern makers and leather workers, or visit the Majorelle Garden (book tickets online in advance). End the day on a rooftop terrace above Jemaa el-Fna.
- Bahia Palace
- Saadian Tombs
- Ben Youssef Madrasa
- Koutoubia
- Souks
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07 Day 7 Marrakech to Casablanca airport
Marrakech · Casablanca · about 240 km · About 3 hours of driving
After breakfast, we drive you to Casablanca airport for your flight home, about three hours by motorway.
If your flight leaves from Marrakech, we can simply drop you at Menara airport instead.
- Airport transfer
What's Included
Included
- Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel, riad or airport
- 6 nights in hotels and riads (choose your room type)
- English-speaking driver-guide throughout
- Guided tours of the Fes and Marrakech medinas
- Private minivan or 4x4 with air conditioning and fuel
- Daily breakfast (dinners in the cities are at your leisure)
- Photo stops wherever you like
Not included
- Flights
- Lunches
- Dinners in the cities (free to choose your own restaurants)
- Drinks
- Monument and museum entrance fees
- Tips
Good to Know
- This itinerary does not include a desert night; ask us to add Merzouga.
- Entrance fees to monuments and museums are not included.
- Friday is a quieter day in the medinas; we plan around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change this itinerary?
Absolutely. Every tour is private, so you can add or remove nights, change the camp style, combine routes or start on a different date. Tell us what you have in mind and we will adapt the plan and price.
What kind of vehicle will we travel in?
A private, air-conditioned minivan or 4x4, depending on group size. Our vehicles are under five years old, regularly inspected and insured for tourist transport.
Is this tour suitable for children?
Yes, families travel with us often. Children love the camel ride and the camp. For young children we usually recommend a longer version of the route, with shorter driving days.
What should I pack?
Comfortable clothes, a warm layer for the evenings, a hat or scarf, sunglasses, sun cream and closed shoes. For the desert night, a small backpack is enough; your main luggage stays safely in the vehicle.
Before you go
Travel Guides for This Trip
Merzouga Desert: Everything You Need to Know
Where the dunes are, the best season to visit and what a night in Erg Chebbi is really like.
How to Organise Your Trip to Morocco
When to go, how long to stay, how to get around and how to build a route that fits your time.
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