Imperial Cities of Morocco Luxury Tour

Moulay Ismail Mausoleum at Maknes, Morocco

What to expect on this itinerary

Morocco’s imperial cities immerse you in authentic beauty and display their contrasts in both the surreal and the sublime during this 13-day tour. Each imperial city has its own color and style, and all of them are breathtakingly observed on this itinerary. Chefchaouen perfectly complements the imperial city experiences by offering an interlude to the sights. This dreamy blue town is all about getting away from the rest of the world.

Countries Visited

Morocco

Places Visited

Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Fes, Chefchaouen, Marrakech

Suggested Duration

13 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Casablanca – Along the Corniche

Casablanca stands on the Atlantic Ocean with the world’s largest minaret. Your riad will overlook this mesmerizing scene of one of Islam’s finest new buildings and the rhythmic rolling of the waves. After being greeted at the airport, you will transfer to your boutique guesthouse. Upon your arrival, you will be offered a welcoming glass of sweet mint tea before indulging in the iconic Casablanca view. Tomorrow will be dedicated to the sights and sounds of the city, but today will be left free. Locals begin to populate the Corniche in the hour before dusk, creating a lively and welcoming seafront atmosphere.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Dinner
Day 2

Casablanca – Islamic Architecture

Day 3

Rabat – Domes and Souks of the City

Day 4

Meknes – Morocco’s Lesser-Seen Imperial City

Day 5

Fes – World Heritage Histories

Day 6

Fes – The Largest Imperial City

Day 7

Chefchaouen – Fes Food Tour

Day 8 - 10

Chefchaouen – Pure Relaxation

Day 11

Marrakech – The Red Hamra City

Day 12

Marrakech – Souks, Streets, and Secrets

Day 13

Marrakech – Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Surround yourself with blue with several days in Chefchaouen, which is a serene interlude to exploring the historical capitals
  • Feast your eyes on Meknes, which has a legendary artisanal history
  • Wander through the charming white city of Rabat and admire Islamic architecture from the old world
  • Be immersed in Marrakech, which is a red imperial city that will give every one of your senses an experience
  • Discover Casablanca, visit the Hassan II Mosque, find Roman history at Volubilis, and enjoy access to one of Islam’s most important places of pilgrimage
  • Re-energize and reflect on the imperial cities with several days in Chefchaouen
  • Get to know another side to Morocco with a private food tour in Fes
  • Minimize travel time with private tours and well-planned travel, including a flight from Fes to Marrakech

Detailed Description

Rivalry is often useful for cities if it promotes creativity and pushes boundaries for each city to distinguish itself. The story of Morocco is so extravagant that every city has its own color. Fes, the blue city, was the capital under many pre and post-medieval dynasties, and the red city, Marrakech, was capital during four different dynasties. Meknes is the green artisanal city, was founded in the 17th century, and was the capital under Ismail Ibn Sharif. Rabat is the current white capital that holds 900 years of history.

Of course, there’s more to Morocco than four cities. Other histories are included on this 13-day private tour. You can explore the Art Deco in Casablanca, visit the Islamic pilgrimage town of Moulay Idriss, discover a Roman city at Volubilis, and escape into the Rif Mountains for a 3-day stay in Chefchaouen. Founded in the 15th century, hypnotic Chefchaouen brings a serene break from all the impressions. The buildings are painted blue, the streets are cobbled and pedestrianized, and the atmosphere is similar to a laid-back mountain getaway. This small and charming town provides a serene interlude to all the historical explanations, helping you to re-energize while experiencing Moroccan life.

Your handcrafted tour will be planned just for you with 12 nights in Morocco. You will fly into Casablanca, and your first day will be dedicated to the city’s old and new sights. The following day will be dedicated to Rabat and the next of Meknes. You will then stop in Volubilis and Moulay Idriss en route to Fes. Here, you have a couple of nights in the largest of the imperial cities before transferring to Chefchaouen the next afternoon for several days amid the blue. You will complete this luxury tour by flying from Fes to Marrakech for a couple of days of souks and secrets.

Starting Price

$16,900 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 637 reviews

Morocco Tour Review: Marrakech, Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Fes, Sahara, Skoura, Ait Benhaddou, Essaouira, Camel Ride, Cooking Class, Hammam, 2 Weeks

Another magical Zicasso trip. This time to Morocco with a local agency. The travel specialists ensured our family was well taken care of from the minute we landed in Marrakech.

We were greeted by our incredible driver with a basket of pistachios, almonds, apricots, figs, the most delicious dates, and a bag with adapters, a map, small bills and coins (for bathrooms), and a beautifully custom-designed leather backpack with our daughters’ names engraved on it in Arabic. Our whole family agrees that our driver’s hospitality, attention to detail, and love for his country made this trip extra-special. Even though there were many long drives during this trip, our driver always asked when we needed breaks along the way, seemed to know many of our local guides, and ensured we were comfortable and saw key viewpoints during our drive.

One of our most memorable visits was to the blue city of Chefchaouen. We stayed in a riad on New Year’s Eve and were treated to live music and delicious Moroccan food for dinner. The next day we had plans to hike to a waterfall; however, the rains flooded much of the path and the travel specialist asked if we were okay to take a walking tour of Chefchaouen instead. We were grateful for this flexibility and all very impressed with our local guide. Since he grew up there, he took us to many of his favorite spots, including a walk along the river where we had the absolute best pomegranates we have ever had. Not only the fruit itself, but we were then treated to pomegranate juice and a special combination of orange and pomegranate, which remains our family’s favorite.

On our way to Fes, we stopped in Volubilis. Again, our guide made the tour of these Roman ruins and UNESCO World Heritage Site one to remember. Our guide’s in-depth historical knowledge and ability to find the perfect photo spots made the ruins come to life. We are thankful we took the time to stop here.

Our stay in our riad in Fes was truly remarkable. The intricate details in both of our rooms, the superb breakfast, and excellent service will hold a special place in our hearts. Again, the local guide who took us through the souks and then the food tasting tour grew up in the community and seemed to know the local favorites.

Our driver’s keen driving skills helped us maneuver through a winter storm in the Middle Atlas Mountains. The road closed for many hours, but with our driver’s patience and perseverance we managed to cross the mountains and have lunch in a great local spot.

Riding the camels in the Sahara to our desert camp was a memorable experience for all of us. The camp itself was absolutely exceptional. Heated tents with private bathrooms and very comfortable beds were beyond what we imagined. We were treated to a delicious dinner that night and sang and played music with the local camp guides after the glorious sunset. After catching the sunrise and a scrumptious breakfast, we began our long journey back to Marrakech, going through the towns of Skoura and Ait Benhaddou.

In Marrakech, the travel company arranged for us to stay in our hotel, where we made spa appointments for the most soothing hammams and had lovely breakfasts each morning. In addition to the local shopping and especially the spice seller, our highlight was definitely the cooking class on the farm with our chef, where we learned three kinds of tagines with couscous, salad, and desserts. We toured the farm and just had an amazing experience with our chef and her sous chef. We treasure the recipes we learned and have already recommended the farm’s cooking class to friends. It is absolutely worth the drive of 29km outside of Marrakech.

Our trip concluded with a wonderful stay in the coastal town of Essaouira, probably our favorite town. Walking along the seaside, having fresh fish, and meandering along the square gave us wonderful memories to bring back home.

We are so grateful for Zicasso, the travel company, our driver, and all our local guides for this five-star trip. Thank you so very much for helping us make such a delightful family memory!

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Morocco Travel Review: 2 Weeks

Zicasso’s travel agent and his team were great and very accommodating.

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Morocco Trip Review: Desert, Hassan II Mosque, Fes, Medinas, 2 Weeks

We had a great trip! Zicasso’s travel specialist listened to the specific parameters that we provided and crafted an itinerary that reflected them. The logistics were flawless. Our driver was skillful and always prompt, helpful, and pleasant; he started as a driver and became a friend.

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Morocco Vacation Review: 12-Night Trip

The trip was superbly organized and Zicasso’s travel company was very professional, and demonstrated great care to ensure we had the kind of trip we envisioned.

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Morocco Tour Review: Casablanca, Fes, Rabat, Marrakech, Hassan II Mosque, Mountain Hike, Desert Camp, 10-Day Trip

We have used Zicasso affiliates several times and this was one of the best. They tailored a creative program in Casablanca, Fes, Rabat, and Marrakech to our likes, needs, and abilities, and modified it as needed before and after the trip began.

The guides were very good on the whole. Two of the three hotels were outstanding and the third was excellent. We couldn’t have had a more punctual, careful, or informative driver. We even met one of the owners of the company for a coffee. He went out of his way to make our stay special, safe, and secure.

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Morocco Trip Review: Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, Atlas Mountains, Hiking, 11 Days

We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide and company. Our travel agent really saved our trip. We reached out just a few weeks before our 11-day visit to the country. We were so impressed at how well he listened to what we wanted to do, as well as our challenges with trying to meet up with our daughter. Despite that, he was able to pull together a magnificent itinerary for Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, and the Atlas Mountains.

We needed a driver the whole time and our driver was so much more than that. The riads our travel agent found, the restaurants, and the cultural experiences were just perfect. Plus, we had ample downtime. The guides were knowledgeable and accommodating to our requests.

From the minute we arrived in Rabat to the moment we left, we felt in good hands. We are so grateful to their expertise and to Zicasso for connecting us to such an excellent person and company. We will reach out to Zicasso the next time we plan a trip abroad. Meanwhile, we tell everyone we meet about your services.

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

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