Mesmerizing Morocco Tour: One-Week Off the Beaten Path
What to expect on this itinerary
Experience the diversity of Morocco’s north during this luxurious 7-day journey. Morocco is a sundry of influences that continue to craft travel poetry in one of the most welcoming regions on Earth. From white walled coastal Asilah to Chefchaouen’s blue cobbled maze, this itinerary will lead you on an adventurous, off-the-beaten-path exploration of exotic Morocco. Featuring Moorish beauty, epic walled cities, Roman history, and artisanal delights, this one-week Morocco tour will showcase the country’s beautiful contrasts, landscapes, and culture.
Customizable Itinerary
Meknes – A City of Artisans and Culture
To begin your adventure, you will touch down in Fes and be greeted at the airport by a local guide. Today, you will transfer to the off-the-beaten-path imperial city of Meknes. Compact and enchanting, Meknes is Morocco’s smallest former capital, and an easy city to explore for first-time visitors. What many recognize as Moroccan art has its origins here. Every narrow street is magnificent, stained-glass windows dot the historic center, sculptures fill the mazy lanes, and geometric patterns meet beautiful calligraphy. After checking into your charming riad, you will have an afternoon to explore this special imperial city with stops in its old mosques, madrassas, and souks.
What's Included:
Meknes – Indulging in an Artisanal Workshop
Chefchaouen – A Blissful Blue City
Tetouan – Spanish and Moorish Charm
Asilah – A Sublime White-Walled Town
Fes – The World’s Largest Walled City
Fes – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Unravel another side to Morocco with a day in x, which is an old Spanish city packed with Moorish charm
- Marvel at the blue-toned wonder of Chefchaouen, which is an enchanting, hillside town that demonstrates pure Moroccan poetry
- Experience Morocco’s artisanal city with two nights in imperial Meknes, including a private artisanal workshop
- Wander streets of cobblestone and charm with a day behind the dazzling walls of coastal Asilah
- Submerge yourself in the wonder of Fes, which is the world’s largest walled city
- Discover Morocco’s Roman history with an intimate tour of Volubilis, a once flourishing Roman city
- Follow Morocco’s exotic narrative as expert guides lead your private tours at each destination, allowing you to discover intriguing stories about the countries culture and history
Detailed Description
Northern Morocco is an off-the-beaten-path destination, where beautifully diverse cultures come together in poetic harmony. Walled, coastal towns evoke an atmosphere that resembles Greece and other popularly luxurious locales. Famous port cities like Tangier reflect centuries of change, and mazy hillside towns like Chefchaouen appear as if they have never changed. For over a millennia, the region’s cultures have built upon each other, creating a travel destination where you can indulge in an incredible variety of experiences in a relatively small area. It is also a destination where every turn can feel like a highlight.
To venture off the beaten path in Morocco, it is best to travel north from Fes or south from Marrakesh. Of course, you can also partake in a Saharan expedition, so you do have many possibilities with a handcrafted tour. This one week in Morocco will be crafted around Northern Morocco’s eternal art and poetry and have a focus on authentic experiences in culturally diverse destinations. To begin your adventure, you will fly in and out of Fes, which is the region’s primary airport. Transfers between destinations will be private and flexible with specialized local guides that lead the way.
Fes is a large tourist hub. After landing, you will travel to Meknes, which is the lesser-known of Morocco’s imperial cities. It is also the country’s artisanal hub, and most of what you may consider Moroccan art and design is actually Meknes art and design. Over two days, you will enjoy a private artisanal workshop, visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis, and have two evenings in an incredibly authentic and hassle-free historic center. You will then travel north to enter the hills for a day of blue-hued delight in Chefchaouen, which is perhaps the country’s most beautiful and idyllic destination.
Afterward, you will venture to the coastal city of Tetouan, which is a Spanish city of Moorish design in Morocco. While that combination seems bizarre, the harmonious result is quite breathtaking. On day five, you will witness Tangier before continuing to the white-walled coastal haven of Asilah. Then, after five days of exploring off-the-beaten-path Moroccan treasures, you will be ready for Fes, the world’s largest walled city. Again, an expert guide will lead you to local places and away from the touristic souk center, so you can experience how Fes really ticks.
Starting Price
$2,600 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.
Verified Traveler Reviews
Based on 777 reviews
Our experience in Morocco was nothing short of amazing, thanks to the very talented team at Zicasso’s travel company. Our family was absolutely delighted with the level of care and attention to detail for each activity and lodging we enjoyed during our nine days in Marrakech, Essaouira, Agafay Desert, and, finally, our hotel in the Atlas Mountains.
Let's start with our driver, who impressed us daily with the way he navigated our very comfortable van through very challenging streets and roadways. We always felt extremely safe with him behind the wheel and he was so nice with our kids! When our youngest started to feel carsick going through the Atlas Mountains, our driver did everything he could to make the journey smooth—drove extra slow, pulled over whenever we asked for a little break, and made sure the car was always stocked with plastic bags and plenty of water. We highly recommend our driver, along with each tour guide arranged through the travel company.
Our travel specialist, and the owner, has assembled a fantastic group of people who clearly love their work. You will leave the country with an authentic cultural experience, not just a stamp in the passport. If you get an opportunity, do the backstreet food tour with our guide in Marrakech. She was so hospitable and introduced us to some truly tasty food. My children (ages seven and 12) even ate snails in the market with us! So yes, try the snails, along with whatever else she recommends.
Another tip: if you want a desert ATV experience, but do not want to trek to the Sahara, please consider visiting Essaouira and book an ATV tour there. There are some impressive sand dunes near the beach and we had an absolute blast trekking over those. The ATV route is gorgeous; you get the beach and the desert landscape in one go.
If you want an overnight desert experience, without going to the Sahara, then absolutely go to the Agafay Desert. A camel ride at sunset was a magical first for our children.
Finally, I want to say that the travel company goes above and beyond if there are travel hiccups. On our final night in Morocco, we received a text from our airline saying our flight had been cancelled (part of the massive Airbus recall). There were zero flights out of Marrakech and we needed to be back in the States in two days. My husband found a flight from Casablanca the next day and the travel specialist graciously provided transportation for us for the three-and-a-half-hour drive. We felt like booking with the our travel specialist was like having extra travel insurance! Sincere thanks to him and the entire team.
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The trip exceeded our expectations.
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Zicasso’s travel specialist is a consummate professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and supportive. Excellently planned bespoke itinerary.
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Our experience with Zicasso’s travel specialist and the tour operator was fantastic!!
Our trip went smoothly and seamlessly, and exceeded our expectations.
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The trip was thoughtfully planned, with an excellent driver and local guides. Each of the riads and hotels chosen for the trip provided excellent service and beautiful rooms. Zicasso's tour operator was a joy to work with. The pace of the trip was perfect for us. Mary and I have not enjoyed a holiday more thoroughly than this tour of Morocco.
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We recently returned from a 12-day trip to Morocco. It was an incredible trip! We started in a kasbah in the High Atlas Mountains and then traveled to Essaouira, Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, and ended in Marrakech. We had excellent accommodations, transportation, and local guides.
The trip was planned and booked through the tour operator. Zicasso’s travel specialist was easy to communicate with and addressed all of our concerns. It was a pleasure to meet him in Marrakech for tea and an escort around the square. The people of Morocco were warm and kind. We look forward to returning and spending time in the desert, and we would definitely book with the tour operator again.
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