From Casablanca: imperial cities in 5 days

Itinerary: From Casablanca: imperial cities in 5 days

1. 1

   Day 1 · Casablanca — Rabat

   Visit of the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest in the world, with its 210-metre minaret. Then the corniche and the Habous quarter. In the afternoon in Rabat: the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Night in Rabat.

   
2. 2

   Day 2 · Rabat — Meknes — Volubilis — Fez

   Meknes with the Bab Mansour gate, the royal stables and the granary of Moulay Ismail. Then Volubilis, with mosaics still in place in the Roman houses, and the holy town of Moulay Idriss. Arrival in Fez in the evening.

   
3. 3

   Day 3 · Fez with a guide

   We meet the official guide in front of Bab Boujloud, the blue and green gate that marks the entrance to Fez el-Bali. From here the medina is a maze of more than nine thousand lanes where goods still travel on mules. We visit the Bou Inania madrasa, with its carved cedar wood, the Nejjarine fountain and the coppersmiths' quarter, where you hear the metal being hammered. From the terraces of a leather shop we look down on the Chouara tannery, with its vats coloured like a palette: they'll give you a sprig of mint for the smell.

   Lunch with pigeon or chicken pastilla and, in the afternoon, the Jewish quarter of the Mellah and the golden doors of the royal palace.

   
4. 4

   Day 4 · Fez — Chefchaouen

   A drive through the Rif hills and arrival in Chefchaouen for lunch. An afternoon in the blue lanes, the kasbah and Outa el-Hammam square. Sunset from the Spanish mosque.

   
5. 5

   Day 5 · Chefchaouen — Casablanca

   A last breakfast on a terrace overlooking the blue rooftops and a few photos in the lanes, still empty in the morning. Then the road descends from the Rif to the Atlantic plain and takes the motorway to Casablanca, with a break halfway (about 4 and a half hours in total). Transfer to the airport or hotel.