The Moroccan Grand Tour

You’ll bet met by our Driver in the airport, he will drive  you to the  hotel.

First we will start the visit by  the Mosque of Hassan II.

Infos ( Visiting hours: 9H, 10H, 11H and 14H every day except Friday)

Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque, designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau.

It is situated on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers.

Its minaret is the world’s tallest at 210 meters.

It is an enormous architectural masterpiece and the second largest religious building in the world.

The Mosque of Hassan II’s promontory offers lovely views overlooking Casa in the residential Afna quarter.

Continue the visit at Parc de La Ligue Arabe, a huge garden with avenues lined with tall palm trees, ficus, arcades, pergolas and flower beds.

See the squala in our road , a fortified 18th century bastion.

Moving north, work your way through the Place Mohammed V and the Place des Nations Uniones, the main focal points of Ville Novelle, Casa’s new town.

See French architecture complemented with Moorish design in Place Mohammed V, the protectorate square.

Visit the New Town of Casablanca designed by the French architect Henri Prost for an hour of shopping.

The main streets of the New Town (Ville Nouvelle in French) radiate south and east from Place des Nations Unies, where the main market of Anfa had been.

Former administrative buildings and modern hotels populate the area.

Their style is a combination of Hispano-Mauresque and Art Deco styles.

The Boulevard links Place des Nationes with the railway station and is the gateway to the central market.

Continue a short way to the Avenue des Forces Royal, a commercial area that leads into the old medina.

With the help of your Driver, travel the labyrinth of narrow streets lined until your hotel.

Dinner in The Famous Restaurant Rick’s Cafe, It’s is a restaurant, bar and cafe.

Opened in March 1, 2004, the place was designed to recreate the bar made famous by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the movie classic Casablanca.

Set in an old courtyard-style mansion built against the walls of the Old Medina.

Overnight in Casablanca.

After breakfast depart to Rabat.

Rabat  is a main university town and the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River.

During your one day tour you will learn Rabat’s history and enjoy its beautiful domes, minarets, wide avenues and green spaces.

Your guide will escort you on a walk around the picturesque Almohad northern walls of the Udayas Kasbah.

The kasbah was built to protect the city and is enclosed by ramparts dating from the Almohad period.

Visit Bab Oudaïa, a monumental gate and example of Almohad military architecture.

See the Udayas  Museum , Moulay Ismaïl’s palace exhibiting collections of Moroccan folk art.

Before moving on to city medina, relax in the Moorish style Andalusian garden.

Walk the famous and lively Rue des Consuls where foreign consuls were once obliged to live.

After lunch, continue to the Hassan  tower, which stands on the hill overlooking the Wadi Bou Regreg.

It is a gigantic mosque, emblematic of Rabat and famous for its unfinished minaret where storks nest.

Next door, visit the beautiful Mausoleum of Mohammed V decorated with stained glass windows, white marble and a wrought-iron entryway with a stairway leading to an impressive dome.

Now we Move In the necropolis of Chellah, where so many  vestiges of the Roman town of Sale.

Visit the Archaeological Museum, which houses the most extensive collection of archeological artifacts and the unbelievably beautiful Necropolis at Chellah.

Continue our visit to the The majestic Royal Palace is located in the heart of Rabat and is open to the public.

From the outside it is an imposing building and one can also discover the beauty of the palace exploring inside.

In front of the Royal Palace is the personal mosque of King.

The building is a fine example of Islamic architecture that was built in 1864 and is surrounded by a wall with three gates well protected access.

Visitors can also visit the area known as the Mechouar, where the king led the Friday prayers and green and beautiful gardens surrounding the palace.

The street leading to the main square and the palace entrance are lined with well cared fortrees.

Also on the list is Ville Nouvelle ( New city ).

The new town has wide boulevards, open green spaces and avenues lined with residential blocks, a railroad, the Bank of Morocco, Musée de la Poste and the cathedral Saint-Pierre.

Spend the night in Rabat, the Capital of Morocco.

Depart from Rabat to Chefchaouen ( The Blue City).

Continue the road until you arrive in the region of the Rif Mountains which is the heart and location of the quiet blue and white washed city of Chefchaouen.

Once you enter the poetic Rif Mountains and see a dramatic entrance of a wide set valley full of blue-washed buildings, you will recognize Chefchaouen.

Enjoy the panoramic view of Chefchaouen.

You will be met by a loacal guide who will share stories of Chefchaouen’s history, and let you explore Chefchaouen, the blue-washed town (old medina) by foot along.

Start your tour with the kasbah museum in the medina.

Built by Ali Ibn Musa Ibn Rashid in 1471 to serve the armies of Chefchaouen Kasbah is a monumental complex of great architectural homogeneity and adapted to the defense.

It occupies the northwest corner of the city, a privileged place in the topography and history of it.

It is fairly simple without architectural surprises however it is surrounded by gardens on the interior and exterior.

Inside the Kasbah, you can visit the ethnographic museum containing antique weapons, musical instruments, and photographs of the old town.

Step onto the museum’s roof and take pictures of a panoramic view of the Hispanic flavored town lined with blue and white washed houses, tiny balconies, tiled roofs and patios embellished with citrus trees.

Next, visit the cobbled main square, Plaza Uta el-Hammam and where the striking 15th century Grand Mosque sits.

The Mosque and its nearby buildings were built by Jewish refugees, who alongside Muslims escaped the Spanish persecution to Chefchaouen.

The night in Chefchaouen

Today You have a free Day, many activities are offered :

Walking, trekking, horse riding or donkey, mountain biking, and more.

We leave The blue city ( Chaouen ) to meknes and Volubulis across the Rif mountains.

Our driver will take you from the hotel through a beautiful countryside road to explore the breathtaking archaeological ruins of the Roman city of Volubilis Founded in the 3rd century BC, after a quick stop in road for some  panoramic views.

The ruins remained substantially intact until they were devastated by an earthquake in the mid-18th century and subsequently looted by Moroccan rulers seeking stone for building Meknes.

It was not until the latter part of the 19th century that the site was definitively identified as that of the ancient city of Volubilis.

During and after the period of French rule over Morocco, about half of the site was excavated, revealing many fine mosaics, and some of the more prominent public buildings and high-status houses were restored or reconstructed.

Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for being “an exceptionally well preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire”.

Now We move to  Moulay Idriss Zerhoun city, where there is the mausoleum of Moulay Idriss  the 1st  the father of the  founder of Fez city, one of the holiest cities in Morocco.

Then, you begin your tour of Meknes  Bab Lekhmiss,then the jewish quarter calle El mellah.

Hri Souani : One of the prestigious Historic Monuments of Meknes, located about 500 m south of the Royal Palace and the place Mechouar, it dates from the time of Moulay Ismail in the early eighteenth century.

It groups a series of relatively cramped room around a spacious central hall 26m, 30 long / 10m, 70 of width. and 9m in height. It was a place for food storage. It contains 10 rooms with ten wells norias.

These well fed at the time as well as the building Souani basin, large water tank constituting the monument with a single entity.

It is a building composed of huge vaulted silos, built largely stores; it is covered terrace supported by huge pillars.

The thickness of the walls ensured a constant temperature that facilitated the preservation of food. Deep wells of several tens of meters provided, using a system of Norias powered by animals, water needed when the dominance of Dar El Ma (water house).

Now we move to  The mausoleum of Moulay Ismail : The visit to the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail is permitted for non-Muslims (except access to the tomb of the ruler).

This mausoleum was built in 1703 and shows a particularly beautiful cedar painted ceiling mosaics on which figuent Koranic scriptures.

Now we will pass through the triumphal arch.

Standing at sixteen meters high with an eight meter long arch, the intricately patterned triumphal arch is argued to be the most beautiful in Morocco.

Enter Place El-Hedime (Square of Ruins) which links the medina and the kasbah.

The square is lined with modern residential buildings and a covered food souk (market).

Among the most impressive elements of this imperial city is the grand gate named after the architect, El-Mansour, a Christian renegade who converted to Islam.

The design of the gate plays with Almohad patterns.

It has zellij mosaics of excellent quality.

The marble columns were taken from the Roman ruins of Volubilis.

Return to Fez city to your riad or hotel for the night.

You will be met by your guide after breakfast.

We’ll start the visit by exploring the royal palace and many interesting quarters including the Moulay Abdalllah Quarter, the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) and a little farther down south lies the Fez el-Jedid, a kasbah which functioned as Morocco’s administrative center until 1912.

Now we are moving to see the southern Tower including The Musée des Armes, a fortress that once protected Fez.

Enter the Fez el-Bali through the symmetrical horse shoe arches at Bab Boujeloud (The Blue Gate).

Fez el-Bali, best characterized as a sea of rooftops embellished with minarets and domes, is too narrow for cars.

Aside from walking, donkeys and mules are still the best way to travel within the cities old walls.

Upon entering Rue Talaa Kebira, the main street in the medina, you will see lines of shops covered by canopies.

Make your way to the Karaouiyine Mosque.

Located in the Karaouiyine quarter, the Mosque is one of the oldest in the world and functioned as the first university in Morocco.

After we will continue along the streets which will lead you to some of Fez’s most important buildings including Dar el-Magana, a fourteenth century water clock and Zaouia el Tijaniya, containing the tomb of Ahmed el Tijani, who spread his infamous doctrine Tariqqa el-Tijaniya (The Way) throughout Morocco.

We will also stop to visit the Ech Cherabliyine Mosque (Mosque of the Slipper makers) then browse the souks selling henna, slippers, caftans, silks, jewelry and spices.

Next onto the UNESCO recognized site, Fondouk el-Najjarine.

Within the foundouk’s three floors is the Wood Museum (Musée de Bois), which displays carved doors from the Bou Inania Medersa.

we will visit the Musée Dar el- Batha to view the great collection of pottery, leather-work, wood, books and manuscripts from the nineteenth century.

Explore the Andalusian quarter, a residential part of the medina laced with monuments.

Within the medina, we will the following historical sites:

Medersa Bou Inania: An (Islamic school) founded by Abu Inan Faris that is highly decorated from floor to ceiling.

The medersa is one of the few religious places in Morocco that is accessible to non-Islamic tourists.

Kairaouine Mosque: Morocco’s second largest mosque was built by Fatima in 857.

The Kairaouine Mosque became the home of the West’s first university and the world’s foremost center of learning at the beginning of the second millennium.

University of Al-Karaouine: Founded in 859, this university is one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the Muslim world and is considered the oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning in the world.

Medersa el Attarin: A (Koranic school) that was named for local spice merchants known as attar.

Founded by Sultan Abou Saïd in the 14th century as a students’ dormitory, it is attached to the Kairaouine Mosque.

Zaouia Moulay Idriss II: A zaouia (shrine) dedicated to and the tomb of Moulay Idriss II, who ruled Morocco from 807 to 828 and founded the city of Fès for the second time in 810.

Dar Batha: A Hispano-Moorish palace dating from the end of the 19th century that houses admirable collections of traditional art from Fez City.

Spend the night in Fez.

Today You can do whatever you want of your day, You have a free day, we advice you to get in touch with us and take a

Cooking class in Fez.

you can also see the water sources around the city of Fez :

• Sidi Harazm : is one of two spas in the region of Fez, the latter located about 10 km to the east, it features a hot spring magnesium (35 °).Its waters have almost the same characteristics as the spring when many visitors drink the saving waters while praying, Sidi Harazem, the patron saint of sources, kindly give them his blessing.The mineral water Sidi Harazem is deemed to have curative properties for diseases of the liver and kidneys. Many spa visitors come and take the water saving.The virtues of this hot spring magnesium were already known in the time of Leo Africanus, Arab geographer of the sixteenth century. Today these waters dispense their benefits in the comfort of a modern spa.

• Moulay Yakoob : is a spa located a few kilometers north west of the city of Fez, in the relaxing scenery and hilly.It is recommended to get in the bath! The warm, soothing waters of Moulay Yacoub relieve rheumatism, diseases of the nose and throat, skin diseases and gynecological problems.

Be among the first to enjoy the cozy, luxurious, modern and very recent Spa Moulay Yacoub and its medical teams known.The warm waters of Moulay Yacoub are by their mineralization, temperature and flow, Morocco’s most important and interesting for their therapeutic qualities.

This is a hyperthermal water, sulfur real seawater.

This popular resort has always been welcomed by the Moroccan in the 30 André Gide and Henry de Montherlant.Upon emergence, water Moulay Yacoub is very clear, and has a very strong smell (hydrogen sulfide), its water is highly saline and sulphide, calcium and magnesium.

• Ain Allah : Just two kilometers and a half of butchery Moulay Yacoub (outskirts of the city of Fez), Morocco, the source “Ain Allah“, which is characterized by warm waters and dense steam, it is also useful for weight loss and the pores of the body is located.

Appeared this eye, a few years ago, all of a sudden after the water began to flow from the ground in an isolated area, to reproduce beyond anecdotes about the usefulness of this water in the treatment of diabetes, and other diseases Some deficit for ratification.

Travelling towards Ifran, a beautiful mountains village, referred to as “the Switzerland of Morocco” and then on to Midelt.

During this journey you’ll experience glimpses of the Middle Atlas mountains.

At the top, the tour will make a short stop in Azrou, cedar forests – the largest in Morocco – where you may see Barbary apes ( Moroccan Macaque).

Crossing the deep forest, the Grand Tour in Morocco continues to Midelt along the magnificent hills and mountains of the Atlas.

It’s an interesting road with a stop for lunch.

Spending night in Midelt.

Continue to Merzouga via Rissani, stopping in the Ziz valley and the Efous oasis which offers amazing photographic opportunities.

Then you will see Zaouia of Moulay Ali Sherif (mausoleum of the dynasty’s founder) and enjoy the local market day in Rissani to see the traditional souks.

We recommend you to taste local food called Berber pizza (Medfouna) in Rissani for lunch.

Arrive to Merzouga in the afternoon.

You’ll be welcomed with a glass of mint tea before you check in to your hotel.

Night at the Hotel in Merzouga.

Erg Chebbi is a large sand-sea which effectively marks the start of the Moroccan and African Sahara.

Discover the dunes of this area and the colors of the rising and setting sun over these dunes are truly magical.

Enjoy a leisurely morning.

Your driver is available for you all the day which gives you the opportunity to explore the surroundings of the desert areas .

An exhibition of Gnawa music.

In the afternoon you will meet your nomad guide for your overnight camel excursion.

Your guide will take you into the desert by camel, and you’ll see the most beautiful sunset you have ever seen.

When you reach your accommodation, you can relax, climb the dunes or just star gaze while your guide prepares your evening meal and sets up your campfire for you.

You will Wake up early to see the beautiful sunrise atop the high sand dunes.

Take your camel back to your hotel where you will have breakfast.

After breakfast we ll take the road to Skoura.

This morning, we will leave Merzouga to Todra gorges, very popular with climbers for their walls up to 300 meter, a stop in Dades Valley is required, To see the panoramic views.

Now it is time to visit Kelaat mgouna, This vibrant city has long been an economic, commercial and social for the population living in the area.

It is best known for its “Rose Festival” held each year in May.

Our next station is the valley Soukora, a palm grove of 25 km², it is one of the few groves of countries still inhabited and cultivated classified as international heritage of UNESCO.

This day will finish in Skoura.

Dinner and overnight.

Our Driver will take you from the hotel after breakfat to explore Ouarzazate city, starting this tour with the international ATLAS studio, then you’ll visit the UNESCO world heritage site of Ait Ben Haddou ( Ait BenHaddou village), used as a backdrop for more than 20 international films.

It was one of the most important fortress strongholds on the old Salt Road caravan, where traders brought slaves, gold, ivory and salt from Saharan Africa to Morocco and beyond.

Traversing the Tichka Pass of the High Atlas where The steep mountain hillsides are clustered with fortified mud dwellings housing many berber families and their livestock.

Arriving on Marrakech you will be transferred to your hotel.

Dinner and overnight.

In Marrakesh after breakfast we’ll start by visiting the Medina, the old quarter of Marrakech.

From here we will explore this historically charming area by foot.

In Djemma el Fna, you will visit the famous 12th century Koutoubia Mosque and its influential minaret.

Your guide will lead you through the labyrinth streets and alleys of the Djemma.

Enjoy aromatic smells, taste fresh squeezed orange juice and venture into the souks specializing in Berber carpets, silver jewelry, artisan workshops, handmade shoes and tanneries.

Marrakech is a city of underground channels built by the architects from Cordoba, Spain to provide water for the town and Palmery.

We will drive to the Lower Medina to explore more of Marrakech’s secrets : El Mansour mosque, the sixteenth century Saadian Tombs with its stark towers, the ruined 16th century El Badhi palace, and the Mellah (the Jewish quarter).

We will head north of the Mellah to visit the 19th century Bahia palace, originally built for Si Moussa, a former slave who became King Moulay Hassan’s chamberlain.

The palace holds a courtyard and riads decorated with beautiful carved stucco, Arabic architecture.

Now onward to the new city, we will navigate our way to French, Gueliz and head to the Majorelle Gardens, a magical and lush small garden estate designed by Jacque Majorelle and maintained by Yves Saint Laurent.

The Majorelle Garden is filled with colorful walkways, ponds, cactus and plants as well as a beautiful shop with hand-made goods.

On our return to your hotel, we will pass by the La Mammounia Hotel Garden (where Alfred Hitchcock wrote the famous film The Birds).

Dinner and overnight.

After the family holiday in Marrakech for a day we leave the red city through the Atlas mountains , Imlil at the foot of Mount Toubkal the highest peak of Morocco and North Africa with 4 167 m. It is located 63 km south of Marrakech.

Imlil is the centre of mountain tourism in Morocco due to its unique position. From here, 90% of visitors head up to Toubkal, the highest mountain in Morocco.

Imlil is the end of the tarmac road, and is a natural place to hire mountain guides and mules for the onward trek.

Once in Imlil, we will keep our cars and took a mountain guide , we will provide a hiking of just over four hours, with lots of elevation changes.

You are at 1,400 meters above sea level, with an overcast I think you’re going to have been cold, cover you well, the view is panoramic you will love.

Dinner and overnight.

In the road of Taroudant , the foothills of the Atlas, with a great view, the red rock and the first villages perched on hillsides …

Arriving in  Taroudant, the campaign of sight, the wheat fields ready to be cut down by hand … Images of another time …

Then the Toubkal Valley and the mountains, more and more present, the road narrows and the increasingly wild landscape, always more beautiful …

In  Taroudant city, a visit to the ramparts and souks before joining the hotel.

Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast in the Hotel , our destination is Essaouira through Agadir , a touristic and atlantic city, so you’ll have a chance to see Argan forest the endemic tree of Morocco (cosmitic plant).

The road is full of panoramic views through montains and Atlantic ocean.

Once you arrive to Essaouira, our driver will take you to the hotel and you can have your free time to discover more the beautiful city.

– The souks

– Around Essaouira

– The walls and the Kasbah

– Medina

– The art galleries

– Marquetry

– The port

– The beach

Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast depart to Safi , Safi city spreads over more than 150 km along the Atlantic deep in a cove surrounded by cliffs, offering beaches, unspoilt coves, reefs and high top quality surf spots.

The city also offers triple sued of former Portuguese buildings, a busy port and a vibrant city with a bustling Medina and its famous potters.

Continue to Oualidia, a Charming seaside resort and peaceful fishing village, between sea and lagoon (with its oyster beds), halfway between El Jadida and Safi – Moroccan popular summer and lovers of fish and shellfish.

His name was given to him by El Walid, the last sultan of the Saadian dynasty. It was one of the best protected cities in the north Atlantic coast.

In the upper part of the city,  some vestiges of its kasbah, built in 1634.

we continue our grand tour of Morocco to El Jadida formerly known as Mazagan, inscribed in 2004 as World Heritage by UNESCO, and continue our itinerary to Casablanca city.

Dinner and Overnight in Casablanca .

This ends your Grand Tour of Morocco, Now it s time to the transfer to your destination of choice Casablanca or Fez to your home country.