Imperial Cities from Casablanca

DAY 1 CASABLANCA

 Arrival in Casablanca - Mohammed V (CMN).

Meeting with the guide and  transfer to hotel (by bus).

Sightseeing tour of Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco and economic capital of the kingdom, located on the Atlantic coast; south of the capital Rabat. It is the most populous city in the whole country, with nearly 6 million inhabitants. Here we can admire the Hassan II Mosque, designed by French architect Michel Pinseau, which was inaugurated in 1993 after 22 years of work; this mosque is the highest in the Arab world, the lights of its minaret, 200 meters high, can be seen from several kilometers away, and is the second largest after the mosque of Mecca. This architectural work features the latest technologies such as resistance to earthquakes,  automatically openable roof, floor heating or electric gates. It is one of the few mosques in the Muslim world that allows non-Muslims visiting tourists. (Entrance fee not included)

Arrival.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel

DAY 2 RABAT MEKNES FES

Breakfast at the hotel and check out.

Departure to Rabat, capital of Morocco, located on the Atlantic coast in the southern mouth of the Bouregreg River, which separates it from the neighboring town of Salé shore. Its foundation dates back centuries, yet still archaeological remains have been  preserved; in a settlement known as Chellah.

In 1195 during the Almohad dynasty Yaqub al-Mansur projected the construction of a large city spread over more than four hectares, surrounded by imposing walls and fortifications with five large gates. Was erected a large mosque with four columns to beat the Giralda in Seville and the Koutoubia of Marrakech, but the works were stopped after his death in 1199. From that has survived only the minaret, called Torre Hassan, of 44 meters, twenty less than initially projected:

After lunch we will continue our journey to Meknes.

 

The history of Meknés (declared a world heritage city by UNESCO in 1996),  is  indissolubly linked to the person of Moulay Ismail, founder of the Alawite dynasty. Ambitious, visionary and brilliant architect, he remodeled and beautified the city following the example of Louis XIV of France, to get a "Moroccan Versailles".

Moulay Ismail built in this building frenzy, walls, sumptuous palaces, mosques, madrassas, gardens and fountains, which still surprises us by its beauty and variety.

All of this was part of  his ambition to emulate the French monarch, having asked for the hand of his daughter, Mademoiselle de Blois, Princess Conti widow. Sun King kindly declined the request, but in return, he sent a beautiful collection of watches, and it is said that they still adorn the beautiful palace of Meknes, Dar El Makhzen.

It seems that soon consoled, he has had more than 500 to 867 concubines and children, although none has passed into history to continue or enhance their inheritance. So the city of Meknes is still today an example of Spanish-Moroccan, true to its origins in the seventeenth century architecture, when it was briefly an imperial capital.

We will continue  our journey to Fez.
Arrival.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

 

DAY 3 FEZ

Breakfast at hotel.
Guided tour of the city of Fez.

 

Founded in the ninth century by Idris II, Fez hosts the oldest Medina in Morocco and one of the biggest in Maghreb, ans it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981. The city is divided into three distinct areas, preserved traditions that have been lost in the Western world, such as tanning by hand, a job that has been done the same way for centuries.

Strolling through the labyrinthine streets of Fez, you will be transported past worlds where potters, smiths and craftsmen live with foreign visitors, still stunned by the many scents and smells that fill the atmosphere of this city.

Actually, Fez are three cities in one. The new city, founded by the French in 1920 and no interest for the visitor, Fez el Bali and Fez  el Jedid, an extension of the previous metropolis, made under the dynasty of the Benimerines in the thirteenth century. But, beyond doubt, the medieval labyrinth with more than 9,400 streets forming Fez el Bali is the most attractive. The various professional associations that coexist there are distributed in different neighborhoods depending on the specialty exercise, you can find the neighborhood of the craftsmen, the potters, smiths, tailors ... Getting lost in the souk of Fez becomes a pleasure for the senses if you let yourself go by instinct and smell. The streets, winding and very narrow, and houses, very high, let in a few rays of sunlight forming a play of light and enigmatic and mysterious  shadows ; something that increases the feeling of being in another world.

Mirrors, perfumes, chickens, pigeons, silver, gold, slippers, sandals, chadors, chilabas, drums, vegetables, fruits, pottery, ceramics, herbs (nothing illegal), spices, portraits of the king, cereals, books, glassware and everything imaginable, you will find everything here. The constant rattle of donkeys  with goods from various sources will transport you to another world.

We will visit Fez el Jedid to see the Aluita,  the Royal Palace square and  the Dar el Makhzen. We continue to Fez el Bali, the medina, with more than 7,000 streets and 83,000 shops where we will see the spice sellers; an impressive part of the city where the fragrances and perfumes invite tourists to come closer. We will end the morning with a visit to the Madrasa is Attarin, masterpiece of Islamic architecture and the Is Seffarin square, near the tanneries.

Return to the hotel and lunch.

Free afternoon and dinner.

DAY 4 FEZ MARRAKECH

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Today, we will leave Fez towards the Middle Atlas to start heading south. We will pass through the small town of Ifrane; a beautiful place  of Alpine appearance and with slate roofs gabled houses , founded in 1929 as a recreation town,  of about 1650 meters of altitude. In the months of December to March, it snows heavily, which offers the attraction of winter sports. In the summer months, you can go fishing and hiking, being summer resort for many families of Moroccan upper class.

We will continue to Marrakech stopping at Beni Mellal.

In the evening, arrival in Marrakech; dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 5 MARRAKECH

Breakfast at the hotel.

Marrakech was founded in 1062 by the Almoravids, and gained worldwide prominence during medieval Islam under the rule of Youssef Ibn Tachfine, who became one of the most important cities of medieval Islam. It  is proud to be the origin of the name of Morocco to the country, and has over a million and a half inhabitants.

Breakfast at the hotel.

9:30 am. We will begin our visit in Marrakech with the foreign visit of the Koutoubia, twin tower of Seville's Giralda  and Menara Gardens. Then we will continue to the Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs, the exterior of the Mosque of the kasbah. We will end the day in the Jemaa el-Fna.

Lunch at local restaurant.
Free afternoon.

We recommend approaching the Jemaa el Fna at sunset to enjoy the experience as much as possible and  calmly appreciate how it changes the atmosphere of the place, seen from one of its terraces.
Dinner at the hotel.

DAY 6 TOUR TO VALLEY URIKA

Breakfast.
9:00 hrs. Today we will do an excursion to the Valley of Ourika, entry route to the Grand Atlas, consisting in a green valley, located an hour's drive south from Marrakech, in the picturesque Berber villages.  The landscapes of this route are spectacular.

In summer, the cold of the mountains marks a huge contrast with the intense heat of Marrakech (so the valley is very crowded during the summer weekends), while in winter, the snowy peaks of the Atlas Mountains provide a truly awesome sight.

Return to the hotel.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 7 MARRAKECH - MADRID.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Free time.

 Departure for the airport.
End of services.