Imperial Cities Adventure

Arrive at Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport, where your English-speaking guide and private driver welcome you and transfer you into the city. Casablanca is Morocco’s commercial heart, a sprawling Atlantic metropolis where French colonial boulevards, centuries of Islamic tradition and modern ambition meet. It feels unlike anywhere else in the country, which makes it a fitting introduction to a land of remarkable variety. Check in to your hotel and take time to settle in before an evening transfer to an Indian restaurant for a relaxed, flavorful dinner. Tomorrow, the journey begins in earnest beside the Atlantic.

After breakfast, set out with your guide to explore Casablanca. The highlight is the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world, its nearly 700-foot minaret rising above the Atlantic waves. Its carved cedar, marble and zellige tilework, the work of thousands of Moroccan artisans, reward close attention. Continue to the Habous district, where French planners reinterpreted traditional Moroccan design in a quarter unique to the city. After lunch at a local restaurant, travel north to Rabat, Morocco’s capital, for an orientation tour. You’ll see the Royal Palace, the Mohammed V Mausoleum, the Hassan Tower, the Kasbah des Oudayas, the Chellah and the medina souks. Check in to your hotel in Rabat for the night.

After breakfast, travel inland to Meknes, the imperial capital of Sultan Moulay Ismail, encircled by some 25 miles of monumental walls. Admire Bab Mansour, often considered Morocco’s finest ceremonial gateway, and visit the vast royal stables, built to house 12,000 horses. Then stroll through the historic Jewish quarter, the mellah. Continue to Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the best-preserved Roman cities in Africa. Here, intricate floor mosaics and towering columns rise from the open plain, remarkably intact after nearly two thousand years. In the late afternoon, continue east to Fez, where you check in for a two-night stay and enjoy dinner.

Spend a full day in Fez, Morocco’s oldest imperial city and home to one of the largest and best-preserved medieval medinas in the Islamic world. Founded in the late 8th century, the old city is a maze of lanes where daily life still follows centuries-old rhythms. Your guide leads you past the Andalusian Mosque and Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 and regarded as one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world. You’ll also see ornate madrasas and the graceful Nejjarine Fountain. After a traditional Moroccan lunch, explore the craft quarters, where tanners, weavers, coppersmiths and carpenters work much as their ancestors did. From the terraces above the Chouara Tannery, look down on the dye pits below, one of North Africa’s most unforgettable sights.

After an early breakfast, depart Fez for a long but rewarding drive south to Marrakech. The road climbs through Immouzer Kandar, a Berber town set among orchards, before reaching Ifrane. Its alpine-style chalets, manicured gardens and nearby ski slopes have earned it the nickname “Switzerland of Morocco.” After two days in ancient medinas, the contrast is striking. Continue through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, where Barbary macaques are often spotted, and stop for lunch en route. In the afternoon, the landscape opens and warms as you descend toward the plains. Arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon and check in for a two-night stay.

Spend a full day discovering Marrakech, founded by the Almoravids in the late 11th century and Morocco’s second-oldest imperial city. The morning takes in the landmark Koutoubia Mosque, the tranquil Menara Gardens and the Saadian Tombs, sealed for centuries until their rediscovery in 1917. You’ll also visit the lavish Bahia Palace, built to be the grandest palace of its age. Lunch is at your leisure. In the afternoon, wander the souks and artisans’ quarters, where centuries-old trades carry on as they always have. As evening falls, Jemaa el-Fnaa square comes alive with storytellers, musicians and food stalls, a fitting finale to your journey.