03 · Cultural Tours
At the Heart of The Imperial Cities
At the Heart of
The Imperial Cities
The four Imperial Cities Experience of Morocco, Marrakech, Fes, Meknes and Rabat, carry a thousand years of history in every lane, every courtyard and every carved cedar ceiling. Each one is a UNESCO World Heritage medina. Each one has its own character, its own architecture and its own way of life that has continued largely unchanged for centuries. Seeing them with a licensed local guide who was born in the medina and knows where the hidden doors lead is a completely different experience from following a map.
In Marrakech we take you to the Bahia Palace at opening time before any other group arrives, through the Saadian Tombs at the moment the light falls through the carved marble, and into the Djemaa el Fna at dusk when the square transforms. In Fes we walk through the oldest continuously inhabited medina in the world with a guide whose family has lived there for ten generations. We show you the tanneries from the rooftop terrace at dawn, before the smell intensifies and before any tour group has found its way there.
In Meknes we visit the striking Bab Mansour gate, the vast underground granaries of Heri es Souani and the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. In Rabat we walk the Oudaias Kasbah above the ocean, visit the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. We also arrange an interior visit of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, one of only three mosques in Morocco open to non Muslim visitors and one of the largest religious buildings in the world, built partly over the Atlantic Ocean.
What You Will Do on This Imperial Cities Experience
- Marrakech at dawn: the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Majorelle Garden
- Fes el Bali: the medieval tanneries from the rooftop at dawn, the Bou Inania Madrasa, the Attarine Madrasa and the labyrinthine ancient medina
- Meknes: the Bab Mansour gate, the Royal Stables, the Heri es Souani granaries and the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
- Rabat: the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Oudaias Kasbah and the Chellah necropolis
- Casablanca: interior visit of the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world built over the Atlantic
- Private cooking class in a Marrakech riad: tagine, Moroccan salads, pastilla and mint tea ceremony
- Hot air balloon option: sunrise flight over the Marrakech palm groves and the High Atlas at first light
- Evening in the Djemaa el Fna square in Marrakech: storytellers, musicians, snake charmers and the best street food in Morocco
- Licensed official guide in every city, each one a local expert who was born in their medina
How Long the Imperial Cities Really Need
Four Imperial Cities Experience in a week is possible and we do not recommend it. Fes alone repays three days. Marrakech repays three. Meknes and Rabat are each a strong day, and Rabat works best as a half day on the way between Fes and Casablanca. The honest minimum for the imperial cities done properly is eight nights: three Fes, one Meknes with Volubilis, one Rabat, three Marrakech.
If you only have four or five nights, choose two cities rather than four. Fes and Marrakech are the pair most people want, and the train between them takes seven hours, so we drive it in a day with Meknes and Volubilis in the middle, which turns the transfer into the best day of the week.
What a Guided Day in the Imperial Cities Involves
Each city has its own licensed guide, who lives there and works only there. That matters more than it sounds. A Fes guide knows which tanneries are working that morning, which madrasa has scaffolding up and which lane the school run blocks at eight. A guide brought from another city knows the monuments and nothing else.
Days start at half past eight, before the coach groups. The morning is the medina on foot, three to four hours, with a sit down for tea in the middle. Lunch is long and you need it. The afternoon is lighter: a palace, a garden, a museum, or nothing at all. We build in a free afternoon in each city because the Imperial Cities Experience are tiring in a way that flat sightseeing is not.
The Best Months for Fes and Marrakech
March to May and September to November. In those months the medinas sit between 20 and 28 degrees and walking all morning is a pleasure. July and August in Fes regularly pass 40 degrees and the medina holds the heat in its walls until late at night, which is why we move summer visits to early morning and evening and put the middle of the day in a riad courtyard.
December to February is underrated. The Imperial Cities Experience are cold in the morning and warm by noon, the light is beautiful, the medinas belong to the people who live in them, and riad prices are at their lowest. Bring a coat for the evenings and expect rain in Fes.
What to Wear and What to Expect in the Medinas
Shoes matter more than anything else. The medinas are uneven, polished stone in places and steep in Fes, and you will walk between eight and twelve kilometres a day. Closed shoes with grip, not sandals. Shoulders and knees covered is not a rule but it is noticeably easier, particularly for women and particularly in Fes, which is more conservative than Marrakech.
Expect to be offered things constantly and expect that to stop the moment you have a guide with you. Expect the tanneries to smell, because they do. Expect not to find your way back to your riad on the first day, which is normal, and expect to manage it easily by the third.
They Travelled With Us
Mohammed had the talent to make us approach beautiful sites, far from places a little too touristy. He tells us with passion, humor and knowledge about his beautiful country. A true storyteller.
My 2nd trek with Authentic Travel Tour [now Afsou Travels Morocco] and with Mohamed, this time at Toubkal. Mohamed is a great guide, kind, very professional and attentive to all. Everything is perfectly organized and the scenery is beautiful. I recommend 100%.
Many thanks to our wonderful guide Mohamed and all his team for this wonderful week. We will have wonderful memories for a long time thanks to their warm welcome, their dedicated commitment and their kindness.
Ready to Plan Your Imperial Cities Experience?
Tell us your dates and we will design every detail around you. No obligation and no pressure at any stage.
Private, tailor made Morocco tours with over 25 years of deep local knowledge. Your journey. Your way. Always.
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- +212 619 635 496
- Marrakech, Morocco
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