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TOURS
Discover Marrakech
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8 Day Tour Discover The Best of Marrakesh
Duration: 9:00am - 6:00pm Daily
Inclusion: Luxury Toyota 4x4
English, French Speaking Driver, Guide
Starting & Finishing Point: Airport in Marrakesh
ITINERARY
DAY 1: ARRIVE IN MARRAKESH
Arrive in Marrakesh and unpack at your hotel. For dinner, dine in the Djemma el Fna, a UNESCO recognized site. Afterwards, stroll Djemma’s labyrinth like streets and enjoy square where at night time, snake charmers fiddle flirtatiously with their cobras, fire swallowers eat fire, storytellers entertain big crowds, fortune tellers mesmerize tourists with stories and the rhythms of African and Arabic sounds hypnotize the crowds. Return to your hotel to rest and prepare for next day’s journey.
DAY 2: DISCOVER MARRAKESH, THE "RED CITY"
MORNING DEPARTURE:
After breakfast begin your tour of Marrakesh, the "Red City” or Al Hamra, "located in southwestern Morocco in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Marrakesh is the second largest city and administrative center in Morocco. Your introduction to Marrakesh will begin in the Medina, the old quarter of Marrakesh. From here we will explore this historically charming area by foot and browse the souks, which are considered some of the most fascinating in Morocco. The souks are lined with fresh fruit, mounds of spices, intricately woven Berber carpets, jewelry, Moroccan slippers and tanneries. Around the commercial hub there are blacksmith, saddle-making and basketry workshops. Next you will go to Djemma el Fna, the center and symbol of Marrakesh. As you walk to see the famous 12th century Koutouba Mosque, your guide will tell you the history of Djemma el Fna. Until the 19th century, criminals were beheaded here, sometimes up to fourty-five people in a day. Strolling through the labyrinth streets, you will recognize the Koutoubia Mosque by its influential minaret. The Mosque is one of the largest in the Muslim world and served as a model for the Giralda in Seville as well as the Hassan II tower in Rabat.
Marrakesh 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 Marrakesh’s secrets: El Mansour mosque, where you will see the sixteenth century Saadian Tombs with its stark towers and the ruined 16th century El Badhi palace whose name means “the incomparable” is covered with Italian marble, Irish granite, Indian onyx and coverings of gold leaf make the walls, ceiling and palaces 360 rooms stand out.
MID-DAY: For lunch you will have a traditional Moroccan meal in the city center.
DAY 3: MARRAKESH & AROUND- GARDENS
MORNING DEPARTURE:
After breakfast continue your tour of Marrakesh by visiting the Majorelle Garden. The exotic floral paradise was built by Jacques Majorelle to complement his Moorish Villa designed with zellij tilework covering the front door and blue-green and dark red tones decorating the interior. Today the garden surrounds the home with colorful flowers like yucca, bougainvillea, bamboo, laurel, geraniums, hibiscus, cypresses, 400 varieties of palm trees and 1,800 species of cactus. After the garden our tour will take us to the Bahaia Palace. Built by two grand vizers, Si Moussa and Ba Ahmed, the palace complex is made up of two separate parts that are distinguished by the different needs of the rulers.
Next, our tour will take us into La Mamonia Garden, the only remains of 18th century Alouite residence of Sidi Mohammed. The La Mamonia Garden, spans over thirty-two acres and is filled with olive trees.
Surrounding the garden is La Mamonia Hotel, an Art Deco and Moorish style residence where many famous people including Winston Churchill, Richard Nixon and Orson Welles have stayed.It is at this famous hotel where Alfred Hitchcock wrote “The Birds”, in 1963.
MID-DAY:
Have a traditional Moroccan lunch in the French Gueliz quarter and then enjoy a free evening exploring Marrakesh on your own.
DAY 4: MARRAKESH TO CASABLANCA
MORNING DEPARTURE:
After breakfast of fresh squeezed orange juice, baguette and fresh fruit, depart Marrakesh to visit Casablanca, a Moroccan port city with unique character. Heading north of Marrakesh you will see breathtaking landscapes of the High Atlas as you near the fertile costal plains of Settat, a crossroads between north and south. Settat has 850,000 inhabitants, is the economic hub and the capital of the Chaoui, the southern area which breeds sheep and is famous for it’s tradition of falconry, a sport practiced by falconers from local Chaoui families. Just before driving through Settat’s Art deco and Moorish style buildings, briefly stop in the village of Boulaoune to visit the Kasbah Boulaoune. Set amidst semi-arid southern landscapes, the roads leading to the kasbah are lined with Barbary fig trees and donkeys can be seen carrying barrels of the local rose Boulaouane wine. The 16th century Almohad built kasbah stands in the heart of a forested area covering 3,000 hectares and is encircled by a crenellated wall set with bastions and pierced with three pointed arches. When you near the Atlantic coast, you are in Casablanca where you will enjoy views of the ocean.
MID-DAY:
Enjoy lunch at one of the international restaurants by Casa’s port, the Corniche. After lunch visit the Mosque of Hassan II. 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.
A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 meters. Work on the mosque was started in 1980, and was intended to be completed for the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan king, Hassan II, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugurated until 1993. Authorities spent an estimated $800 million in the construction of the building. It is an enormous architectural masterpiece and the second largest religious building in the world. Tour the Hassan II Mosque’s famous minaret, dome, royal doors made of marble. On Fridays, the Mosque is open to non-Muslims.
The Mosque of Hassan II’s promontory offers lovely views overlooking Casa in the residential Afna quarter. After touring the Mosque, head over to the New Town of Casablanca also 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. The New Town you past in your morning journey is possibly the most impressive in Morocco. Former administrative buildings and modern hotels populate the area. Their style is a combination of Hispano-Mauresque and Art Deco.
DAY 5: CASABLANCA TO FES
MORNING DEPARTURE:
After breakfast, head east of Casablanca driving along the Atlantic coast and pass through parts of the Middle Atlas Mountains to arrive to Fès. Between Meknes and Fès you can expect to the fertile plains of Saïs. The Middle Atlas is covered with great cedar forests that cover mountain sides between deep valleys. Have lunch on the road or stop for light fare of café cassis (cappuccino) and Malawi, a Moroccan dough bread typically served with honey.
MID-DAY:
Arrive to your hotel and unpack. Enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner at one of the international restaurants in the Ville Novelle of Fès.
DAY 6: EXPLORE OLD FES- EL FES BALI
MORNING DEPARTURE:
After breakfast, you will begin a guided tour of the medina, El Fès Bali, one of the world’s largest walled in cities. You will explore the narrow streets lined with fresh fruit, mounds of spices, intricately woven Berber carpets and many other art objects of Morocco. A visit to the tanneries, and potters souk are just a few places you will experience.
Stop for lunch within the medina at one of the fine Moroccan palace-restaurants that serve an extravaganza of mezas (small plates of food) common among Fassis tradition. The mezas that are often brought to your table prior to the large mid-day meal will be several of these: Choukchouka salad, Zaalouk salad, Carrots with Cumin Seed, raisin and orange salad, Cold radish, orange, and Fennel Salad. The mezas are traditionally followed by the main meal which will include the option of a: Lamb, Prune, and Date Tagine, a Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons or a Vegetable Tagine. For desert you will be served with fruit/ or local Moroccan pastries along with Mint Tea.
MID-DAY:
After lunch explore the souks in the old Medina El Fès Bali. Every souk is reflected in the value of the items sold. The makers and sellers are grouped together according to the products that they offer and every type of craft has its own street or part of the street which is centered around the kissaria, near the Zaouia of Moulay Idriss. The layout of the souk is a complex network of streets selling luxury goods like fine silks and brocades, high quality kaftans and jewelry. There are also souks like the El-Attarine Souk selling spices, a slipper souk and a henna souk, which is set in a shaded area planted with arbuses.
Weavers Cooperative:We will also visit the Weavers Cooperative located in a residential neighborhood off a main shopping street. The workshop specializes in weaving the finest jellaba fabric, made of silk and wool threads imported from Italy. The shop also makes a quality jellaba fabric from locally spun, textured wool thread called hubba -sometimes referred to as couscous, because it’s nubby texture resembles Morocco's national semolina dish of the same name.
Berber Carpet Demonstration:The Famous Exhibition of Antique and Modern Carpets is one of the places in Fès el Bali where you can see a Berber carpet demonstration. You will be offered mint tea and follow your guide up a coil of stairs to a small area to watch carpets being made by young girls who come from the mountains to show tourists how Berber carpets are made.
Tanneries:The Chourara or the Tanner’s Quarters is the most lively and picturesque souks in Fès. The Tanneries are often located near watercourses like the Wadi Fès and at a distance from residential areas due to the strongly unpleasant smells they produce.
Dyers Market:The dyers market, located along Rue de Teinturies, is the best place to see the dying vats which have been used for centuries to soak the skins of sheep, goat, cows and camels after they have their hair and flesh removed is best seen from the neighboring terraces. You will see many tanned hides colored with natural pigments ranging from shades of brown, black, turquoise fuchsia, yellow and orange.
Potter's Cooperative: You will also visit the Potter's Cooperative. Also known as Place el-Seffarine, this kisseria is the most important center for the production Fasiss style ceramics, brass-ware and silverware in Morocco.
DAY 7: EXPLORE HISTORICAL FES- LANDMARKS & RUINS
MORNING DEPARTURE:
After a breakfast of fresh fruit, coffee and natural orange juice, begin your exploration of Fès at the Merinid Tombs. Standing among olive trees and blue agaves, the 16th century elegant ruins of marble and epitaphs face a breathtaking view of the Fès. Take a picture then continue along the old curtain wall of the medina and make a stop at the Musée des Armes, a fortress that once protected Fès. Today it is possible to see a display of 8,000 pieces of artillery from Makina, the arsenal built by Moulay Hassan I.
After a breakfast of fresh fruit, coffee and natural orange juice, begin your exploration of Fès at the Merinid Tombs. Standing among olive trees and blue agaves, the 16th century elegant ruins of marble and epitaphs face a breathtaking view of the Fès. Take a picture then continue along the old curtain wall of the medina and make a stop at the Musée des Armes, a fortress that once protected Fès. Today it is possible to see a display of 8,000 pieces of artillery from Makina, the arsenal built by Moulay Hassan I.
Next, enter the Fès el- Bali through the symmetrical horse shoe arches at Bab Boujeloud , The Blue Gate. Fès-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. Inside we will visit the UNESCO recognized site, Fondouk el- Najjarine. Within the foundouk’s three floors is the Musée de Bois, which displays carved doors from the Bou Inania Medersa.
MID-DAY:
Have a traditional Moroccan lunch at one of the palace-restaurants in the medina then head off to the ethnographic Musée Dar el- Batha, showcasing a great collection of pottery, leather-work, wood, books and manuscripts from the 19th century. Next, enter Bab el F-touh, the “Gateway of the Aperture” to explore the Andalusian quarter, a residential part of the medina laced with monuments. Experience the El- Sahrij Medersa and the Mausoleum of Sidi Bou Ghaleb. Our last part of the tour will take you into the Fès el Jedid, a kasbah which functioned as Morocco’s administrative center until 1912. Explore the royal palace and many interesting quarters including the Moulay Abdalllah Quarter and the Mellah (Jewish Quarter). Enjoy dinner at your hotel or Le Maison Bleu, one of the most elegant Fassis restaurants with traditional music, and then prepare for next day’s journey.
DAY 8: RETURN TO MARRAKESH
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