Imperial Cities of Morocco in Morocco

Brochure

Click here to download our Escorted Tours 2010.

Dates

20th - 27th March 2010

Tour Leader

Antonia Lloyd Owen joined Specialtours in 2002 with a degree in History of Art & Architecture and a good understanding of the Decorative Arts.  Having lived in Spain and worked in Germany and Austria, she feels comfortable in these countries and has since widened her interest to Scandinavia and the Baltics.  She has organised and accompanied tours for The Art Fund and several American groups, including a garden tour in Morocco for The American Horticultural Society.

Costs

Per person: £2,595

Single supplement: £430

Airport taxes per person: Currently £39.90
(Please note that airport taxes include fuel surcharges and security fees and are liable to change without notice)

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The imperial dynasties of Morocco embellished their capitals at Rabat, Fez and Marrakech with magnificent Islamic architecture and arabesque decoration, much of which survives today. Little touched by the influence of European colonists, the medinas and souks are imbued with the atmosphere of the past.

Our journey begins in Rabat, where the city's treasures include Roman bronzes in the Archaeological Museum and remarkable artefacts housed in a 17th century mansion in the evocative Kasbah des Oudaias.  We also visit the necropolis of Chellah before driving on to Meknes, imperial city of Moulay Ismail, with its vast palace and mausoleum.  After exploring Volubilis, a remote outpost of the Roman Empire with exquisite 25BC mosaic floors, we continue to the medieval city of Fez, true cradle of Moorish culture with its endlessly fascinating medina.  Here we shall see the finest of the mederse, El Karouine Mosque with its lovely pavilions, the Kasbah of the Cherrarda and the magnificent collections of the Dar Batha Museum.  We also enjoy lunch in a private palace built for a vizier.  After a drive through the Middle Atlas, our journey ends in Marrakech.  The Almohad Walls and Koutoubia Minaret, ornate Saadi tombs, the Majorelle Gardens and art gallery, and Djmaa el-Fna, with its jugglers and snake charmers, are among the sights of this fascinating city where special private visits enhance the experience.

Day 1: Saturday, 20th March

London / Casablanca / Rabat
Depart London Heathrow on a Royal Air Maroc late afternoon flight to Casablanca and transfer to the 5-star La Tour Hassan Meridien Hotel where two nights are spent.  Late evening arrival and refreshments.

Day 2: Sunday, 21st March

Rabat
An introductory tour of the imperial city of Rabat, Morocco's present capital. will include the Mausoleum of Mohamed V, the Hassan Tower and the Royal Palace.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Continue through the Kasbah to the Museum of Moroccan Arts.  There will be a late afternoon walk through the medina and a visit to the Necropolis of Chellah, the striking ruins of the Merinid tombs, set in attractive natural gardens.  Dinner in the hotel.

Day 3: Monday, 22nd March

Meknes / Volubilis / Fes
Leave for Meknes, the imperial city of Moulay Ismail, his vast palace and mausoleum and the impressive granaries and stables.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Continue to the evocative site of Volubilis, a remote outpost of the Roman Empire, with a well-preserved basilica and a complete triumphal arch, along with remarkable mosaic floors dating from 25BC.  It is considered the finest archaeological site in Morocco.  Continue via Moulay Idriss to Fes to spend two nights at the famous Hotel Palais Jamai, a converted 19th-century pasha's palace overlooking the old medina.  Dinner in the hotel.

Day 4: Tuesday, 23rd March

Fes
Explore medieval Fes, the true cradle of Moorish culture, including the exotic and labyrinthine medina where visual highlights include the atmospheric spice market, the tanners' quarter, with its vats of vivid coloured dyes, and the finest of the mederse or Koranic schools.

Lunch in the medina.  Visit the Dar Batha Museum of Moroccan Arts in the Jewish Quarter, with its renowened collection of pottery and carpets.  Brief visit to the modern city followed by a panoramic drive around the ramparts, passing the Merinid Tombs.  Dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 5: Wednesday, 24th March

Fes / Marrakech
Drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains to the great Almohad Walls and welcome oasis of Marrakech.

Lunch en route at Afourer.  Arrival late afternoon at the comfortable Es Saadi Hotel on the edge of the 'Ville Nouvelle' where three nights are spent.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 6: Thursday, 25th March

Marrakech
Tour of Marrakech with visits including the Menara Gardens, the Koutoubia Minaret, the Saadi Tombs, the evocative El Badi Palace and the Bahia Palace.

Buffet lunch around the pool at the recently refurbished Hotel Mamounia, with its lovely  gardens.  Later, visit the fascinating Djmaa el-Fna, the atmospheric focus of life in Marrakech with its stalls, jugglers, snake-charmers and story-tellers.  Beyond, explore the bustling souks, with their array of merchandise, with some free time.  Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 7: Friday, 26th March

Marrakech
Morning visit to the Majorelle Gardens, an oasis in the city where vivid blue walls frame a fine collection of plants.  The small Museum of Islamic Art, within the garden, is an exhibition of Maghrebi artefacts collected by the late Yves St Laurent, including carpets, pottery, textiles and jewellery.

Lunch by the pool at the hotel.  Visit the Dar Si Said Museum of Moroccan Arts, the Maison Tiskiwin, with Bert Flint's collection of carpets and artefacts, the Koubba el Baraoudyin and the Ben Yussef Medersa.  Drinks in a private home (subject to permission).  Dinner at Riad Madani, the largest private riad in Marrakech, by kind arrangement with M. Thierry Beaucé.

Day 8: Saturday, 27th March

Marrakech / London
Transfer from the hotel to the airport for the Royal Air Maroc flight to London, arriving Heathrow Airport in the afternoon.