Morocco 7 Days Imperial Tour from Tangier to Chefchaouen, Meknes, Fez, Marrakech

Your driver picks you up from your Tangier hotel, the port, or the airport. You tour the Tangier Kasbah and the medina, then continue to Cap Spartel, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, with an optional stop at the Caves of Hercules.

The road heads east to Tetouan, known as the "white dove," to walk its UNESCO-listed Andalusian medina, then south into the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen, Morocco's iconic blue city. In the late afternoon you walk the blue lanes and have dinner at a local restaurant overlooking the main square.

If you want, start with a sunrise photo session in Chefchaouen before the drive south to Meknes, the imperial city built by Sultan Moulay Ismail. You stop at the monumental Bab Mansour gate, one of the most beautiful in Morocco, and the royal granaries.

Just outside the city, the UNESCO-listed Roman ruins of Volubilis preserve mosaics, a basilica, and a triumphal arch marking the empire's southwesternmost edge. You reach Fez in the late afternoon and check into your riad inside the ancient medina.

A licensed local guide leads you through Fez el-Bali, the world's largest car-free urban area, for the full day, walking to the Bou Inania Madrasa with its carved stucco and zellige tilework, and the Karaouine mosque, founded in 859 AD and considered the world's oldest continuously operating university.

The Chouara tanneries are the highlight: leather still dyed by hand, using methods unchanged in a thousand years, the colourful pits best viewed from a leather shop balcony above. You pass through the Blue Gate, Bab Boujloud, and the souks of artisans, with the afternoon free for lunch and shopping.

It's a long driving day, and a spectacular one. You stop in Ifrane, often called the "Switzerland of Morocco" for its alpine architecture and cool climate, and the cedar forest at Azrou, where wild Barbary macaques are often spotted, before lunch in Midelt.

The road descends through the Ziz Valley's palm gorge, then through Errachidia and across the southern landscapes toward the Aït Ben Haddou region. You arrive in the late afternoon and check into a kasbah hotel with mountain or ksar views.

The morning takes you to Aït Ben Haddou, Morocco's most spectacular UNESCO-listed earthen ksar and a filming location for Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and Lawrence of Arabia. Walk through the fortified village and cross the river for photos.

From there the road passes through Ouarzazate, Morocco's film capital and home to the Atlas Studios, before the crossing of the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres. You reach Marrakech by mid-afternoon and check into your riad, with an evening walk to Jemaa el-Fnaa.

A licensed local guide leads you through Marrakech for the full day: the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace with its painted cedar ceilings and tiled courtyards, the Saadian Tombs, and the artisan souks.

In the afternoon, you can visit the Majorelle Garden and Yves Saint Laurent Museum on your own (entry not included). The evening is free, or spend it watching the sunset from a rooftop terrace over the medina.

The morning is free for last-minute souk shopping, a hammam, or simply relaxing by your riad pool.

Your driver transfers you to Marrakech Menara airport at the agreed time, or drops you at your onward accommodation.