5-Day Tour From Casablanca to Rabat, Fez, Marrakech, and Essaouira

After a morning pickup from your Casablanca hotel or airport, you begin at the Hassan II Mosque, its walls rising straight out of the Atlantic and its minaret, at 210 metres, the tallest in the world. A walk along the Casablanca corniche follows.

The road runs north along the coastal highway to Rabat, where the afternoon takes in the Hassan Tower, the unfinished minaret of a vast 12th century mosque, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V with its richly painted ceiling, and the blue and white Kasbah of the Udayas above the Bouregreg river. An optional sunset walk in the Andalusian gardens rounds out the day.

The road heads east to Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, with a stop at the magnificent Bab Mansour gate, one of the most beautiful in Morocco, and the royal granaries.

Just outside the city, you walk through the UNESCO-listed Roman ruins of Volubilis, the southwesternmost edge of the Roman Empire, their mosaics, basilica, and triumphal arch still well preserved. You reach Fez in the late afternoon and check into your traditional riad inside the ancient medina.

A licensed local guide leads a morning walking tour through Fez el-Bali, the UNESCO-listed medina, taking in the Bou Inania Madrasa, the Karaouine mosque, and the Chouara tanneries, where leather has been dyed by hand using the same techniques for a thousand years.

After lunch comes the long but scenic drive south to Marrakech through the Middle Atlas, about seven hours including stops, with a late evening arrival and check-in to your traditional riad inside the medina.

The morning brings a quick walk through Marrakech: the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace, and the souks. After lunch, the road runs west through the argan plains to Essaouira, the UNESCO-listed port city of whitewashed walls, blue shutters, and a working fishing harbour.

You arrive in Essaouira by late afternoon and can walk the medina, the Atlantic ramparts, and the fishing port before dinner of grilled sardines or seafood tagine by the harbour.

The morning is free in Essaouira: explore the medina, walk the Skala fort where Game of Thrones was filmed, try kitesurfing on the beach, or take a café terrace by the sea.

After lunch, the drive heads east through argan forests back to Marrakech, with optional stops at women's argan-oil cooperatives along the way. Drop-off is at Marrakech airport or your onward accommodation.