4 Days Tour from Casablanca to Fez and Marrakech

It's a long driving day, but a spectacular one, covering three imperial cities. After a morning pickup from your Casablanca hotel or airport, you drive north to Rabat, Morocco's royal capital, for the Hassan Tower, the unfinished minaret of a vast 12th century mosque, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V with its richly painted ceiling.

From there the road continues east to Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, with a stop at the monumental Bab Mansour gate, one of the most beautiful in Morocco. Just outside the city, you walk through the UNESCO-listed Roman ruins of Volubilis, 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 full day through Fez el-Bali, the largest car-free urban area in the world. You walk the labyrinthine alleys, more than 9,000 of them in total, to the Bou Inania Madrasa, its stucco and zellige tilework worked in fine detail, and Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 AD and considered the oldest continuously operating university on earth.

The Chouara tanneries are the highlight, where leather has been dyed by hand using the same techniques for a thousand years. You view the colourful pits from a leather shop balcony, then walk through the Blue Gate, Bab Boujloud, and the artisan souks. The afternoon is free for lunch and shopping.

After breakfast comes the long but scenic drive south to Marrakech through the Middle Atlas, about seven hours including stops, passing through Ifrane, known as the Switzerland of Morocco, and the cedar forest of Azrou, where Barbary macaques roam free. There are lunch and rest stops along the way.

You reach Marrakech in the late evening and check into your traditional riad inside the medina, with time for a first taste of Jemaa el-Fnaa as it turns at sunset into Morocco's largest open-air theatre: storytellers, musicians, snake charmers, and food stalls.

The morning is free to explore Marrakech at your own pace: the 12th century Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace with its painted cedar ceilings, the Saadian Tombs, or the souks of the medina, from spice to leather to dye.

You can add an optional visit to the Majorelle Garden and Yves Saint Laurent Museum, entry not included, before transfer to Marrakech Menara airport at your agreed time, or drop-off at your onward accommodation.