Morocco's Four Imperial Cities

Getting around

• Day 1: Casablanca airport to central Casablanca, about 30 minutes.
• Day 2: Casablanca to Rabat by road, about 1 hour.
• Day 3: Rabat to Meknes, about 1 hour 30 minutes, then about 30 minutes to Moulay Idriss, a short drive to Volubilis and about 1 hour 15 minutes on to Fez.
• Day 4: A walking day in the medina, with your private driver for the transfers.
• Day 5: A day in Fez, with your private driver for transfers across the city.
• Day 6: Fez to Marrakech via Ifrane and Beni Mellal, about 7 hours plus stops.
• Day 7: A walking day in the medina.
• Day 8: A day in Marrakech, with your private driver for the garden and the Palmeraie.
• Day 9: Marrakech to the Agafay, about 30 minutes, or a walking day in the souks.
• Day 10: Hotel to Marrakech airport, a short drive.
• In Morocco, a licensed guide travels with you and a private driver handles every road.

How many days do you need for Morocco’s imperial cities?

Ten days cover all four imperial cities at a comfortable pace, and this route gives Rabat a full day, Meknes a morning, Fez two full days and Marrakech three. With a week, most travelers drop Rabat or Meknes, or move fast through Fez, and the medina of Fes el-Bali alone fills a whole day on foot. The tenth day here goes to the flight home, and the arrival day in Casablanca adds the Hassan II Mosque, so the trip opens and closes at an international airport.

Is 10 days in Morocco enough without the Sahara?

Yes. This route spends its ten days in the four imperial cities and the Middle Atlas, with no overnight drive to the dunes, and the Agafay desert gives a taste of open desert on day nine, about 30 minutes from Marrakech. The dunes of Erg Chebbi lie about 9 hours 30 minutes by road from Marrakech, so a Sahara visit needs at least two extra days and a different shape of route. For travelers who want the dunes in the same ten days, our 10-day Fez, Sahara and Marrakech journey trades Rabat and the extra city days for two nights at Erg Chebbi.

How many nights in Fez and Marrakech?

Three nights in Fez and four in Marrakech suit a 10-day trip focused on the cities, and this route uses exactly those numbers. Fez needs two full days, one in Fes el-Bali for the Qarawiyyin, the tanneries and the souks, and one in Fes el-Jdid for the palace gates, the Mellah and Jnan Sbil. Marrakech gets three full days, one for the Koutoubia, the Bahia Palace and Jemaa el-Fna, one for the Majorelle Garden and the Palmeraie, and one for the Agafay desert, the souks or a cooking class.

This imperial cities route, or another Morocco journey?

Choose this route if you prefer cities, palaces and gardens to long desert drives, and want all four imperial capitals in ten days with shorter road days and four nights in one Marrakech hotel. The 10-day Fez, Sahara and Marrakech journey shares the length and the start in Casablanca, but leaves out Rabat and one day each in Fez and Marrakech to spend two nights in a desert camp among the Erg Chebbi dunes and return along the road of the kasbahs. Desert camps can be reserved for your party alone or shared with a few other guests, and your travel advisor helps you choose. It suits first-time visitors who want the Sahara and accept two long road days. The 12-day southern Morocco journey leaves Fez out and spends the time on the Anti-Atlas, the desert and Marrakech, and it suits returning visitors who have already seen the imperial cities.

With two weeks, the 15-day Morocco journey covers the whole country, from Tangier and Chefchaouen through Fez to the Sahara, the High Atlas and Marrakech, and it keeps Fez and Volubilis from this route while adding the north and two nights in the Sahara. With a week, the 7-day northern Morocco journey keeps to Tangier, Asilah, Chefchaouen and Fez, and the 7-day southern journey pairs Marrakech with the High Atlas, Essaouira and the Agafay desert. Every route starts from our Morocco destination page, and our team adjusts any of them to your dates.

Who this journey suits

First-time visitors who want Morocco’s great cities in one trip without a night in a desert camp. Couples who like a slower rhythm, with three nights in Fez, four in Marrakech and time for a hammam and a garden. Families with teenage or adult children, who share a driver and guide and tend to remember the tanneries, the Roman mosaics and the evening in Jemaa el-Fna. Travelers drawn to history and architecture, since the route runs from Roman Volubilis through Almohad, Marinid and Alaouite monuments to the 20th-century new towns of Casablanca and Rabat. Travelers with an interest in Morocco’s Jewish heritage, who find the Mellah of Fez and the Ibn Danan Synagogue, and the Mellah of Marrakech. Your guide is glad to advise on suitability before booking for anyone who prefers shorter walking days.

What the 10-day journey costs and what it includes

The 10-day route starts from $9,980 per person, double occupancy. The from-price covers nine nights in deluxe four-star properties selected for comfort, location and service: one in Casablanca, one in Rabat, three in a hotel or riad close to the Fez medina and four in Marrakech. Five-star luxury properties are available by request. The from-price includes a private driver for airport transfers and every road day, and licensed guides for the visits described.

Four things move the price: the season, the hotel category, the size of your private party, and added experiences such as the Agafay desert outing, a cooking class or a hammam in Marrakech, a calligraphy lesson in Fez or an extra night on the route. Magical Private Travel maintains excellent ratings on Trustpilot and Google’s independent review platforms.

To shape this route around your dates and your party, speak with our team about your 10 days in the imperial cities.

Frequently asked questions about the imperial cities tour

How much does a private 10-day imperial cities tour of Morocco cost?

This 10-day route starts from $9,980 per person, based on two people sharing a room. The from-price covers the route as written: nine nights, a private driver for every road day and transfer, and licensed guides for the visits described, with the full list of inclusions set out in your written quote. Four things move the price. The season matters most, since hotel rates rise and fall through the year. Five-star hotels raise it. Party size changes it, because the driver and guides serve the whole party, so larger private parties pay less per person. Added experiences, such as the Agafay desert outing, a cooking class or a hammam in Marrakech, a calligraphy lesson in Fez or an extra night anywhere on the route, add to it. Our team sends a written quote for your dates and party before you commit.

What are the four imperial cities of Morocco?

Fez, Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat, each a royal capital at some point in Morocco’s history, and this route visits all four. Fez served as capital under the Idrisids from the early 9th century and again under the Marinids from 1244 to 1465, and under the Alaouites for long stretches until 1912. Marrakech, which Yusuf ibn Tashufin founded in 1070 or 1071, served as capital under the Almoravids and the Almohads and later under the Saadians. Meknes became capital in 1673 under Sultan Moulay Ismail, who built its walls, gates and granaries. Rabat has served as capital since independence in 1956, and its Almohad monuments, such as the Hassan Tower, date from an earlier plan for a great capital on the Atlantic. Each city shows a different dynasty in stone, so the route reads as a history of Morocco from the 9th century to today.

Why does this route leave out the Sahara, and how do we add it?

The route keeps to the imperial cities and the Middle Atlas, so the road days stay short and the nights stay in four bases. The dunes of Erg Chebbi lie about 7 hours 15 minutes by road from Fez and about 9 hours 30 minutes from Marrakech, and a worthwhile visit needs two nights in a desert camp, which adds at least two days to the trip. Day nine offers a taste of open desert instead, in the Agafay, a stone plateau at the foot of the High Atlas about 30 minutes from Marrakech. Our note on the Agafay or the Sahara compares the two. If the dunes matter to you, the 10-day Fez, Sahara and Marrakech journey fits them into ten days, and our team adds a Sahara stage to this route on request, with a revised day-by-day plan and price.

How long are the drives between the imperial cities?

Most road days on this route run short. Mohammed V airport to Casablanca takes about 30 minutes, Casablanca to Rabat about 1 hour, and Rabat to Meknes about 1 hour 30 minutes. On day three, Meknes to Moulay Idriss runs about 30 minutes, Volubilis sits a short drive beyond, and Volubilis to Fez takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. Day six is the long one, about 7 hours from Fez to Marrakech by Ifrane and Beni Mellal, with stops for the cedar forest, the macaques and lunch. The motorway between the two cities runs about 5 hours 15 minutes, and your private driver takes it instead if your party prefers a quicker day. In Marrakech the Agafay desert lies about 30 minutes away, and the airport a short drive from the medina. Every time here leaves out stops.

Are the driver and the guide the same person?

In Morocco they are two different people. A private driver handles the vehicle and the road, and a licensed guide leads the visits. On this route your private driver stays with you from the airport in Casablanca to the airport in Marrakech, so you keep the same vehicle and the same face across the country. Licensed guides lead the visits in Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Moulay Idriss and Volubilis, Fez, and Marrakech, and a guide rides along on the mountain day to Marrakech. This split lets your driver focus on the road and your guide focus on the place, its history and its people. Both work for your own party only, and they set the pace around you, whether the day calls for an early start in the Fez medina or lunch in Beni Mellal.

Which mosques on this route welcome non-Muslim visitors?

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca welcomes non-Muslim visitors on guided tours, and your licensed guide arranges the visit on day one or around your flight. Most other mosques in Morocco serve worshippers only, including the Koutoubia in Marrakech and the Qarawiyyin and the Andalusian Mosque in Fez, so your guide shows them from the street, the square or a nearby terrace and explains the buildings. The route also takes you into buildings of the same tradition of carved cedar and tilework, open to all visitors: the Bou Inania Madrasa in Fez, which Sultan Abu Inan Faris built between 1350 and 1355 in carved cedar, stucco and zellige, the Bahia Palace in Marrakech and the Batha Museum in Fez, now a museum of Islamic arts. Modest dress, with shoulders and knees covered, suits every visit.

Which airports should we fly into and out of?

Fly into Casablanca’s Mohammed V airport and home from Marrakech Menara. Mohammed V is the busiest airport in Morocco, and Marrakech Menara serves the city at the end of the route, so an open-jaw ticket of this kind avoids a return drive to Casablanca on the last day. Your private driver meets you at arrivals in Casablanca, about 30 minutes from the city, and takes you to Menara on day ten. Our team arranges VIP airport assistance at both ends on request, covering meet-and-greet and help through the terminal, and aligns the itinerary with your flight times once you book them. If your flights suit it better, the route reverses well, from Marrakech to Casablanca.

When is the best time for the imperial cities?

March, April and late September to November suit this route best, since it spends its days walking medinas, palaces and gardens, and the shoulder months sit comfortably for all three. Summer departures work well with early starts in the medinas, lunch indoors in the heat of the afternoon and evenings on the squares. Winter brings clear, cool days in the cities and snow on the slopes around Ifrane, and our team plans the mountain day around the weather. If your dates fall during Ramadan, our guide to the best time to visit Morocco explains how the days change. Our team plans each day around the season you choose.

Does this journey suit families or travelers who prefer less walking?

Families travel this route often, because a private driver and guide set the pace around the youngest and the oldest in the party, and the four bases mean little packing. Teenagers tend to respond to the tanneries of Fez, the Roman mosaics of Volubilis, the macaques near Ifrane and the evening in Jemaa el-Fna. The walking itself stays moderate. The medinas of Fez and Marrakech run on foot along narrow, sloping lanes, Volubilis spreads across an open hillside, and Moulay Idriss climbs two hills. Your driver waits close to each medina gate, so a tired walker rides to the next stop. Your guide is glad to advise on suitability before booking, and our page on accessible travel sets out how our team plans for travelers who need step-free routes or extra support.

How do we add Chefchaouen, Essaouira or more time to the route?

Chefchaouen fits best between Rabat and Fez, with a night or two in the blue town of the Rif before the third day, and our 7-day northern Morocco journey shows how the north links to Fez. Essaouira works as a day from Marrakech, about 2 hours 30 minutes each way by road, or as a night on the Atlantic before the flight home. A night in the High Atlas villages slows the end of the trip, and a desert stage at Erg Chebbi turns the route into a longer loop. Each addition changes the road plan, so your planner reworks the whole route and price rather than adding days at the end. American travelers who want Spain as well often start in Andalusia, and our Spain and Morocco private journey and multi-country journeys show how the two countries fit together.

Who do we contact if something goes wrong or we want a change?

Your planner designs your journey with you and stays in touch after you land. For the fastest response at any hour, message your private WhatsApp group, where our 24/7 support team works alongside Rachel or Dan. Because we begin no more than five journeys per country each week, peak spring and fall dates fill early, and that limit is what lets us stay this close to every trip.