Imperial Cities: Fes, Meknes, Rabat & Volubilis

This morning, after any last look at Casablanca, you drive the short distance up the coast to Rabat, Morocco's refined and leafy capital on the Atlantic. With your guide you explore its graceful sights: the beautiful Kasbah of the Udayas, a walled quarter of narrow blue-and-white lanes and Andalusian gardens overlooking the ocean; the soaring red-stone Hassan Tower and the exquisite Mausoleum of Mohammed V with its ceremonial guards; and the atmospheric Chellah, a romantic ruined Roman and medieval necropolis draped in flowers and crowned with storks' nests. You may also stroll the pleasant medina and coastal ramparts. The elegance, history and coastal light of the capital are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel in Rabat. This evening, savour the calm, refined atmosphere of the capital. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to Volubilis, Meknes and Fes.

Today you journey inland, taking in two imperial treasures on the way to Fes. You visit the remarkable Roman ruins near Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, wandering among triumphal arches, columns and astonishing mosaic floors on a hillside of olive groves, with storks nesting on the ancient stones. You continue to monumental Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, taking in the magnificent Bab Mansour gateway, the vast Heri es-Souani granaries and stables, and the great Agdal basin. You then drive on to Fes, the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco, arriving in the late afternoon. As the day ends, you settle into your riad in the old city, perhaps taking a first glimpse over the medina from a rooftop as the call to prayer sounds. This evening, savour the atmosphere of this ancient city. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore its spellbinding medina.

Today you explore the spellbinding medina of Fes with your local guide. Fes el-Bali is the world's largest car-free urban area, a breathtaking maze of some nine thousand lanes that has scarcely changed in a thousand years. You plunge into hidden squares, bustling souks and medieval workshops, following the cries of muleteers and the tap of coppersmiths. You gaze from a terrace over the famous Chouara tanneries, where hides are cured in honeycombs of coloured dye pits in a scene little changed since medieval times, and admire the Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 and often called the oldest continually operating university in the world. You visit the beautiful Bou Inania and Al Attarine madrasas, dazzling with carved plaster, cedar and zellige tilework. As the day ends, you return to your riad, spellbound. This evening, savour a Fassi dinner. Rest well in the ancient soul of Morocco.

Today you continue to explore Fes at a deeper, more leisurely pace with your guide. You visit the artisan quarters and cooperatives to watch craftspeople at work, potters shaping the famous blue Fassi ceramics and zellige mosaic, weavers at their looms, coppersmiths and woodcarvers, and learn the traditions behind Morocco's dazzling crafts. You take in the ornate Nejjarine fountain and its museum of woodwork, the grand Royal Palace gates gleaming with brass and tile, and the old Jewish quarter, the Mellah, with its distinctive balconied houses. You might enjoy the peaceful Jnan Sbil gardens or a panoramic viewpoint over the whole medina from the Merenid tombs at sunset. As the day ends, you return to your riad, immersed in the living heritage of Fes. This evening, savour the atmosphere of the ancient city. Rest well, for tomorrow you return to Casablanca.

This morning you enjoy a last glimpse of Fes, perhaps a final wander in the medina or a rooftop breakfast overlooking the old city, before setting off west across the fertile plains of central Morocco back towards the coast. You arrive in Casablanca in the afternoon, with time to see more of the cosmopolitan city, perhaps strolling the ocean corniche, browsing the Art Deco centre or the Central Market, or relaxing at a seafront cafe. This is a chance to reflect on the imperial cities you have explored, from the Roman ruins near Volubilis to the medieval medina of Fes. As the day ends, you settle into your Casablanca hotel by the sea. This evening, enjoy a final Moroccan dinner and the buzz of the city. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying warm memories of imperial Morocco.

After a final morning in cosmopolitan Casablanca, perhaps a last stroll along the ocean corniche, you are transferred to Casablanca Mohammed V Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having immersed yourself in the imperial soul of Morocco, the vast Hassan II Mosque rising over the Atlantic, the elegant capital Rabat with its blue Kasbah and romantic Chellah, the Roman ruins near Volubilis, the monumental gates of Meknes, and above all the spellbinding medieval medina of Fes with its tanneries, madrasas and ancient university. The images stay vivid long after you land, the honeycomb dye pits of the tanneries, the mosaics of Volubilis, the great gateway of Bab Mansour and the endless lanes of Fes. Morocco offers history, artistry, culture and warmth in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return, perhaps next time to discover Marrakech, the mountains and the desert.