4-Day Imperial Cities Tour from Fez
Fez → Meknes → Volubilis → Rabat → Fez
The shortest way to see three imperial cities and the best Roman ruins in the country, without touching the desert or the coast further south: a good add-on to a Fez-based trip rather than a trip on its own.
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Highlights
- Bab Mansour and the imperial granaries of Meknes
- The mosaics and columns of Volubilis
- The Kasbah of the Udayas and Hassan Tower in Rabat
- A full second day in the Fez medina on either end
- Short driving days throughout, nothing over two hours
Day by day
A working draft: the order and pace are ours to adjust once we know what matters most to you.
Fez to Meknes
A short drive to Meknes, made an imperial capital by Sultan Moulay Ismail during his 55-year reign (1672–1727), for an afternoon at the monumental Bab Mansour gate: completed in 1732 under his son Moulay Abdellah, and the old imperial granaries, built to store enough grain for years of siege.
About 1 hour on the road, roughly 60 km
Riad, Meknes
Meknes to Volubilis to Rabat
A morning among the mosaic floors and standing columns of Volubilis, a Roman city founded in the 3rd century BC and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997, then on to Rabat by early evening.
About 3 hours on the road in total (Meknes, then Volubilis, then on to Rabat), roughly 190 km
Riad, Rabat
Rabat
A full day: the whitewashed Kasbah of the Udayas, built by the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur in the 12th century above the mouth of the Bou Regreg, the unfinished Hassan Tower (one of three 'sister towers' along with the Koutoubia and the Giralda), and storks nesting in the ruined Chellah necropolis.
No driving today
Riad, Rabat
Rabat to Fez
A return drive to Fez, with the afternoon free to walk the edge of the medina.
About 3 hours on the road, roughly 200 km
Included
- ✓Private car and driver for the full route
- ✓3 nights' accommodation, breakfast included
- ✓Local guides in Meknes and Rabat
- ✓Entry to Volubilis
Not included
- —International flights
- —Lunches and most dinners
- —Entry fees not listed above
- —Tips for driver and guides
Questions about this route
Ask about this route
Send us your rough dates and what you'd want to change, and we'll come back with a real draft, not a form letter.
Tour at a glance
- Duration
- 4 days · 3 nights
- Transport
- Private car/4x4
- Languages
- English, French
- Availability
- Year-round
From the blog
A first-timer's guide to the Fez medina
The oldest, most intact medina in Morocco, and the easiest one to get lost in on purpose.
By Omar Hafidi
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Rabat: why Morocco's capital deserves more than a drive-through
Quieter than Fez, calmer than Marrakech, and consistently underrated.
By Omar Hafidi
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Tipping in Morocco: a practical guide
Expected in more places than you'd think, but rarely a fixed percentage.
By Omar Hafidi
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