Morocco's Imperial Cities: Fez, Meknes, Rabat & Casablanca in 10 Days
Marrakech dominates Morocco's tourist conversation, but the country's four imperial cities — Fez, Meknes, Rabat and Casablanca — offer a richer, more complex Morocco. Medieval Fez is the most complete surviving medieval city in the Islamic world. Meknes is magnificent and almost empty of tourists. Rabat is a cool, liveable modern capital. Casablanca is Africa's great metropolis.
Fez: The Living Medieval City
Fez el-Bali — the old city — has been inhabited continuously for 1,200 years. Its medina, entirely car-free, is a maze of 9,400 streets, many of which narrow until two people cannot pass simultaneously. It is utterly disorienting and utterly extraordinary.
What to See in Fez
Chouara Tannery: Medieval leather tanning at a scale unchanged since the 10th century. Viewed from the surrounding leather shops (entry is free with a purchase, or a small fee otherwise). The pots of dye — saffron yellow, poppy red, cedar brown — are one of Africa's most iconic images.
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque & University: Founded in 859 AD, the world's oldest continuously operating university. Non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque, but the glimpses through carved wooden doors into the courtyard are mesmerising.
Madrasa Bou Inania: The finest example of Marinid-era tile work in Morocco, with a courtyard that repays an hour of quiet attention.
Meknes: Morocco's Forgotten Imperial Capital
Sultan Moulay Ismail built Meknes as a rival to Versailles in the late 17th century. Today it is peaceful, less visited than Fez, and home to magnificent ruins: the Heri es-Swani granaries, the Bab Mansour gate (one of North Africa's great gateways), and the burial complex of Moulay Ismail himself.
Day trip: Volubilis — Morocco's finest Roman ruins, 30km north of Meknes. UNESCO-listed, with extraordinary floor mosaics still in situ.
Where to Stay
Fez (Riad Luxury): Riad Fès — Relais & Châteaux is a 16th-century palace with 21 suites, a rooftop terrace with Atlas Mountain views, and the best restaurant in the medina.
Dar Roumana is a boutique riad with 6 rooms, exceptional home-cooking and one of the most photogenic roof terraces in the medina.
Fez (Mid-range): Dar el Menia is a converted 18th-century palace — beautifully decorated, well-managed and at a price that makes Fez remarkably accessible.
Casablanca: Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca sits on a private beach with the Atlantic on one side and the Hassan II Mosque on the other. The definitive Casa luxury address.
Casablanca (Mid-range): Kenzi Tower Hotel occupies the top 19 floors of Casablanca's highest tower — panoramic views and solid business-hotel quality at reasonable rates.
