Day tour to AZROU and IFRANE
For those with a reasonable amount of time in Fez, day trips are a great way to take a break from the Medina. The usual destinations are Meknes and Volubilis.
MEKNES and VOLUBILIS day tour
Our day’s excursion to 2,000 years in the past starts at 9 o’clock from your hotel when we drive across the Saiss Plain to the wonderful Roman ruins at Volubilis , the Volubilis of really ancient olive presses, mansions, incredible mosaics, monumental arches and Corinthian columns where you’ll have a real sense of Roman lifestyle and of that of a subsequent medieval Berber town. The site contains the Mansion containing the mosaic of the Labours of Hercules, the Baths of Gallienus and Baths of Forum with their fragmentary mosaics; the House of Orpheus and its Dolphin mosaic and Orpheus Myth; the Cortege of Venus many of whose mosaics we may only see from the outside yet will get to se the medallions of Bacchus, Diana and the Abduction of Hylas; the Gordian Palace with its bath house and pooled courtyards; the House of the Wild Beast, the House of Nymphs, the House of the Seasons, the House of Flavius Germanus, the Knight’s House with an incomplete mosaic of Dionysus Discovering Ariadne Asleep, the Triumphal Arch , the Capitol and the House of Ephebus with its pictorial mosaics, especially that of Bacchus Being drawn in a Chariot by Panthers.
We leave Volubilis behind to drive alongside the dark, outlaying ridges of the Zerhoun Hills to stop for a visit of the town of Moulay Idriss , the holiest Islamic town in the kingdom of Morocco, where thousands of Moroccan faithful come on pilgrimage (moussem) every August to pray at the tomb of this descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. Arriving at the elongated square we see above us the green-tiled pyramids of the Zaouia with its two conical quarters on either side and stroll amidst the labyrinth of alleyways before leaving for the Imperial City rebuilt by Moulay Ismail.
On, now, to the Imperial City of Meknes (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Here we shall visit the easily most beautiful Bab, or gateway, in all of the Maghreb – the Bab Mansour. From here to the El Heri es-Souani – the granary of huge vaulted structures and stables built by Moulay Ismail’s soldiers next to a pool fed by underground channels that brought fresh water all the way from the distant Middle Atlas Mountains; the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum and the Place el-Hedim to see the famous State-owned stallion stables of Haras where these Arabo-Berber horses are bred. Time for lunch (optional, not included) before leaving Meknes around 4:40 in the afternoon, arriving back in our hotel at around a quarter to six, the drama, scope and beauty of our visit forever indelibly imprinted in our memory.
TOUR INCLUDES:
- Experienced English-speaking private Licensed guide throughout,
- Private round trip transportation,
- Fuel
What is not included:
- Sites Fees,
- Lunch
- Tips
FES Sightseeing
Fes Sightseeing: Half Day trip:
On leaving your hotel around 09.30, your guide will take you for a drive via the Mechouar to the impressive Dar el Makhzen for a short stop at the Royal Palace with its magnificent seven bronze gates. From here you walk to and through the Mellah with its intense atmosphere and fine examples of Mauro-Hispanic architecture. Then you drive to the Borj Sud to take in the panoramic view of the Medina.
You rejoin your taxi to stop at Bab Boujloud, built in 1913 and the principal entrance into Fès el-Bali. Here you start your Walking Tour of the labyrinth of the ancient Fes Medina (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) by visiting the beautiful 14th century Medersa Bou Anania (entrance fee included) - the largest medersa built by the Merinids. (Closed Tuesdays) and the nearby Dar el-Magana which houses a clepsydra, or water clock (ongoing restoration may restrict access).
On now to the renowned Tanneries on the bank of the Oued Fes, despite the strong smell it is one of the most picturesque souks in Fez. You continue on through es-Seffarine and its brass workers, down the colourful es-Sebbaghine with its Street of the Dyers; and the Souq el-Atterine area of spices and groceries; to the exterior of the impressive al-Quarawiyyin Mosque and University and the el-Atterine Medersa (entrance fee included). This is considered one of the wonders of Moorish architecture- built between 1323 &1325 by Merinid Sultan Abou Said Othman. You pass by the Tomb of Moulay Idriss the second Idrissid ruler, considered to be the founder of Fez, built in the 18th century and restored in the mid-19th century to your final stop, the delightful el-Nejjarine Square with its fountain and caravanserai (entrance fee included).
Depending on your hotel you can return on foot, or rejoin your taxi for the short ride back to your accommodation after this stroll into 1200 years of history.
TOUR INCLUDES:
- An experienced English-speaking licensed guide throughout
What is not included:
- Sites fees
- Lunch
- Tips
Fes Sightseeing: Full Day Trip:
Leaving our hotel at 09:00 for a tour of the Mellah, the Medina and Souqs, the famous Tanneries, the exquisite Mosques and Medersas, the famous Fes Pottery Kilns, a tour around the ramparts with its many Babs and a visit to the renowned Museum of Moroccan Art. We start with our drive via the Mechouer to the impressive Dar el Makhzen to stop for some 15 minutes at the Royal Palace with its magnificent seven bronze gates, to continue on to the Borj Sud for a panoramic view of the Medina.
Off now down to start our Walking Tour of the labyrinth of the ancient Fes Medina ( a UNESCO World Heritage Site); of the colourful es-Sebbaghine with its Street of the Dyers; of the brass and copperware workers at es-Seffarine; on through the winding alleyways to the impressive el-Quarawiyyin Mosque and University, a stroll into the past to the wonderful Mosque and adjacent aromatic Souq of el-Atterine of spices and vegetables; the beautiful el-Atterine Medersa; the Kissaria and Draz Quarters and the renowned Tanneries on the bank of the Oued Fes.
On now to the delightful el-Nejjarine Square with its Plaza, fountain, caravanserai and artists in woodwork. Nearby we’ll stop for a very welcome light lunch (drinks not included) at the delightful Restaurant Palais Mnebhi. On now to the Dar Batha and a visit of the Museum of Moroccan Art before rejoining our vehicle at the Bab Boujloud. That’s the walking done for the day, for now we drive to the 16th century Potters' Quarter (Fakhkharin), not far from the present-day Bab Ftouh in an area called Guerouaoua, to watch the artists working at their kilns and, perchance, to buy some of their unique clayware. Back into our vehicle and on now for a tour around the magnificent ramparts with its beautiful Babs and up to the sixteenth century Saadien watchtower at the North Borj for yet another, but so different, panoramic view of this city of 1001 Nights. So much history, so much variety, so many memories to be captured on film before returning finally by car to our hotel at the end of an exceptional day.
TOUR INCLUDES:
- Experienced English-speaking private Licensed guide throughout
What is not included:
- Sites Fees
- Lunch
- Tips