Get an early start on the day with pickup either from the Racine district of downtown Casablanca or from your centrally located hotel. After meeting your driver, hop in the sedan, minivan or coach, depending on the size of your group, and relax on the 3-hour drive along the Atlantic Coast and inland to Fez. The third-largest city in Morocco. Fez is widely considered to be the country’s spiritual capital.
When you arrive, start your sightseeing tour in the New Medina, the newer part of the city, before heading to the Old Medina. During your time here, you’ll understand why many consider Fez as having the best-preserved old city in the Arab world. In fact, the Medina of Fez is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Exploring the narrow streets of this medieval city, you’ll see a brilliant display of traditional Moroccan architecture, zillige tiling and elaborately painted and sculpted woodwork. Your driver-guide will point out Dar Bouanania, a popular local hotel, before taking you to Attarine Medersa, an educational institution built by the Merinides, which were the North African people of the dynasty between the 13th and 15th centuries. You’ll be amazed by the elaborate decorations of this architectural gem, built by the order of Sultan Abou Said Ohman.
Visit another ancient educational center, Kairaouine Mosque, founded in 857. This is the second-largest mosque in Morocco and the oldest Islamic monument in Fez, and is also considered by many as the holiest mosque in Morocco, governing the timing of all Islamic festivals across the country. Non-Muslims are not permitted inside the mosque, but you’ll admire it from the outside.
Finish your day in Fez el-Bali, the oldest walled part of the city, where you’ll find the Medina of Fez, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to madrasas (educational institutions), fondouks (traditional inns for traders), mosques and palaces dating from Marinide rule in the 13th and 14th centuries, when Fez replaced Marrakesh as the capital of the Moroccan kingdom.
Wander the sprawling maze of souks where craftsmen sell their goods. You'll feel as if you've been transported back in time. Feel free to purchase anything that catches your eye! At the end of the day, relax on the drive back to Casablanca, arriving at around 6pm.