Imperial Cities
Marrakech, Fez and the medinas, opened by name through the artisans.
- Culture · Craft
- Ideal length: 7-9 days
- Best time: March to May and September to November, when the days are warm, the light is clear and the desert nights turn crisp rather than cold.
- Private guiding, access and transfers throughout
- From US$7,500 per traveler — a starting point, tailored to you
- Designed one-to-one by a Forest Travel advisor
- Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels
Marrakech, Fez and the medinas, opened by name through the artisans.
Few countries move so effortlessly from imperial medinas to snow-touched mountains to the immense silence of the Sahara, all within a few hours' drive.
When to go
March to May and September to November, when the days are warm, the light is clear and the desert nights turn crisp rather than cold. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
The experiences
A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:
- A private walk through the Fez medina, its doors opened by name at the workshops of coppersmiths and weavers.
- An afternoon with a master zellige artisan, watching the tiles cut and set entirely by hand.
- A guided passage through the imperial ramparts of Meknes, unhurried and free of the crowds.
- A private dinner in a restored palace, with a table set in a courtyard scented by orange blossom.
A sense of the rhythm
This is a journey through the country's four historic capitals, and it moves at the measured pace of the medinas themselves. You spend enough time in each city to let a guide open the workshops and studios that most visitors never see. Mornings are for the labyrinths of the old towns; afternoons belong to the courtyards and gardens.
Cities alone, or cities with the desert?
If your interest lies in craft, history and the living medinas, the imperial cities are complete in themselves. When you would rather trade one city for the dunes, we would point you instead towards Marrakech and the Sahara.
How to do it well
The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:
- Fez rewards patience; give it two nights so the medina reveals itself slowly.
- Ask us to arrange access to a private artisan workshop, closed to the general public.
- Wear comfortable shoes for the cobbled lanes, which climb and turn without warning.
- Let us time your Fez tannery visit for the morning light, when the colours are at their richest.
What only your advisor can open
The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.
Who it's for
Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.
Estimated investment
From US$7,500 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.
Designed entirely around you
Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.
Your Virtuoso privileges
As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Continue exploring Morocco
Part of our Morocco travel guide. Related private journeys:
Begin the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design Imperial Cities around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →
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