9 Days Jewish Heritage Tour from Casablanca

Our driver will meet you at Casablanca’s Mohammed V airport. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may go directly to your hotel to check-in or you may start the tour of Casablanca immediately. During the city tour, you’ll see the bustling city center with its Art Deco architecture and lovely seaside neighborhoods. Visit the Museum of Moroccan Judaism, which features artifacts of Jewish cultural life in Morocco, including clothing, ancient texts, and ritual objects. You’ll also tour the Jewish neighborhood and its active synagogue. Visit the Hassan II mosque, which is the second-largest mosque in the world and one of the few open to non-Muslims. You’ll return to your hotel in time for a leisurely dinner.

Depart for Rabat, Morocco’s capital city, and once there, see the outside of the royal palace and tour the mausoleum of the late King Mohammed V, which is always guarded by royal cavalry. You will also see the Hassan Tower and the Oudaya Kasbah, which sits high above the Bou Regreg River opposite Sale, the historic home of the Barbary pirates. From Rabat, you’ll continue to Meknes, where you’ll have lunch in this former imperial capital city, built by Moulay Ismail in the 17th century. You’ll see the ruins of the royal stables, which once housed 12,000 horses, and experience the austere beauty of the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. Other sights in Meknes include a Jewish neighborhood with a cemetery and school. Continue to Volubilis, the ruins of the largest Roman settlement in Morocco. Arrive in Fes for dinner in your hotel or riad.

You will spend the entire day on a guided tour of Fes, which was founded 1,000 years ago by Moulay Idriss. During your walking tour of the labyrinthine old city (this is a day for comfortable shoes), you will start in the Jewish neighborhood, where you will visit an ancient synagogue and see the Royal Palace. From there, you will see the outside of the 13th-century Karaouine mosque, tour the Bou Inaniya madrassa, and visit the souq to learn about Moroccan crafts. After lunch in the medina, you’ll see the newer city, including the potter’s district, which is home to Fes’ famous blue pottery. You may have dinner at your hotel or in the medina.

The drive from Fes to Marrakech is a long one, but in crossing the Middle Atlas Mountains, you’ll see some lovely scenery. You will go through Ifrane, home to a ski resort and Morocco’s prestigious private Al-Akhawayn University, on the way to Azrou and the Tadla Valley before having lunch in Beni Mellal. Your drive will take you through some of Morocco’s richest agricultural land before you arrive in Marrakech for dinner at your hotel or riad.

Enjoy a full day exploring Marrakech with a local guide. You’ll see the historic Koutoubia Mosque, known for its four distinct faces, and the Saadian tombs, crossing the Jewish neighborhood on the way to the Bahia Palace, which showcases the finest examples of design elements such as decorative tile, painted, wood, carved plaster, and calligraphy. You will tour the souks and end your day in Jama’a el-Fna, which is a UNESCO heritage site. In Jama’a el-Fna, you’ll see snake charmers, story-tellers, henna artists, and dancers. This square has been the heart of the medina since the 12th century, a home for performers, travelers, and snake oil sellers. Stop for a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice and enjoy the carnival atmosphere. If you’re feeling brave, sample a sheep’s head (or have dinner at your hotel /riad).

You have the option to spend the day exploring Marrakech on your own or relaxing at your hotel. Your driver can take you to see other sights such as the Majorelle garden, which features a collection of exotic plants, or the ruins of the Badia palace, still magnificent in their arrested decay. Alternately, take a round trip to lovely Ourika valley in the mountains or to Essaouira, the former Portuguese garrison town on the coast.

After breakfast in your riad, you will start traveling to the coastal city of Essaouira. Getting there after about a 2 and a half-hour drive to start exploring the city. You’ll visit the Skala Fortress; see Thuya wood carved by artisans; walk through the alleys of the medina and view hundreds of handicrafts. This « City of the Wind » attracts surfers from all over the world. Essaouira knew many civilizations – including the Portuguese occupation, which affects much of its architecture – however, it remains a small village with much history. Because of its size and its characteristic blue doors and washed walls, it is also regarded as Morocco’s « Jewel of the Atlantic”. You will also visit the women’s co-operative of Argan oil. Here they extract the oil that is famous for its culinary, cosmetic, and medicinal properties. Lunch will be done the Moroccan way – fresh fish “cooked in order” at the fish market. In the afternoon you will travel back to Marrakech. Overnight at your riad. (BB).

Full day dedicated to explore and visit the Jewish synagogues and worship sites in Marrakech and around.

If you still have time you can explore Marrakesh Medina then transfer to the airport to catch your return flight. End of the tour.