Casablanca + Fès by Train — Art Deco and the Oldest Medina

Overview

Two Moroccos in eight days, joined by a train rather than a bus. Casablanca opens the journey with the Hassan II Mosque, built out over the Atlantic with a 210-metre minaret and a retractable roof — and the one working mosque in the country that non-Muslims may enter, on a guided visit. Around it lie the Art Deco boulevards of Place Mohammed V, the arcades and pastry shops of the Habous quarter, the Villa des Arts of 1934 and the ocean-front Corniche of Aïn Diab. Then the Al Atlas train climbs inland to Fès in under four hours. Fès el-Bali, founded between 789 and 808 and listed by UNESCO in 1981, is one of the largest pedestrian medieval quarters on earth: thousands of lanes, the Bou Inania and el-Attarine madrasas, the Nejjarine fondouk and its museum of woodwork, the al-Qarawiyyin mosque-university founded in 859 and often called the oldest continuously operating university in the world, and the Chouara tanneries seen from the leather merchants’ terraces, mint sprig in hand. A full day takes you west to Roman Volubilis, the holy town of Moulay Idriss and the monumental Bab Mansour gate of Meknès.

What Makes This Tour Special?

Inside the Hassan II Mosque — the one working mosque in Morocco that welcomes non-Muslim visitors, on an official guided tour.
Three full nights inside Fès el-Bali, not a day trip: you wake up in the medina and walk out into it.
Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 and widely recognised as the oldest continuously operating university in the world.
The Chouara tanneries, unchanged since the Middle Ages, seen from the terraces of the leather merchants.
A full day at Roman Volubilis, listed by UNESCO, plus Moulay Idriss and Bab Mansour in Meknès.
City to city by first-class train in under four hours — no long road transfer anywhere in the itinerary.
A direct 5h20 flight from Cairo to Casablanca, with daily service on Royal Air Maroc and EgyptAir.
Two dedicated French-speaking guides plus an official Fès medina guide, and a professional photographer throughout.

Included/Excluded

Direct round-trip international flights Cairo–Casablanca and all private transfers
First-class Al Atlas train Casablanca–Fes both ways, with reserved compartments
7 nights in riads and 4-star hotels, all listed excursions and entrance fees
Guided visit of the Hassan II Mosque and an official badge-holding guide in the Fes medina
Local SIM with data, dedicated guides and a professional photographer (photo album)

Tour Plan

Day 01 Arrival in Casablanca and Welcome Briefing

Your Africa Tour Travel representative greets you at Mohammed V International Airport, assists with arrival formalities and accompanies you on a private, air-conditioned transfer into the city, about thirty kilometres. After check-in we hold a friendly welcome meeting: a full day-by-day walkthrough of your programme, how each excursion works, dress code for the Hassan II Mosque, local etiquette and the rule on false guides in the Fes medina. We set up your local SIM card with data and add you to our WhatsApp group. Evening walk on the Ain Diab Corniche.

WELCOME DINNER

Avion Royal Air Maroc a l aeroport Mohammed V de Casablanca Vue generale du centre de Casablanca La plage et le front de mer d Ain Diab a Casablanca

Day 02 The Hassan II Mosque and the Habous Quarter

The morning belongs to the Hassan II Mosque, built partly out over the Atlantic, with a 210-metre minaret and a roof that opens to the sky. It is the one working mosque in Morocco that non-Muslims may enter, on an official guided tour lasting about an hour — shoulders and knees covered, shoes removed at the door. The afternoon takes in the Habous quarter, the Nouvelle Medina built in the 1920s, with its arcades, craft souk and famous pastry shops, then the Art Deco Villa des Arts of 1934.

BREAKFAST | LUNCH

La mosquee Hassan II et son minaret au lever du soleil L esplanade de la mosquee Hassan II face a l Atlantique Les arcades du quartier des Habous a Casablanca

Day 03 The Al Atlas Train to Fes

Transfer to Casa-Voyageurs station and the Al Atlas train to Fes in first class, around three and three quarter hours across the plains of the Gharb and past Meknes. Two compartments are reserved for the group so nobody travels apart. Arrival in Fes, transfer to your riad, and a first walk to Bab Boujloud, the Blue Gate of 1913, followed by sunset over the medina rooftops from the Merinid tombs.

BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER

Train ONCF sur le reseau ferroviaire marocain Bab Boujloud, la Porte Bleue de la medina de Fes Vue panoramique sur les toits de la medina de Fes el-Bali

Day 04 Fes el-Bali — Madrasas and the Chouara Tanneries

A full day inside the medina with an official badge-holding guide — essential here, where thousands of lanes swallow a group in minutes. The Bou Inania madrasa and its carved cedar, the el-Attarine madrasa near the spice market, then the Chouara tanneries, worked by hand since the Middle Ages, watched from the terrace of a leather merchant with a sprig of mint against the smell. Lunch in a riad, and the afternoon in the souks by trade: coppersmiths, dyers, weavers.

BREAKFAST | LUNCH

Les cuves colorees des tanneries Chouara a Fes La cour ornee de zelliges de la medersa Bou Inania Ruelle et souk de la medina de Fes el-Bali

Day 05 Al-Qarawiyyin, Nejjarine and the Crafts of Fes

Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri and widely recognised as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. Non-Muslims do not enter the prayer hall, but the courtyard is visible from the Chemmaine and Derb Boutouil doors, and the finest view of the whole complex is from the rooftop of the el-Attarine madrasa. Then the Nejjarine fondouk, an eighteenth-century caravanserai turned museum of woodwork, the Dar Batha museum, and the potters' quarter for the cobalt blue of Fes.

BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER

La mosquee-universite al-Qarawiyyin de Fes Le fondouk Nejjarine, musee des arts du bois Poteries et tajines dans une boutique d artisanat marocain

Day 06 Volubilis, Moulay Idriss and Meknes

A full day west by private minibus. Volubilis first, eighty kilometres away: the best-preserved Roman city in Morocco, listed by UNESCO, with its triumphal arch, basilica and mosaic floors still in place under the open sky. Then Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, the holy town built across two hills around the tomb of the founder of the first Moroccan dynasty. The day ends at Meknes and Bab Mansour, the monumental gate of Sultan Moulay Ismail, before the road back to Fes.

BREAKFAST | LUNCH

Les ruines romaines de Volubilis, site UNESCO Bab Mansour, la porte monumentale de Meknes La ville sainte de Moulay Idriss Zerhoun

Day 07 Back to Casablanca — Art Deco and Farewell

Morning train back to Casablanca, then the Art Deco city on foot: Place Mohammed V and its fountain, the mauresque facades of the administrative quarter, and the covered markets for spices and argan. Free time for last purchases. In the evening, a farewell dinner and a screening of your photo report.

BREAKFAST | DINNER

La place Mohammed V et ses batiments Art deco a Casablanca La Villa des Arts de Casablanca, villa Art deco de 1934 Etal d epices sur un marche de Casablanca

Day 08 Departure

A final Moroccan breakfast, then a private transfer to Mohammed V International Airport for your direct flight home, with photos and a personal album to treasure. A reminder from your guides: dirhams cannot legally leave Morocco beyond a small allowance, so change any surplus before check-in and keep your original exchange receipts.

BREAKFAST

Hall des departs d un aeroport Boeing 737 de Royal Air Maroc au decollage Boeing 787 Dreamliner de Royal Air Maroc