5-Day Northern Morocco Explorer from Tangier

Morocco’s north is a world often overlooked by travellers rushing south to the Sahara — yet it holds some of the country’s most dramatic scenery, richest history, and most distinctive culture. This 5-day private tour from Tangier takes you through the Rif Mountains to the Blue City of Chefchaouen, down to the spiritual capital of Fez, and back via the Atlantic coast and the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. It is the ideal introduction to Morocco’s diverse northern landscapes for those arriving by ferry or flying into Tangier.

Tour Highlights

• Scenic Rif Mountains drive from Tangier to Chefchaouen
• Full guided exploration of Chefchaouen’s blue medina
• Immersive walking tour of Fez el-Bali — the world’s largest living medieval city
• UNESCO-listed Roman ruins of Volubilis with stunning mosaic floors
• Royal city of Meknès — Morocco’s Versailles
• Tétouan’s Andalusian-influenced medina and white facades
• Return along Morocco’s dramatic northern Atlantic coast

What’s Included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver (fuel included)
• Hotel/port pickup in Tangier; drop-off in Tangier
• Licensed multilingual driver-guide
• Licensed local guide in Fez medina
• 4 nights in hotels or riads (breakfast daily)
• Complimentary bottled water
• Unlimited photo stops

Not Included

• Lunches and dinners
• Museum and site entrance fees
• Gratuities
• Personal travel insurance

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 — Tangier › Tétouan › Chefchaouen

Departing Tangier, your first stop is Tétouan, a city of striking Andalusian character where Moorish exiles from Granada settled in the 15th century and reconstructed the whitewashed architecture and geometric tile work of their lost homeland. A brief medina walk reveals elegant mansions, craftsmen’s guilds, and the mellah (Jewish quarter). Continuing south into the Rif Mountains, you arrive in Chefchaouen by midday. Afternoon at leisure to wander the blue alleys independently. Overnight in a riad in the medina.

Day 2 — Chefchaouen Full Day

A full morning guided tour of Chefchaouen takes in the main plaza, the 15th-century kasbah and its small ethnographic museum, the dyers’ quarter, and the scenic Ras el-Maa stream. The afternoon is free for shopping — local woven blankets, argan oil soaps, and hand-painted ceramics are among the best buys. Optional hike to the Spanish Mosque at sunset. Overnight in Chefchaouen.

Day 3 — Chefchaouen › Volubilis › Meknès › Fez

Leaving the Rif behind, you drive southeast toward the ancient Roman site of Volubilis — Morocco’s best-preserved Roman ruins, dating to the 3rd century BC and featuring extraordinary in-situ mosaic floors depicting mythological scenes. A short drive brings you to Meknès, one of Morocco’s four imperial cities, where Sultan Moulay Ismail constructed a palace complex so vast it was compared to Versailles. The monumental Bab Mansour gate — one of the finest examples of Moroccan ceremonial architecture — is the unmissable highlight. Continuing east, you arrive in Fez for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 — Fez Medina Deep Dive

An expert local guide leads you through the staggering complexity of Fez el-Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage medina of over 9,000 narrow streets where donkeys remain the primary mode of transport. Key stops include the Chouara Tanneries — the world’s oldest leather-dyeing facility, unchanged since the 11th century — the elaborately carved interiors of the Bou Inania Madrasa, the al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and its adjoining library (the oldest continuously operating university in the world), and the royal foundouk market quarter. Overnight in Fez.

Day 5 — Fez › Larache › Asilah › Tangier

The return journey north follows the Atlantic coast through two of Morocco’s most charming small towns. Asilah is a whitewashed walled town famous for its annual arts festival, where murals by international artists cover the medina walls every August. Its clifftop ramparts offer sweeping views over the Atlantic. Larache, further north, retains a faded Spanish colonial charm with a shaded central plaza and a small kasbah. Arrival back in Tangier by evening.

Tour Information