Southern Spain & Morocco Itinerary

 

Day 1: MALAGA – arrival and settling in.

Have a private transfer from the airport to your accommodation and settle in/ freshen up. Go out for a stroll around the Alcazaba, overlooking the port, and the Roman district , an audacious introduction to the Moorish culture. Have dinner or tapas next to Calle Larios ( we’ll recommend our tried & tested).

 

Day 2: MALAGA – RONDA ( 1H30 DRIVE);

After breakfast, stop on the way to Ronda in a White Village and visit a 30.000 year old and 1600 meter long cave with prehistoric engravings. Or why not get your pulse running on the suspended bridges of Caminito del Rey ? Arrive in Ronda in the afternoon. Check in and go out for a stroll around the historical center.  And yes, cross that bridge. For the adventurous, stroll down to the river for the panoramic vistas.

 

We could point to Joaquin Peinado’s museum ( where Picasso works are almost always on display), the Casa del Rey Moro ( careful, many, many stairs…) or the Arab hammams, but the beauty in Ronda is just flaneering and getting lost in the past around its palaces, churches and carmenes, where bougainvillea and jasmin cascade over into the alleys. La ciudad soñada, indeed. For dinner we’ll recommend one of our tried and tested restaurants with a panoramic view on the gorges.

 

Day 3: RONDA – ANTEQUERRA – CORDOBA ( 3 HOUR DRIVE);

After breakfast have an olive oil experience. Try out various types of olive oil at a local domain ( no shopping obligation) and/ or drive to Antequerra. Some of the oldest dolmens  stud the outskirts of the town which also counts Roman mosaics and a Moorish castle among its sites.  Nearby lies Torcal de Antequerra, a most peculiar rock formation where stones take most unexpected shapes: puff pastries, daggers or potatoes. Or maybe it’s just us. A 2 hour circular walk is worth the effort at this UNESCO world site. Arrive in Cordoba in the afternoon. Check in and relax. We’ll recommend our favorite tried and tested tapa spots.

 

Day 4: CORDOBA – VISIT OF THE CITY/ CATHEDRAL – MOSQUE;

Have a visit of the city of Cordoba and the Cathedral/ Mosque. Could a few lines ever do justice to a city that was the paragon of civilization in the 10^th and 11^th century, an epoch where Europe still wallowed in the grimness of the Middle Ages ? Certainly not. While the 500 mosques or the 200.000 volume library of the caliph are gone, many vestiges still display the magnificence of its golden age. Start with the Mezquita, first built in the 8^th century and later expanded by the Omeyad caliphs. Then travel to Medina Azahra, a ruined palatial city some 30 minutes outside Cordoba. In the evening, try and catch one of the Andalusian equestrian shows, crowned by a dance performance between the horse and a flamenco dancer.

 

Day 5: CORDOBA – ZUHEROS/ PRIEGO – GRANADA ( 2 HOUR DRIVE);

The Arab hammams, the Nurias or the Jewish district with its synagogue are worth a detour ( if you’re there in spring, don’t miss the flowered patios). Jamon decks all the restaurants in Andalucia, but the cordobes is coveted even by the granainos. Spend some more time wandering around Cordoba or take the road and stop en route to Granada in a white village for a trek, visit to a rock castle and typical lunch. Arrive in Granada late afternoon. On the right day of the week, witness a flamenco shows where locals flock. Have dinner on site or head to one of our tried and tested restaurants.

 

Day 6: GRANADA – VISIT OF THE CITY/ ALHAMBRA.

The architectural feats of the Alhambra continue to stun not only the visitors but also architects from all over the world. Books have been written only on the irrigation and sewage network or the splendor of its gardens. We highly recommend us arranging a private visit ( 3 to 5 hours visit). Have lunch and then roam around the Albayzin, the district that constituted the old medina. We could point out the maristan ( the first known hospital to cater for mental diseases in the world)  or the mirador de San Nicolas where locals and tourists alike mingle to listen to street music or selfie with the Alhambra and Sierra Nevada in the background. Yet, what a surrender to just amble about its whitewashed alleys, plazas and belvederes and take in the Andalusian pace…

 

Day 7: GRANADA – FREE DAY.

Catch up on the sites that you missed previously. Did you know it was the cathedral of Granada ( erected on the former grand mosque spot) where Columbus got the blessing of the Queen Isabel to depart and scour the seas for new lands ? Isabel and the king are buried in the cathedral’s chapel and a stone throw away, lies the medersa ( Islamic university) albeit only a fragment of its old foundations can be peaked through the glass ceiling floor. Across the boulevard, Corral de Carbon is the last fondouk ( caravanserai) still standing in Europe. Behind it , the old Jewish district, Realejo, sprawls, with its alternative bars and some of the best views on the city. We can also arrange for a day trip to Guadix to see the caves, a cooking class with lunch, cata de jamon or a trek in the Sierra Nevada.

 

Day 8: GRANADA – GAUCIN/ MALAGA – TARIFA ( 4 HOUR DRIVE).

Gaucin and its backcountry is home to great walks, splendid vistas and some of the best rural restaurants in Andalucia. Don on your backpack and take a walk to the local Ermita, where a vision of Saint Mary is said to have been conjured by a saint. Have a local lunch ( we’ll recommend our tried & tested) and then roam around the Moorish castle or visit a local craftsman. Later, take the road and arrive in Tarifa late afternoon. From here embark on the ferry and alight in Tangier one hour later. Overnight in the historical center of Tangier.

 

Day 9: TANGIER.

Go out to explore the medina with a local guide. Start perhaps with the Marshan district and its Roman tombs. Before entering the old town, stop for a refreshing break and admire the moresque interiors of St Andrews church. Cross the fish market where fresh fish is sold at auction to arrive to the Jewish cemetery, dominating the sea front. Descend onto Petit Socco and have a mint tea at Cafe Tingis, a favorite with the Beat Generation. A few streets further away push the door of the local synagogue ( closed on Saturdays). Make your way up the intricate streets and step back into the Kasbah district. There is no better end to the day then having a drink on a roof terrace dominating the whole medina, at the time when the sun drowns in the Atlantic. Dinner and accommodation in Tangier.

 

DAY 10: TANGIER – TETOUAN – CHEFCHAOUEN ( 2 hour drive).

On our way to Chefchaouen, we can linger for a while in Tetouan and awe at the Mauresque heritage present in its patios and palaces. The fall of the kingdom of Granada in southern Spain in 1492 marked the renaissance of Tetouan. More than its architecture, the cuisine, the music, the jewelry or the embroidery speak of their Andalusian origin. But perhaps you want to head straight to Chefchaouen so you can spend more time there. Still, you’d be a fool to miss the dramatic gorges of Oued Laou, connecting the Mediterranean beaches to the azure town. Quite likely the most instagramable village in Morocco can’t leave anyone indifferent. Inside the ancient gated medina nearly every building is painted an arresting shade of cerulean or azure, the sky blues juxtaposed with white trim and terra-cotta rooftops. Twisting cobblestone paths lead up and up, around the ocher-colored casbah to a landscape of green hills and mountaintops, uninterrupted sky extending beyond.

 

DAY 11: CHEFCHAOUEN – OUEZZANE – FES ( 4 hour drive).

Great trekking opportunities are also present in the nearby Rif Mountains, for a few hours or a whole day, along the river and up to the waterfalls, or further on, to the Bridge of God. northern Morocco itinerary leaves Chefchaouen and the Rif Mountains behind to then descend the plane where sleepy villages succeed each other and the only thing pulling you out of your daydreaming might be the occasional goat crossing the road. Break the drive with a Moroccan tea by the road. Arrive in Fes late afternoon.

 

DAY 12: FES – visit of the city.

One day is hardly enough for all the wonders of the largest still standing enclosed city in the world and world- famous for its leather and metalwork to not mention the medersas or the leather tanneries, the 9500 derbs (narrow alleys), one of the oldest universities in the world and all the sounds, smells and sights that assault the senses. Fes conjures the image of the quintessential fabled Arab city as Baghdad at the time of the 1001 nights… Visit the city with a local English speaking guide He will collect you at your hotel after breakfast. Accommodation as previously. Dinner on your own. We’ll recommend our tried & tested.

 

DAY 13: FES – MEKNES/ VOLUBILIS – RABAT ( 3 hour drive).

This morning, we set out for Meknes. Meknes became the capital of Morocco with the Sultan Moulay Ismail, who in the 17th century decided to change the capital from Marrakech to Meknes. To this task, he employed 55000 men, workers but also Christian slaves and dismantled the splendid Badi’ Palace in Marrakech to then carry most of it to Meknes on the back of camels. From this age, we were left with gigantic gates, grain silos, the House of the 10 Norias or the large open air basin where occasionaly the sultan armies would train. Alternatively, wander around the best preserved Roman ruins of Morocco in Volubilis or try out a wine tasting with lunch at a wine domain just outside Meknes. Arrive in Rabat in the evening. Dinner and accommodation in Rabat.

 

DAY 14: RABAT.

Despite its appearance as a quiet administrative town, Rabat hides quite a few gems, having been included on the UNESCO world site list just a few years back. You should perhaps start your day with the visit of the 12th century Kasbah des Oudayas and its Andalusian Gardens. We can dwell further into the past and visit the Merenid necropolis of Chellah, where Phoenician, Roman and Merinid heritages blend. Sale, the town over the bridge, has a more intriguing story and was known for centuries as a pirates’ nest. Some say that it is outside its shores that it inspired Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Our local guide will apprise you of the fearsome pirates and the relations between Muslims, Jews and Christians inside a traditional medina. Downtown in Rabat, opened in 2015, Mohamed 6 museum offers a great insight into the Moroccan modern arts and holds international exhibitions to rival those of European museums.

 DAY 15: RABAT or RABAT – CASABLANCA ( 1h30 drive).

Depending on your flight location and schedule, we will arrange for the drop off accordingly. If flying out from Casablanca, you should seize the opportunity and visit Hassan 2 mosque, the third largest in the world. End of your tour.