MOROCCO & SPAIN - 2 SIDES OF GIBRALTAR

We will meet at Marrakech airport and drive to our hotel in Marrakech for overnight.

We will have a tour in Marrakech today. We will visit the 19th century Palace of Marrakech with its Andalusian wooden decorations and mosaics. After seeing the 800-year-old Hispano-Moorish minaret of Koutoubia, we will go to the “souk”, the market of Marrakech, and we will walk through its small and narrow streets full of shops for all kinds of needs such as drapery, blacksmith, tannery , wood crafts, herbal shops that sell healing herbs and creams made with traditional Berber recipes. After the souk we will see the Royal Cemetery where there are tombs of the Saadian Dynasty and the Ben Youssef Madrasa and Museum. We will then arrive at Jemaa el-Fnaa, the busiest square on the African continent, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. “Meddahs”, snake charmers, tattoo artists, jugglers and acrobats… An open-air theater in the middle of the city… Now it's time to head to Casablanca for the night.

Today we visit Casablanca, the white city. We will see the United Nations Square, Mohammed V Boulevard, Habus Square and the Hassan II Mosque. You have the option of entering this mosque where 25,000 people can pray at the same time and outside, in the courtyard, 80,000 people can gather. Its laser lamp on top of the 200-meter-high minaret notifies those up to 35 km away who want to pray when it's time for prayer.

This morning we drive to the capital Rabat. Rabat was founded as a military base for incursions from the African continent to Andalusia and was later converted into a castle. In the period of the French colonies it became the capital. After a panoramic tour of the city, we will visit the Hasan II Tower, the tomb of Mohammed V and the Royal Palace square. We then headed to Meknes. This city was built as a neighborhood and a palace by Moulay Ismail, one of the legendary sultans in Moroccan history. Here we will see the Mansour Gate, the tomb of Moulay Ismail and the old city walls. Then we will go to Fez, which used to be a scientific center of Andalusia. We will see the hill of Borj, the neighborhood of Mellah which is a Jewish neighborhood, the neighborhood of Andalusia, the mosque and madrasa of Quarawiyyin, the fountain of Nejjarin and Attarine Madrasa. After visiting the old bazaar of Fez we will go to our hotel in Fez.

This morning we head to the Blue City, Chefchaouen. After a panoramic tour of Medina, we will go to Tangier. In this beautiful coastal town we will have the opportunity to get to know Morocco with its mosques, khans, bazaars, narrow streets and houses and taste the famous couscous. Then we will go to our hotel in Tangier to spend the night.

We take the ferry today to head to Tarifa, Spain, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, just as Tariq Bin Ziyad did 1300 years ago. After visiting this small fishing village, we will go to Seville, the capital of Andalusia. Here we will first visit the Parque de María Luisa and the Plaza de España. In this city, which is the gateway from the Spanish Empire to the colonies, it is possible to see the traces of the wealth provided by those colonies, in every corner you look. Then we will see the Cathedral of Santa Marta from outside. This building is the third largest Gothic cathedral in the world and contains the tomb of Christophe Colomb. Right next to this cathedral we will see the Minaret of Hiralda left by the Umayyad State of Andalusia. Then we will pass by the Torre del Oro, which is today a marine museum, and we will have an optional boat ride on the Guadalquivir River. Our last stop will be the “Gypsy Quarter”. After some free time for dinner, we have the option to join a spectacular flamenco show. Night in Seville.

This morning we head to Cordoba after breakfast. This city used to be the capital of the region during the Roman Empire. We will cross the Roman bridge that was built over the Guadalquivir River and enter the city through a Roman gate. We will visit the 2000 year old Mosque-Cathedral, one of the largest mosques in the world, standing on 850 columns. We will walk through the old Cordovan streets all decorated with flowers and beautiful patios with fountains. After having some free time in the city, we will start driving to Granada for the night.

After breakfast we will visit the Alhambra Palace, the "pearl" of Al Andalus today. After a guided tour here for about 3 hours, we will begin to explore beautiful Granada. The old Muslim quarter of the Albaicín, the Moroccan bazaars, Elvira street, Isabel de Católica square, the old Bedesten Corral de Carbón, Granada Cathedral (from outside) will be some of the places to visit. In our free time in the city center, you have the opportunity to try tapas, an amazing traditional food from Andalusia. We will end this day at our hotel in Granada.

This morning we will head to the Mediterranean coast, to Malaga, the center of the “costa del sol” which means “sunny beach”. Because the sun shines on this beautiful city more than 350 days a year. We will see a part of this famous beach, the city's botanical garden, Gibralfaro Castle, the city's cathedral, Constitution Square, Roman theater, Andalusian castle, Picasso Museum, Museum of Art History and Archeology from the outside on our panoramic tour. Afterwards, we will give you free time in the city center for you to visit the city's museums, browse notable boutiques for shopping, and taste the famous tapas of incredible Andalusian cuisine. After having some free time here, we will head to Malaga airport for departure.