Meknes travel guide

Where is Meknes?

Imperial city · Northern Morocco.

from Marrakech as the crow flies

339 km

UNESCO World Heritage: Historic City of Meknes

1996

private tour comes here

1

places in our guide

11

About Meknes

Meknes is the most underrated of Morocco's four imperial cities, and for day-trippers it is gold: under an hour from Fes by car or train, and the natural anchor for the country's most rewarding cultural day out. Built by the 17th-century sultan Moulay Ismail to rival Versailles, it has the monumental Bab Mansour gate, the colossal Heri es-Souani granaries and a relaxed, lived-in medina with a fraction of Fes's crowds. Better still, the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the holy hilltop town of Moulay Idriss sit 30 minutes away — so the standard private day from Fes strings all three together. On its own, Meknes is an easy half-day.

How long to stay

1 day (or a half-day with Volubilis)

Nearest airport

Fès-Saïs (FEZ) + 1h

Getting there

Under 1h from Fes by car or train; an easy day trip

Best combined with

Volubilis and Moulay Idriss in a single private day

Highlights of Meknes

• Bab Mansour

  Widely considered the most beautiful monumental gate in Morocco, all green-and-white zellige and carved stone — the centrepiece of a Meknes half-day.

• Heri es-Souani & Agdal basin

  The sultan's enormous vaulted granaries and stables, beside a vast reflecting reservoir built to water a city under siege — a 45-minute stop.

• Roman Volubilis, 30 minutes away

  A UNESCO site of mosaics, arches and olive groves — the best-preserved Roman ruins in Morocco and the natural partner to Meknes on a day trip.

• Moulay Idriss Zerhoun

  A sacred whitewashed town tumbling over two hills, burial place of the founder of the first Moroccan dynasty — the third stop on the classic Fes day.