Best Day Trips From Meknes

Meknes is usually seen as a quick stop between Fes and the coast, but it makes an excellent base in its own right. The imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail has monuments enough for a full day, and it sits at the meeting point of three very different regions: the Roman and pilgrimage sites of the Zerhoun hills to the north, the great medina of Fes to the east, and the cedar-covered Middle Atlas to the south. Add the fact that Meknes is on the main railway line, and you have a town from which a car-free traveller can reach a surprising variety of day trips.

This roundup ranks those excursions by distance and character, from the half-hour hop to Volubilis to the cool mountain air of the Azrou cedars. For the city itself, see the things to do in Meknes overview and the Meknes imperial monuments guide; for where to sleep, the wider Meknes accommodation pages help you pick a base. What follows is how to spend the days around it.

The table below sets out the main excursions by distance, with realistic drive times and the trip length each needs. It is the quickest way to match a sight to your available time: the Zerhoun trips are half-days, Fes and the mountains are full days. Note that Fes is far quicker by train than the road distance suggests, and that the mountain roads to Azrou and the lakes are slower and more scenic than a mapping app implies.

For a two-night stay, a good pattern is one half-day (Volubilis and Moulay Idriss) and one full day (either Fes or the Ifrane and Azrou mountains), leaving time for the Meknes monuments themselves. Three nights lets you add the lakes or a second mountain day. The nearer trips can be done by grand taxi, Fes by train, and the mountain runs most easily by hired car or tour.

The closest and most rewarding trip is the pairing of Volubilis and Moulay Idriss in the Zerhoun hills just north of the city. Volubilis, about 33 km away, is the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, a UNESCO listing famous for its triumphal arch, basilica columns and remarkable in-situ floor mosaics. Because Meknes is so close, you can arrive at opening, beat the coach groups from Fes and Rabat, and take the ruins slowly.

A few kilometres on, Moulay Idriss Zerhoun tumbles white across two hills around the tomb of Moulay Idriss I, founder of the first Moroccan Islamic state and one of the holiest figures in the country. Non-Muslims can wander the steep lanes and enjoy the terrace-cafe views but not enter the shrine itself. The two make a natural half-day; the dedicated Volubilis and Moulay Idriss from Meknes guide covers the transport, fees and timing in full.

The easiest car-free day trip from Meknes is Fes. Although it is about 60 km by road, frequent trains link the two cities in only around 40 minutes, so you can leave after breakfast, spend the day in the vast medieval medina of Fes el-Bali, and be back in Meknes for dinner without any driving or negotiation. It is one of the most efficient city day trips in Morocco.

A day gives you time for the essentials: the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine medersas, the Chouara tanneries, the maze of souks and the gates of the medina. Fes rewards a guide for a first visit, given how easy it is to get lost, but a confident traveller can manage with a good map and patience. Treat it as a taster that may well make you want a longer stay; either way, the train makes it a stress-free outing from Meknes.

South of Meknes the land rises into the Middle Atlas, and the change is dramatic. Ifrane, about 60 km away, is a planned town built by the French in the 1930s that looks like an alpine resort, with steep roofs, gardens and cool, clean air; it is a refreshing half or full day, especially in the summer heat. A little further, about 75 km from Meknes, the cedar forest above Azrou is home to troops of wild Barbary macaques among some of the oldest trees in the country, a highlight for families and photographers alike.

The mountains reward more than one visit. The Middle Atlas lakes, such as Dayet Aoua about 85 km south, offer a quiet nature day of birdlife and picnics away from any crowds. The cedar-and-macaque country is covered in depth in the Ifrane and Azrou cedar forest day trip guide and the Middle Atlas lakes and Ifrane guide. The golden rule with the monkeys is never to feed them human food, which harms their health and behaviour.

How you travel depends on the trip. Fes is best by train, cheap and frequent from Meknes station. Volubilis and Moulay Idriss are easiest by a half-day grand-taxi hire, agreeing a wait and the shuttle between the two sights. The mountain trips to Ifrane, Azrou and the lakes are most comfortable by hired car or a small-group tour, because the cedar forest and lakeshores have no scheduled transport to their gates. The table below matches each trip to its best transport and the season that suits it.

Season genuinely changes which trip to prioritise. Volubilis and Fes are pleasant year-round but hot at midday in summer, so start early. The Middle Atlas is the summer star, 10-15C cooler than the plains and green with cedar; in winter Ifrane sees snow and the higher forest roads can close briefly, though the alpine scenery in white is lovely if the roads are clear. Spring and autumn are the all-rounder seasons when every one of these excursions is at its best.

Putting the trips together, a two-night stay in Meknes has a natural rhythm. Spend your arrival afternoon and the following morning on the city itself, the monumental Bab Mansour, the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the vast Heri es-Souani granaries and the medina around Place el-Hedim, then give a full day to a half-day pairing of Volubilis and Moulay Idriss in the morning with an afternoon back in town or a short run toward the vineyards for which the region is known. That covers the essentials of both the imperial city and its Roman neighbour without ever feeling rushed.

With three nights you can add depth in whichever direction appeals. Culture-focused travellers take the 40-minute train to Fes for a full day in its medina; those who want a change of landscape and cooler air head south for a mountain day around Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest, or a quieter nature day at the Middle Atlas lakes. A car-free visitor can manage Fes by train and Volubilis by a half-day taxi hire, so you only really need a car or tour for the mountains. Whichever mix you choose, treating Meknes as a base rather than a stopover is what unlocks this underrated corner of Morocco.