Last updated: September 2026
Meknes is Morocco’s most underrated imperial city — a vast, extraordinary metropolis built in the 17th century by Sultan Moulay Ismail and largely overlooked by the tourists who fill Fez and Marrakech. That oversight is the visitor’s gain.
The medina of Meknes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, offers the same ancient streetscapes and medieval craftsmanship as its more famous neighbours with a fraction of the crowds.
Flanked by 25 kilometres of walls and entered through the monumental Bab el-Mansour gate — considered the finest in Morocco — Meknes rewards slower exploration with a depth and authenticity that can feel harder to find elsewhere.
For UK visitors, Meknes works best as part of a broader Morocco itinerary.
The city lies just 60 kilometres west of Fez on the main rail line, and only 30 kilometres from the Roman ruins of Volubilis — the best-preserved Roman site in North Africa.
A long weekend in Meknes combined with Fez, or as a day trip from Rabat, reveals a side of Morocco that package-holiday itineraries rarely reach.
Search4Sun compares holidays to Meknes from tour operators across the UK, with flights from airports across the UK.
Meknes offers something increasingly rare in Moroccan tourism: an imperial city that functions primarily for its own residents rather than for its visitors.
The souks sell hardware, spices, textiles and household goods to local families rather than souvenirs to tour groups.
The medina’s cafés serve working men their morning harira rather than tourists their cappuccinos.
Prices across accommodation, food and transport are lower than in Marrakech or Fez. The combination of exceptional monuments, authentic street life and relative accessibility makes Meknes one of Morocco’s most compelling destinations for independent travellers.
The city also serves as an ideal base for day trips. Volubilis Roman ruins — a UNESCO World Heritage Site just 30 kilometres north — contain remarkably intact mosaics, triumphal arches and basilica columns from the 3rd century AD.
The holy town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, perched on twin hills above the plain and containing the tomb of Morocco’s founding saint, is a further 5 kilometres beyond Volubilis.
These two sites together constitute one of the finest half-day excursions in Morocco.
Bab el-Mansour, the ceremonial gateway to the imperial city completed in 1732, is the defining image of Meknes — a massive triumphal arch decorated with geometric zellige tilework, carved stucco inscriptions and classical columns taken from the nearby Roman ruins of Volubilis.
The gate faces the Place el-Hedim, a large open square used for public gatherings, where a daily market spills out from the medina entrance.
The Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail — the only religious site in Morocco open to non-Muslims — contains the ornate tomb of the sultan who built Meknes, set within a sequence of cedar-panelled rooms and marble-floored courtyards that represent some of the finest Moroccan decorative work of the 17th century.
The imperial stables and granaries (Heri es-Souani) give scale to Moulay Ismail’s ambition: a vaulted complex originally covering 7 hectares and capable of stabling 12,000 horses, now partially collapsed but still atmospheric.
The adjacent Agdal Basin — a 4-hectare artificial lake used to irrigate the royal gardens and as an emergency water reserve — offers a peaceful walk along its edges.
The mellah (Jewish quarter) on the eastern edge of the medina contains a well-preserved 19th-century synagogue and distinctive houses with wrought-iron balconies that differentiate Jewish from Muslim domestic architecture.
Meknes sits at the centre of Morocco’s finest agricultural region. The Meknès-Tafilalet plain produces olives, grapes, cereals and livestock that supply much of northern Morocco, and the city’s markets reflect this abundance.
The morning food souk near Bab el-Jedid is one of the most varied in Morocco — a working market for local residents stocked with Meknès olives (some of the finest in the country), fresh-pressed olive oil, regional cheeses, vegetables, dried fruit and cuts of meat unfamiliar to European eyes.
The wine region surrounding Meknes produces the majority of Morocco’s domestic wine — the Meknès appellation covers some 3,000 hectares and its Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah have earned international recognition.
Restaurant eating in Meknes ranges from the simple grilled meat and couscous stalls around the Place el-Hedim to formal Moroccan restaurants in the riad hotels of the medina.
Pastilla — the flaky pigeon or chicken pie encasing almonds, eggs and spice dusted with icing sugar — is available here in versions rivalling those of Fez.
Street food is excellent and cheap: msemen flatbread, brochettes, harira soup and the fresh-squeezed orange juice that appears on every Moroccan street corner.
Meknes was founded in the 11th century by the Almoravid dynasty but its extraordinary present form dates entirely from the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail (1672–1727), the longest-reigning ruler in Moroccan history.
Determined to create a capital to rival Versailles — which was under construction simultaneously — Moulay Ismail commanded 50,000 workers to build a new imperial city beside the old medina: 25 kilometres of walls, massive gates, vast stables, underground prison complexes and a royal palace covering several square kilometres.
The scale is staggering.
Much of the imperial city was damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, but the surviving structures — particularly Bab el-Mansour and the Heri es-Souani — convey the sultan’s original vision with sufficient force to make Meknes one of the most impressive monuments in North Africa.
Meknes does not have its own commercial airport.
The most practical approach from the UK is to fly to Fez (2 hours 45 minutes from London) or Casablanca (3 hours 30 minutes) and continue to Meknes by train — the journey from Fez takes around 45 minutes and from Casablanca around 3 hours.
The Meknes train station is located in the ville nouvelle, with petits taxis connecting to the medina in around 10 minutes. Direct grand taxi services also run between Fez and Meknes.
For visitors flying into Marrakech, a combination of train to Casablanca and connection to Meknes makes a logical multi-city itinerary possible within a single holiday.
Search4Sun compares Meknes holidays from UK-based tour operators to help you find the best combination of flights, hotels and transfers. Before booking, read our holiday protection guide to understand your rights and how ATOL and ABTA protection works.
For last-minute Meknes deals, check LastMinute.com for late availability packages and discounted hotel rates.
No visit to Meknes is complete without a half-day at Volubilis, Morocco’s finest Roman archaeological site.
Located 33 kilometres north of Meknes on the edge of the Jebel Zerhoun massif, Volubilis was the western capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana and flourished from the 1st to 3rd centuries AD.
The site’s extraordinary preservation includes intact floor mosaics depicting mythological scenes (Orpheus charming animals, the Labours of Hercules, sea creatures), the triumphal Arch of Caracalla, the remains of the Capitol and Basilica, and a grid of Roman streets still clearly legible in the landscape.
The backdrop of olive groves and mountains makes Volubilis one of the most photogenic Roman sites in the world.
Five kilometres beyond Volubilis, the whitewashed town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun occupies twin hilltops above the plain.
This is Morocco’s holiest city after Meknes itself — the mausoleum of Moulay Idriss I, who brought Islam to Morocco in 789 AD and founded the first Moroccan dynasty, draws pilgrims year-round.
The town was closed to non-Muslims until 2005 and still retains an atmosphere of genuine religious significance that differentiates it from more tourist-oriented destinations.
Visitors cannot enter the mausoleum but can walk the hilly streets, take tea with residents and enjoy panoramic views over the Zerhoun valley from the upper quarters.
The medina city of Fez lies just 60 kilometres east of Meknes and is accessible by train in 45 minutes or by grand taxi in around an hour.
Many visitors to Meknes combine it with a night or two in Fez, exploring Morocco’s two most authentic imperial cities as a single extended itinerary.
The contrast between Meknes (less visited, more local in character) and Fez (more elaborate monuments, more tourist infrastructure) illustrates the breadth of the imperial Morocco experience.
Meknes offers a range of accommodation from boutique riads within the medina to modern hotels in the French-planned ville nouvelle.
The medina riads — traditional merchant houses converted to guesthouses — provide the most atmospheric base, with tiled courtyards, ornate ceilings and roof terraces overlooking the medina roofscape.
Standards vary considerably and advance booking is strongly recommended for the better properties.
The ville nouvelle hotels cater primarily to Moroccan business travellers and are functional rather than characterful, but provide reliable comfort at lower prices than comparable Fez or Marrakech equivalents.
The Hôtel Transatlantique, set in gardens on the medina edge with views across the valley, is the city’s grand dame of accommodation — a French Protectorate-era property that retains period character alongside modern facilities.
Practical information for Meknes visitors: the Moroccan dirham (MAD) is the local currency. English is spoken in hotels and tourist establishments; French is the main second language for commerce and administration.
The city is generally safe for independent travellers and considerably less hassled than the larger tourist centres.
Licensed guides can be arranged through the tourist office on Place Administrative — an official guide for a half-day in the medina costs a fixed, regulated fee and is worth the investment on a first visit.
The best months to visit are April, May, October and early November when temperatures are ideal for outdoor exploration and the crowds at Volubilis are manageable. Summer temperatures in Meknes regularly exceed 40°C and are best avoided for sightseeing-heavy itineraries.
Meknes is absolutely worth visiting — it offers imperial monuments of comparable quality to Fez with significantly fewer crowds and lower prices.
It works particularly well as a day trip from Fez or as part of a multi-city itinerary combining both cities.
Fly to Fez (direct from several UK airports) then take the train to Meknes — journey time is around 45 minutes and trains run frequently. Alternatively, fly to Casablanca and connect by train (approximately 3 hours).
Yes — Volubilis is just 30 kilometres from Meknes and easily combined with the nearby holy town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun in a single half-day excursion.
Grand taxis from Meknes run to both sites and can be hired for a round trip.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer the most comfortable temperatures for exploring the medina and the outdoor Roman ruins at Volubilis. Summer is hot and dry; winter is mild but can be cool in the evenings.
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