Exploring Meknes
We decided to visit Meknes from Fes, as Friday is a non-market day in Morocco, and the souks in Fes are closed.
How to Get There
From Fes, you can reach Meknes by train, bus, or Grand Taxi. We chose to travel by bus and return by train.
There are several bus stations in Fes; the nearest to the Blue Gate is the Gare routière Principale. This station serves regular intercity buses and CTM buses. CTM has another station in the city, but it’s far from the Old City.
We approached the station, asked where the buses to Meknes were, and were directed to an unknown route. The conductor explained that we should get off where most tourists are dropped off.
The journey to Meknes takes about 1.5 hours. Initially, we had trouble leaving the city as the conductor was picking up more passengers along the way. Using Google Maps, we tracked our route. In Meknes, we started to panic when we saw the bus entering the city center. We rushed to get off, but the conductor caught us outside and pulled us back in, assuring us he hadn’t forgotten about us.
It turned out that the bus station in Meknes is quite far from the Medina. We were dropped off near one of the gates.
Exploring the Medina
Meknes is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Morocco’s imperial capitals during the reign of the Alaouite dynasty. In addition to Meknes, other cities like Fes, Marrakech, and Rabat have served as capitals at different times.
From the gates, we walked through the Medina to the market, the main square, and beyond.
On the market day, there were no crowds. Friday is a non-market day across the country.
The old part of Meknes is compact; it takes about 10 minutes to walk from the market to the main square, El Hedim, and the Bab Mansour gate. Along the way, you can stop for mint tea in one of the tea houses.
Bab Mansour
“Bab” means “gate” or “door” in Arabic. Meknes has 27 gates in total. Some art historians consider Bab Mansour to be the most beautiful gate in Morocco. It was built in the 18th century. Its full name is Bab-el-Mansour-el-Ilij.
Bab Mansour impresses with its size and decoration.
El Hedim Square
Some call it the younger sister of Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech. It’s a large square where, in the evening, like in Marrakech, street performances take place. During the day, there are fortune tellers, balloon vendors, and various other sellers, with restaurants with outdoor tables lining the perimeter.
Meknes is a good place to take a break after the bustling Fes and Marrakech. There are no persistent guides, beggars, and fewer tourists.
However, the locals are still eager to assist tourists. In all cafes, the last page of the menu will state that a service charge is not included. If you don’t clarify in advance, the amount can be anything the waiter deems appropriate.
While traveling in Meknes and exploring the city, we got hungry. We sat down for a light snack; the menu had a happy hour with a 50% discount on couscous and tagine. In the end, the bill without the discount was the same, as the entire discount went to the mandatory service charge.
All the main attractions in Meknes can be visited in a couple of hours. Afterward, most tourists head to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss, approximately 40 km from the city. You can reach both places by Grand Taxi.
Volubilis is the last ancient Roman city built outside the country. Only a small section remains, featuring several ruined columns in Roman style.
Moulay Idriss is known as the birthplace of the founder of the first Arab dynasty, the Idrisids. The village is characterized by white houses on a hillside.
After evaluating the photos, we decided not to spend half a day on this and continued exploring Meknes. The weather was excellent, and compared to the rest of Morocco, there were hardly any people.
Places Worth Visiting in Meknes
What’s Not Worth the Time
- Royal Stables – there are no horses there, nothing at all, just bare walls. Entrance fee is the same as everywhere else – €7.
- Habs Qara underground prison – same as the stables: large, empty vaulted corridors and walls, and again €7 to see them.
From the old town, we decided to walk to the train station.
I recommend visiting Meknes if you have an extra day or if you simply want to check off all the imperial cities of Morocco. But if your schedule is tight, you can easily skip it. There’s nothing particularly special about it.
