Meknes Travel Guide: The Overlooked Imperial City

Meknes is Morocco's least-visited imperial city, and that's precisely its appeal: the same monumental gates, royal stables and walled medina you'd find in Fes, minus the crowds and the persistent touting, plus the easiest access in the country to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, twenty minutes up the road. A half-day to a full day is enough to see Meknes properly, which makes it an easy add-on to a Fes-based itinerary rather than a destination requiring its own base.

Bab Mansour: the gate worth the detour alone

Bab Mansour, completed in the early 18th century under Sultan Moulay Ismail, is widely considered the grandest gate in Morocco — a huge arched entrance covered in green and white zellige tilework and flanked by marble columns reportedly taken from the Roman site of Volubilis. It anchors Place el-Hedim, a large square that functions as Meknes's answer to Marrakech's Jemaa el-Fnaa, on a much smaller and calmer scale.

The royal stables and granaries

Moulay Ismail built Meknes into an imperial capital to rival Versailles, and the scale of his ambition is most visible in the Heri es-Souani granaries and the ruins of the royal stables, once reportedly capable of housing thousands of horses. The thick walls and vaulted ceilings kept temperatures stable for grain storage, and walking through the cavernous, mostly roofless remains gives a sense of the city's imperial-era ambition that's hard to get elsewhere in Morocco.

Volubilis: Morocco's best-preserved Roman ruins

Just a short drive from Meknes, Volubilis was once a thriving Roman provincial capital, and its mosaic floors, standing columns and triumphal arch are the best-preserved Roman remains in Morocco. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its exceptional state of preservation; see UNESCO's listing for Volubilis for background on its significance. Most visitors combine Meknes and Volubilis in a single day, since the ruins take only an hour or two to explore properly.

Meknes vs. Fes: how they compare

• Crowds — Meknes sees a fraction of the tourist traffic Fes does, with far less pressure to buy or accept a guide in the medina.
• Medina size — Meknes's medina is smaller and easier to navigate without getting lost, a welcome change after a day or two in Fes.
• Monuments — Fes has the greater density of historic sites overall, but Bab Mansour and the royal stables rival anything in Fes for sheer scale.
• Pace — Meknes suits a relaxed half-day visit, while Fes rewards two or three full days of exploring.

For the full case on Fes itself, see our Fes travel guide, and our Marrakech vs Fes comparison for how both fit into a wider itinerary.

Practical tips for visiting

Meknes works well as a day trip from Fes (about an hour by road or train) or as a stop on a longer northern Morocco route. Wear comfortable shoes for Volubilis, where there's little shade, and bring water, as facilities on-site are limited. Combining Meknes with Volubilis and the holy town of Moulay Idriss nearby makes for a full and rewarding day beyond the standard Fes itinerary.

Explore our 5-day northern Morocco tour from Casablanca to Fes, which includes Meknes and Volubilis along the way.