Meknes or where else to go from Fez

Meknes or where else to go from Fez

There are two places of interest in Fez – the Medina with the market and the dye houses. As it turned out, Friday in Morocco is the day when markets do not work. So we decided to go to the neighboring city of Meknes, which is also one of the four imperial cities of Morocco

From Fez you can get to Meknes by train, bus or take a Grand Taxi. We decided to go there by bus and back by train.

There are several bus stations in Fez, the closest to the Blue Gate is the Gare routière Principale. Regular intercity buses and CTM buses stop at this station.

CTM has another station in the city, but it is located far from the Old City.

How to travel in Morocco: all about transportation

We went in, asked where the buses to Meknes were, we were led to a bus of unknown route and handed over to the driver and conductor. Having explained that we are going to Meknes, and it is desirable to drop us off at the place where they drop off all the tourists sat down in free seats.

It took us 1.5 hours to get to Meknes. It took us a long time to get out of the city, because the conductor was beckoning more passengers on the way. We used Google maps to keep track of where we were going. Of course we started to panic when we got to Meknes, and when we saw that the bus had stopped in the center we rushed to the exit. The conductor caught us on the street and dragged us back, explaining that he had not forgotten about us.

That’s right, it turned out to be a long walk from the bus station in Meknes to Medina. We were dropped off near one of the gates.

Meknes, a World Heritage Site, was one of the capitals of Morocco during the Alawite dynasty. In addition to Meknes, Fez, Marrakesh and, in modern times, Rabat served as the capital in different centuries.

Through the gate we walk through the Medina to the marketplace, the main square and beyond.

No one’s at the market. Friday is not a market day in the whole country.

The old part of Meknes is small, and it takes 10 minutes to walk from the market to the main square of El Khadim and the Bab Mansur Gate. On the way you can take a mint tea break at one of the tea houses.

Bab Mansur

Bab is Arabic for “gate” or “door. There are a total of 27 gates in Meknes. According to some art historians, Bab Mansour is the most beautiful gate in Morocco. They were built in the 18th century. Their full name is Bab el-Mansour el-Ilj.

Bab Mansour is impressive for its size and finish.

El Khadim Square

Some call it the little sister of Jamm al-Fna in Marrakech. It’s a large square where, like in Marrakech, there are probably street performances in the evening. During the day there are a few fortune tellers, balloon vendors and all sorts of useful stuff, and restaurants with street tables on the perimeter.

Meknes is a good place to take a break after the bustling Fez and Marrakech. There are no clingy guides, beggars and not too many tourists.

But, of course, they are also happy to entertain relaxed tourists, they are Moroccans after all. In all cafes on the menu, on the last page it will be written that the price does not include the mandatory service charge. If you do not specify in advance, its size can be anything that comes to mind the waiter.

While driving to Meknes and walking around the city we got hungry. So we decided to have a snack, and there was a happy hour with a 50% discount on couscous and tagine on the menu. As a result the bill had no discount, all the discount was spent on obligatory donat.

By the way, the train station in Fez has the exact same scam. Inside there are two cafes: one is honest – you pay, take a coffee and sit down to wait for the train, the second one with a waiter – brings you a coffee and demands a service charge of half the cost of the drink.

Meknes is a good place to take a break after the bustling Fez and Marrakech. There are no clingy guides, beggars and not too many tourists.

But, of course, they are also happy to entertain relaxed tourists, they are Moroccans after all. In all cafes on the menu, on the last page it will be written that the price does not include the mandatory service charge. If you do not specify in advance, its size can be anything that comes to mind the waiter.

While driving to Meknes and walking around the city we got hungry. So we decided to have a snack, and there was a happy hour with a 50% discount on couscous and tagine on the menu. As a result the bill had no discount, all the discount was spent on obligatory donat.

All the sights of Meknes at a brisk pace can be covered in a couple of hours. From there most tourists go to Volubilis and Moulay Idris (about 40 km from the city). Both places can be reached by Grand Taxi.

Volublis is the last ancient Roman city built outside the country. There is now a small area preserved with several ruined Roman-style columns.

Moulay Idris is famous for being the birthplace of the founder of the first Arab dynasty, the Idrisids. Of the things to see there are the white houses on the hillside.

Judging from the photos that it was not worth losing half a day for the sake of it, we went for a walk in Meknes. Especially since the weather was great and there were almost no people compared to the rest of Morocco.

Where to go in Meknes:

Moulay Ismail Mausoleum 33.891738, -5.563159

Bu Inanya Madrasa 33.896194, -5.565264

What not to waste your time on

Royal Stables – no horses there, nothing at all, bare walls, price of admission as everywhere else – 7 euros.

Habs Qara underground prison – similar to the stables – large, empty, vaulted corridors and walls, 7 euros to see.

From the old town we decided to walk to the train station.

I recommend going to Meknes if you have one extra day or just want to visit all the imperial cities of Morocco. If you have a busy schedule, you can skip it. There’s nothing special about it.

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