Meknes & Volubilis Day Trip from Fes

Departing from Fes

Meknes is 60km west of Fes — under an hour by private vehicle via the A2 motorway. Volubilis is a further 30km north of Meknes via the Moulay Idriss Zerhoun road. A day trip from Fes covering both sites is one of the most historically dense excursions in Morocco: Meknes was the capital of the Ismail Empire in the 17th century, and Volubilis was a 2nd-century Roman capital with intact mosaics, basilica and triumphal arch still standing.

Your driver-guide collects you from your Fes hotel and the day typically begins at Volubilis in the morning (before the summer heat peaks), continues to the sacred town of Moulay Idriss — the burial place of Moulay Idriss I, the founder of the Idrisid dynasty — and then to Meknes for the afternoon. In Meknes, the key sites are Bab Mansour (one of Morocco’s most ornate gates), the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, and the Heri es-Souani grain stores and stables.

The Meknes-Volubilis combination from Fes is a full day that covers 2,000 years of Moroccan history in a logical geographic sequence. Your guide provides historical context at each site. Lunch in Meknes medina is included or available at recommended restaurants. Return to Fes by late afternoon. Request a quote.