WHY MEKNES IS WORTH VISITING + BEST THINGS TO DO THERE.
Meknes often gets overlooked on most Morocco itineraries. It sits quietly between Fez and Rabat, and is usually treated as a quick stop or a half-day trip at best.
In fact, Meknes wasn’t on our original Morocco itinerary as an overnight stop. Instead, I had planned to visit on a day trip from Fez. But then I started looking more closely and I decided that it deserved more time. And I’m glad we gave it that.
What we found was a relaxed, beautiful, and deeply real city. In Meknes, we were treated to peaceful moments in the medina. Just us, a few cats, and local women drifting past on their morning errands, stopping for a natter. It felt as though we had discovered somewhere a bit special.
In this post, I’ll set out why I think Meknes is worth visiting and the best things to do once you’re there.
Why is Meknes worth visiting?
Of all the places we visited in Morocco, Meknes is the place that I would recommend to a friend without providing a whole list of caveats. It’s just a nice place to visit.
The reason that I really enjoyed it is partly due to size. The older city of Meknes is small enough to feel like you’ve really seen it, even in a short space of time.
The second reason that I’d recommend it is that there aren’t that many tourists there. A handful, really. For much of the visit, we had attractions to ourselves. We wandered in museums uninhibited by others, a total contrast to cities like Marrakech.
It’s less expensive than other cities too. Some attractions are even free (the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, for example). Others are very reasonably priced. Accommodation is extremely good value (we paid €30 a night and inexplicably this included breakfast and we ended up with an entire suite).
Because there aren’t many tourists there, the ‘hassle scale’ is quite low too. We walked through shopping streets uninhibited. We weren’t so important to people here. It’s a proper city where people live and tourists are welcomed to see it. Twenty years ago, I visited Fez and it had the same feeling, something which in my opinion has since faded a little with time and the growth of tourism.
But the main reason that I’d recommend Meknes is that it’s just really rather beautiful. And this is based on our experience of stomping around in pouring rain, so that’s saying something.
Best things to do in Meknes
Here are our top choices for the best things to do in and around Meknes.
1/ Browse the Souks
The souks in Meknes are refreshingly local. You’ll find a mix of covered markets selling sweets and food (just off Al-Hadeem Square), a huge number of stalls selling sportswear, and then whole areas dedicated to hardware, homeware and everyday useful items.
It feels much more like people actually shop here, rather than it being designed purely for tourists.
2/ Eat well at Aisha
It may seem odd to include a specific restaurant in “things to do”, but Aisha’s restaurant created such a strong memory for us that I wanted to be sure to mention it.
Aisha’s is a tiny restaurant. I think they have around six or seven covers and it’s entirely hidden down an alleyway. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d have no idea it was there. You push back a curtain and behold, a proper traditional bolt-hole.
It’s entirely female-run and you can watch the chefs producing incredible food in what must be the smallest possible kitchen for a restaurant.
We visited on a rainy cold evening and were blown away by the quality of food and attention to detail. Don’t expect plain old tagine.
3/ Al-Hadeem Square
Al-Hadeem Square is the main square of the old city and the natural heart of Meknes. It’s not as theatrical as Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech and there’s not as much going on. But it’s worth walking through and a useful point for navigation.
4/ Tour the Babs
‘Of all the Babs in all the world, she walked into mine.’ Sorry, terrible Casablanca reference. I digress.
A “Bab” is a city gate, and Meknes has some of the prettiest Babs we saw during our travels in Morocco. I genuinely spent time trying to see and rate each Bab.
I can confirm that the two best “Babs” to see are Bab el-Khemis (extremely decorative and lovely) and Bab Berdieyinne (starker in contrast but very striking.)
5/ Dar Jamai Museum
Dar Jamai is crafts museum which focuses mainly on the traditions of Moroccan music. It doesn’t sound much, but we had a great time here listening and learning about different styles of music.
There are interactive listening stations where you can put on headphones and compare different regional styles, which makes it much more engaging than a standard museum. We ended up staying far longer than expected.
It’s also built inside a fabulous former palace, which is worth visiting just for the architecture alone. The tiled courtyards, carved wood and peaceful garden feel like an attraction in their own right.
6/ See the great Mosque of Meknes
The Great Mosque of Meknes is an important landmark in the old town. It’s tightly woven into the medina, so you can’t really walk around it as you might with other mosques. Instead, you catch fleeting views of it from narrow alleyways, with the beautiful green minaret peeking above the rooftops.
7/ Visit vineyards
Meknes sits firmly within Morocco’s main wine region, and with a bit of forward planning, you can easily tag a wine tasting onto your visit.
The most famous in the area is probably Château Roslane, a luxury hotel set within its own vineyard. We had planned to visit Domaine de Baccari, which offers regular wine tastings and is around a 30-minute taxi ride out of town. Unfortunately, they were hosting a private event on the day we went, so we missed out.
If visiting a vineyard is high on your list, it’s definitely worth booking in advance, as tastings are limited and don’t tend to be available on a walk-in basis.
8/ Explore the “new Meknes”
New Meknes is a completely different world from the medina. Wide roads, cafés, modern shops and far fewer tourists.
It’s not essential, but it’s interesting to see the contrast and it’s where you’ll find most bars and modern restaurants. We had quite a lovely lunch at La grillardière Meknes. An ideal stop if you’re walking to or from the train or bus stations.
If you want nightlife, this is the area to visit. The bars (like Le Pub) are probably best described as “dive bar adjacent”, but the prices are fair at least.
9/ Pass the Cite Imperial
The Cite Imperial is a slightly strange place – we had hoped it would be possible to visit, but inside it now seems to house a golf course (Royal Golf de Meknes).
Unless you’re heading in for a tee time, what you can see are the imposing walls of the former imperial city guarded by officials. Still, we enjoyed strolling by and this quite surreal experience.
10/ Stroll by Le bassin
Le bassin D’agdal is a large rectangular water reservoir built to supply the imperial city.
It’s a peaceful place to walk by. When we visited the park area around it was a little under construction, but I suspect in a year or two it will be quite an attraction.
11/ Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
This was another stand-out for us in Meknes. A small mausoleum from the 18th century with absolutely beautiful architecture. Possibly the most spellbinding building we saw on our entire trip to Morocco.
If this was in Marrakech, it would be absolutely heaving with tourists. We enjoyed our visit completely on our own, and it’s free to enter.
12/ Moulay Idriss and Site Archéologique de Volubilis
We weren’t able to visit this time around due to time. It’s a bit of a transport challenge to get here independently, especially if you want to see both sites.
Volubilis is an ancient Roman city and Moulay Idriss is one of the most important pilgrimage towns in Morocco. Both are extremely popular day trips.
If you can, either do this as a day trip from Fez (this tour is very cost effective), or just bite the bullet and pay for a taxi from Meknes.
Getting to and from Meknes
Meknes is well connected with many other cities in Morocco by both train and coach (CTM).
In Meknes, the main train station and coach station are both a few kilometres from the old town, so a taxi may be required if you are carrying luggage.
You can reach Fez by train in around 1 hour 15 minutes (or a little longer by coach), while Casablanca is around 3 hours away by coach.
Where to stay in Meknes
If staying overnight in Meknes, we would recommend opting to stay in the older part of the city close to the main attractions. This is of course, unless you want to experience some of Meknes’ infamous bar culture by night (all bars are found in the modern area of the city.)
Here are our recommendations for accommodation in the old town.
BUDGET: Riad Inspira
MID-RANGE: Riad Yacout
SPLURGE: If you want a luxury property, head outside the city to Château Roslane Boutique Hotel (also a vineyard.)
Written by Emma
Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.
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