This is the Roman and imperial day out of Fez, and the best-value history you can see in a single drive. Three stops, an hour apart, each completely different in character.
Volubilis is the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, a working provincial capital that grew rich on olive oil, and its mosaics are still in the floors where they were laid: Orpheus, the labours of Hercules, Bacchus. Your guide reads the town for you, the presses and the forum and the basilica, with the Zerhoun hills behind. Moulay Idriss sits on the next ridge, the holiest town in the country, built around the tomb of the man who founded the first Moroccan dynasty, and it is a steep, white, very different place to walk. Meknes closes the day: Bab Mansour, probably the finest gate in Morocco, the vast granaries and stables of Moulay Ismail, and a medina that feels calm after Fez.
Entrance fees to Volubilis and the Meknes monuments are included where applicable, and lunch is usually taken in Moulay Idriss or Meknes, your choice.
Good to know before you book
- Length
- Full day
Highlights
- Volubilis columns and mosaic floors (UNESCO)
- Moulay Idriss Zerhoun hilltop views
- Bab Mansour and imperial Meknes
- Meknes medina and markets
The route
- i.Pick-up at your riad
- ii.Drive west through the Zerhoun hills
- iii.Volubilis: forum, basilica, olive presses, mosaics
- iv.Moulay Idriss Zerhoun: the holy town and its viewpoint
- v.Lunch stop, Moulay Idriss or Meknes
- vi.Meknes: Bab Mansour and Place el-Hedim
- vii.Moulay Ismail granaries, stables and mausoleum
- viii.Free time in the Meknes medina
- ix.Return to Fez in the evening
Included & not included
Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle and certified driver
- Ministry-approved multilingual guide
- Entrance fees (Volubilis and other applicable sites)
Not included
- Meals and drinks
- Tips for driver and guide
Good to know
What does this include that the day-trip version does not?
A guide approved by the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism with you throughout, and the site entrance fees.
Is the guide licensed?
Yes. You are welcome to ask to see the Ministry card at the start of the day — every licensed guide in Morocco carries one.
How much walking is there at the site?
Expect an hour or more on uneven ground, often in full sun. Tell us in advance if that is difficult and we will set the pace around it.
How far is it?
Meknes is about an hour from Fez, and Volubilis a little beyond it.
