Easy way to get to Meknes from Fes

How to get from Fes to Meknes

Meknes is one of Morocco’s four imperial cities. It is well worth a visit, although being less well known than Marrakech, Rabat, and Fez. In fact, if you have a free day in Fez, you can plan a trip to Meknes to learn more about the city. We’ll inform you about all of your possibilities for getting from Fes to Meknes.

HOW TO GO FROM FES TO MEKNES

Train, the most common way to go from Fez to Meknes

Whether you plan to take a day trip or want to stay in Meknes, we believe that the train is the most practical and economic transport. The trip takes about 40 minutes, a little less than by road, and it goes by quickly. The ticket in the second class costs only 22 dirhams (2€).

If you want to have an assigned seat and wider and more comfortable seats you can buy a first-class ticket for 32 dirhams (3€). There is a train every hour, although at rush hours there are departures every half hour. You can check the schedules online.

Keep in mind that the Fez station is far from the medina, but you can take a taxi for around 15-20 dirhams. Negotiate the price before going up to avoid overpaying, vital advice in Morocco!

If you stay in Ville Nouvelle, near the station, the option of taking the train to go from Fez to Meknes is ideal for you.

There are two stations in Meknes, the main one and Meknes Al-Amir. The latter is closer to the historic center. There is a little more than 2 kilometers, but you can walk in half an hour. If you prefer to take a taxi, you will be there in 5 minutes. They shouldn’t charge you more than 5-7 dirhams.

How to buy train tickets to go from Fes to Meknes

Theoretically, tickets can be purchased online, but we were not able to do so with our Spanish debit/credit cards. We do not know if it was a specific failure of the system or directly they do not accept foreign cards.

In any case, there is no problem in buying the ticket at the station ticket offices a little while before the departure of the train. Trains leave frequently and you will not run out of space. Note that they only accept cash.

Excursion to Meknes with private driver:

If, in addition to Meknes, you want to visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the holy city of Moulay Idriss, we recommend taking a day trip with a private driver.

It seems like a lot, but you can see everything perfectly in one day if you start early. We believe that it is the best option to make the most of the day.

Of course, you could also get to Meknes by train and get to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss on your own, but we had a terrible experience trying it. Morocco private desert tours.

We spent more than half an hour looking for a taxi that was willing to go from Meknes to Volubilis for a reasonable fixed price.

They tried to trick us a thousand times, making us get into the car to supposedly take us to the grand taxi stand, but we had to get down immediately when we saw that it was diverting from the road and picking up more people to do business.

We ended up hiring a trusted driver from the hotel. So if you want to see Meknes, Volubilis, and Moulay Idriss in one day, we recommend this excursion from Fez.

The price of a grand taxi to go from Fez to Meknes should be about 350 dirhams for all passengers, about €5 each.

Do not be afraid to haggle, because as a tourist they will surely tell you a much higher figure. Apart from that, you will have to find 5 more people to fill the car who will also go to Meknes.

That may take a while longer. If you want, you can pay for more than one seat to go wider and/or leave earlier. It is more expensive than taking public transport, but we believe it is worth it because you will see more things,

you will have a guide in Spanish and you will be more comfortable. It is especially recommended if you are a group or family, the more people the better the price.

Grand taxi, the local transport par excellence

You can also go from Fez to Meknes in a grand taxi. They are taxis shared by six passengers who go to the same place.

The trip lasts about an hour, but you will be crowded and it may take longer than it should. Finding a grand taxi is a ritual that will take time, so be patient.

First, you will have to find the nearest grand taxi stop (you can ask at your accommodation). Once there, ask to go to Meknes, surely someone is willing.

How to go from Fes to Meknes by bus

As a last option, you can go from Fez to Meknes by bus. The only companies that meet the security requirements are CTM and Supratours, so we do not recommend choosing any other.

It takes about an hour to get to Meknes from Fez. A bus leaves approximately every hour and a half and the ticket costs only 25 dirhams (about €2 ).

So far so good, but the biggest drawback is the location of the bus stop in Fez. It is about 5 kilometers from the medina, so you will have to take a taxi.