How to get from Fez to Meknes

How to get from Fez to Meknes

Meknes is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco. Although less known than Marrakech, Rabat and Fez, it is well worth a visit. In fact, if you have a day to spare in Fez you can organize an excursion to visit Meknes. We tell you all the transport options to go from Fez to Meknes. Morocco Tours 8 days

HOW TO GO FROM FEZ TO MEKNES

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

Whether you plan to take a day trip or stay in Meknes, we believe that the train is the most practical and economical way to get from Fez to Meknes. The trip takes about 40 minutes, slightly less than by road, and is quickly passed. The second class ticket costs only 22 dirhams (2€). If you want to have an assigned seat and more spacious and comfortable seats you can buy a first class ticket for 32 dirhams (3€). There is a train every hour, although at peak times there are departures every half hour. You can check the timetables online.

Note that Fez station is far from the medina, but you can take a cab for about 15-20 dirhams. Negotiate the price before you get in to avoid overpaying, vital advice in Morocco! If you are staying in Ville Nouvelle, close to the station, the option to take the train from Fez to Meknes is ideal for you 😉.

There are two stations in Meknes, the main station and Meknes Al Amir, the latter is closer to the historic center. It’s a little over 2 kilometers, but you can walk there in about half an hour. If you prefer to take a cab, you will be there in 5 minutes. They should not charge you more than 5-7 dirhams. Tours en Marruecos

How to buy the train tickets to go from Fez to Meknes

Theoretically, tickets can be purchased online, but we were not able to do so with our Spanish debit/credit cards. We don’t know if it was a glitch in the system or if they don’t accept foreign cards at all.

Anyway, there is no problem to buy the ticket at the station ticket office a while before the departure of the train. Trains depart frequently and you will not run out of room. Please note that they only accept cash.

2. Excursion to Meknes with a private driver in English

If in addition to Meknes you would like to visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the holy city of Moulay Idriss we recommend a day trip with private driver. It sounds like a lot, but you can see everything in one day if you start early. We think it is the best option to make the most of the day.

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

We spent over half an hour looking for a cab willing to go from Meknes to Volubilis for a reasonable fixed price. They tried to trick us a thousand times, making us get in the car to supposedly take us to the grand cab rank, but we had to get out right away when we saw that he was going out of his way 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 tour from Fez.

It is more expensive than taking public transport, but we think 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. Viajes a Marrakech

3. Grand cab, the local transport par excellence

You can also go from Fez to Meknes with a grand cab. They are cabs shared by six passengers going to the same place. The trip takes about an hour, but you will be cramped and it may take longer than it should. Finding a grand cab is a time-consuming ritual, so be patient. First you will have to find the nearest grand cab rank (you can ask at your accommodation). Once there, ask to go to Meknes, there is sure to be someone willing.

The price of a grand cab to go from Fez to Meknes should be about 350 dirhams for all passengers, about 5€ each. Do not be afraid to bargain, because being a tourist you will probably be told a much higher figure. Besides that, you will have to find 5 more people to fill the car who are also going to Meknes. That can take a while longer. If you want, you can pay for more than one seat to go wider and/or leave earlier. Tour del Marocco

 

4. How to go from Fez to Meknes by bus

As a last option, you can go from Fez to Meknes by bus. The only companies that meet the safety requirements are CTM and Supratours, so we do not recommend you to opt for any other. It takes about an hour to get to Meknes from Fez. A bus leaves about every hour and a half and the ticket costs only 25 dirhams (about 2€). So far so great, 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 cab.

To get to the train stop is the same, but the trip is shorter and more comfortable and the tickets are a bit cheaper. Therefore, we only recommend the bus if you are staying near the CTM station in Fez. There are a few departures a day from the bus station next to Bab Boujloud, but they are in the afternoon. So they are no good if you want to go and come back the same day, which most travelers do.