Meknes
Discover Meknes
Meknes (مكناس) is a city in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco. Meknes is a vibrant, modern city bustling with nightlife, restaurants and an impressive imperial city created in the 17th century by King Moulay Ismaïl, with numerous historical monuments and natural sites; it is also the nearest city to the Roman ruins of Volubilis (Oualili). Is Fez driving you nuts? Nearby Meknes is relatively ignored by most tourists. It's also free of the usual hassles (touts, faux guides, etc.) that plague the other tourist centers. The prices in Meknes are among the most reasonable.
Taste of Meknes...
The market near the main place in the medina (at the Bab El-Mansur) has incredible fresh products. Lots of different kinds of olives, sweets, pickles, etc. In Ville Nouvelle there are dozens of restaurants and snack bars lining the main road, Rue Antsirape offering the staples of harira, tagine, cous cous and of course rotisserie chicken. A few restaurants on Rue Ghana, just off Rue Antsirabi, are popular with travellers and offer 40-dirham set menus. Those looking to find a watering hole in Meknes have come to the right place, in Morocco, anyway. For some reason, Meknes seems to have more bars than people. Only a few are suitable for the average traveler, however. Most budget hotels are along Rue Rouamzine, just before the medina. Hotel Maroc and Hotel Regina are two such choices. Hotel Regina is very dirty and stinky, but very cheap.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsMeknes is on the Fès-Rabat railway line and has two train stations. The smaller one called 33.8996-5.54561 Gare de Meknès-Amir Abdelkader is more centrally located in the new town (ville nouvelle) and closer to the medina, while the bigger 33.8966-5.53192 Gare Meknès-Ville is a bit further east. Meknes is connected by train to most major cities like Marrakech (6½ hr, 174 dirham), Tangier (3½ on trips involving a transfer at Kenitra or 4½ hr for the direct trips, 85 dirham), Rabat (2¼ hr, 69 dirham), Casablanca (3¼ hr), Fes (40 min, 20 dirham) or Oujda (6 hr, 130 dirham). Specific times and prices can be found on the website of the Moroccan National Office for Railways....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Hamrya is a new town with all entertainment facilities. You can find all what you need there, but there is no monuments or things to see except if you like to chat with people. Medina is the other side is the ancient Meknes and it contains all the monuments of this wonderful city. Petit taxis (small blue cars of Fiat Uno or Peugeot 205 brands) abound, as well as an efficient and comprehensive, if cramped local bus service. The minimum cost for a petit taxi is 5 dirham (the price is calculated based on 1.40 dirham + 0.20 dirham/100 m but you should expect a surcharge of 50% after 20:00). While the bus is slightly cheaper, buses are quite difficult to navigate, because they are, in the majority of cases, very crowded and operate to transport people between agglomerations and the ville nouvelle and Medina. The ville nouvelle (new town), which is known as Hamrya in Arabic, is easily navigated on foot, as is the medina.
Where to Stay
Most budget hotels are along Rue Rouamzine, just before the medina. Hotel Maroc and Hotel Regina are two such choices. Hotel Regina is very dirty and stinky, but very cheap.
Money & Budget
Meknes is not a shopper's paradise, but it is certainly cheaper than nearby Fez. The medina is chock full of traditional Moroccan clothing and rugs, as well as the popular Moroccan shoe, bilgha.. It is also known for its metallic articles; the local artisanal speciality. The best way to enter the medina is at the back of Place Hedim, next to Dar Jamai. Herein you can find many shops catering to tourists. If you sojourn a bit deeper into the medina, you'll find plenty of unique shops selling jewellery, household goods and other treasures. Be sure to bargain! Don't accept the shopkeeper's first offer: not only does it ruin it for tourists who come after you, but it also goes against Moroccan custom.