Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
minutes), four of which continue to Taza (Dh56, 3½ hours) and three to Oujda (Dh130,
6½ hours). Twelve go to Casablanca (Dh90, 3½ hours) via Rabat (Dh65, 2¼ hours). There
are eight direct services to Marrakesh (Dh174, seven hours). For Tangier, there are three
direct trains (Dh85, four hours), or take a westbound train and change at Sidi Kacem or
Mechra Bel Ksiri.
Getting Around
BUS
Overcrowded city buses ply the route between the medina and ville nouvelle. The most
useful are bus 2 (Bab el-Mansour to Blvd Allal ben Abdallah, returning to the medina
along Ave Mohammed V) and bus 7 (Bab el-Mansour to the CTM bus station). Tickets
are Dh3.
TAXI
Urban grands taxis (silver-coloured Mercedes Benz with black roofs) link the ville nou-
velle and the medina, charging Dh2.50 per seat or Dh15 for the whole taxi. Pale-blue
petits taxis use the meter: from El-Amir Abdelkader train station to the Bab el-Mansour
expect to pay around Dh10.
A more touristy way to get around the medina is by calèche
,
available for hire on Pl el-
Hedim and outside the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. They charge around Dh70 per hour.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Volubilis (Oualili)
The Roman ruins of Volubilis sit in the middle of a fertile plain about 33km north of
Meknès. The city is the best preserved archaeological site in Morocco and was declared a
Unesco World Heritage Site in 1997. Its most amazing features are its many beautiful mo-
GOOGLE MAP
was on
the point of opening at the time of our visit.
Volubilis can easily be combined with nearby Moulay Idriss to make a fantastic day trip
from Meknès. The guides on site conduct good one-hour tours for around Dh150. Most
speak decent enough English to explain the site in detail. Many official guides in Fez and
Meknès are also knowledgable about the site.
