Where to stay in Meknes

Meknes is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became the capital of Morocco during the reign of Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727), son of the founder of the Alaouite dynasty.

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.

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.

Getting in

Meknes is on the Fès-Rabat railway line and has two train stations. The smaller one called Gare de Meknès-Amir Abdelkader is more centrally located in the new town (ville nouvelle) and closer to the medina, while the bigger 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).

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).

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.