Best Day Trips From Fes: 6 Worth Your Day

Day trips from Fes are the best argument for giving Morocco's oldest imperial city more than a quick stop. The medina of Fes el-Bali — the tanneries, the madrasas, the 9,000-odd alleyways — deserves two full days on its own. But the best day trips from Fes add a second dimension: Roman mosaics, a rival imperial city, cedar forests with wild macaques, waterfalls and hot springs, all 30 minutes to two hours from the city walls. Here are the six worth your time, with honest one-way drive times and realistic costs.

The 6 best day trips from Fes at a glance

• Moulay Yacoub — 30 min
• Sefrou and Bhalil — 35 min
• Meknes — 1 h
• Ifrane and Azrou — 1 h 15
• Volubilis and Moulay Idriss Zerhoun — 1 h 15
• Taza and the Friouato caves — 1 h 45

1. Volubilis and Moulay Idriss Zerhoun: Roman ruins and the holy city

Volubilis is Morocco's great Roman site: a UNESCO-listed city founded in the 3rd century BC, grown rich on olive oil, with triumphal arches, basilicas and some of North Africa's finest mosaics still in place. Arrive in the morning light, hire an official guide at the entrance (150–200 MAD — worth it), and allow two to three hours; entry is 70 MAD. Five minutes up the road, Moulay Idriss Zerhoun — the whitewashed hill town around the tomb of Idriss I, Morocco's holiest pilgrimage town — is the natural lunch stop, with viewpoints over Volubilis below. Add Meknes, 30 minutes west, for the classic Fes triangle. See our Meknes and Volubilis guide for the full route.

2. Meknes: the fourth imperial city

Trains run roughly hourly from Fes station and take 35–40 minutes (second class is cheap), leaving you a short taxi ride from Place el-Hedim. The headline sights — monumental Bab Mansour, the vast Heri es-Souani granaries and stables, and the free Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail — fit into half a day with lunch in the medina. Bab Mansour in zellige and carved marble at sunset justifies the trip alone. Our Meknes and Volubilis guide covers the route in detail.

3. Ifrane and Azrou: cedar forests and Barbary macaques

An hour and a quarter into the Middle Atlas sits Ifrane — the famous "Little Switzerland", an alpine-style town at 1,665 metres with chalet roofs, gardens and the stone lion everyone photographs. The real draw lies 15 minutes beyond: the cedar forests around Azrou, home to troops of wild Barbary macaques — Morocco's only primate — and some of the country's oldest cedars. Walk the marked trails, buy nuts at the roadside stalls, and stop in Azrou for lunch and its Tuesday souk. In winter, Ifrane gets real snow and the nearby Michlifen slopes open for skiing. More in our Ifrane and Azrou guide.

4. Sefrou and Bhalil: waterfalls and cave houses

Thirty kilometres south of Fes, Sefrou is the quiet alternative: a small market town with a waterfall on its edge and a famous cherry festival each June. Ten minutes further, the village of Bhalil hides troglodyte homes carved directly into the hillside — some still inhabited — famous for their button-making workshops. A half-day trip at most; be back in Fes for a slow lunch.

5. Moulay Yacoub: the thermal springs

Twenty-two kilometres northwest of Fes, the village sits on springs that bubble up at 54°C, rich in sulphur and prized for skin and rheumatic complaints since long before the French built the first bathhouse. The modern spa complex draws Moroccan families at weekends — go on a weekday morning for the calmest experience — and pool entry is cheap by any standard. Less a sightseeing trip than a reset button: half a day of hot water, back in the medina by lunch.

6. Taza and the Friouato caves

The longest drive on this list, and the one for nature lovers: Taza sits 120 km east of Fes at the corridor between the Rif and the Middle Atlas, with the Tazekka National Park rising above it. The park's star is the Gouffre du Friouato — one of the deepest cave systems in Africa, a 271-metre shaft descended by stairs with a local guide. The old town's 12th-century minaret and market fill the rest of the day. Leave early and pack lunch.

Day tour or do it yourself?

Small-group day tours from Fes cost 400–700 MAD per person with transport; the Volubilis–Meknes combo is the most common — simplest if you're short on time. DIY is easy: hourly trains to Meknes take under 40 minutes, grand taxis serve Sefrou and Moulay Yacoub, and a rental car unlocks the rest at your own pace. Most riads can arrange a private driver for the day (800–1,200 MAD); agree the route and price the night before. See Morocco by train for ONCF routes and tickets.

Practical tips for day trips from Fes

• Start early. Ruins and medinas are best before 10 am — midday summer sun at Volubilis is punishing.
• Carry cash. Fes takes cards; Sefrou, Bhalil and Moulay Idriss mostly do not.
• Dress modestly in Moulay Idriss. It is a holy town — cover shoulders and knees.
• Winter layers for the Atlas. Ifrane can be near freezing in January while Fes sits at 15°C.