Why this ride
254 km from Fès to Fès, about 4 h 15 of riding. On the way it passes Archaeological Site of Volubilis, Historic City of Meknes, back through Historic City of Meknes and back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fes day out · Historic City of Meknes
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 254 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 15
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fes
Fes holds the largest car-free urban area in the world, or so it is often said, and walking through it for an hour makes the claim credible. The old medina, Fes el-Bali, is a maze of nine thousand alleys, according to the usual count, wedged into a valley and descending in terraces toward a stream. It was founded in the late eighth century and grew into one of the great intellectual centres of the Islamic world. The Al-Qarawiyyin, established in 859 by a woman named Fatima al-Fihri, is often described as the oldest continuously operating university in the world, and its library and mosque remain at the heart of the old city. The medina is on the UNESCO list.
Read the complete Fes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fes is where the day begins. Next is Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
2. Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Olive trees have surrounded Volubilis for two thousand years, and they still do. The Roman city, on a gentle slope below the Zerhoun massif north of Meknes, was the westernmost major town of the empire's province of Mauretania Tingitana, and it grew rich on olive oil, grain and the trade in wild animals for the arenas of Rome. Its ruins include a triumphal arch dedicated to the emperor Caracalla, a basilica, a forum, temples, and above all a series of houses with superb mosaics in their floors, showing Orpheus with his lyre, the labours of Hercules, Bacchus and Diana bathing. Volubilis became a World Heritage Site in 1997.
Read the complete Archaeological Site of Volubilis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Archaeological Site of Volubilis comes up 25 km in. Next is Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
3. Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Archaeological Site of Volubilis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least 52 km in you reach Archaeological Site of Volubilis. Next is Historic City of Meknes.
4. Historic City of Meknes
Meknes is the city of Moulay Ismail, a sultan who ruled Morocco for fifty-five years from 1672 and decided that the capital needed to be as big as his ambitions. He built an imperial city of ramparts, gates, palaces, granaries and stables, using thousands of workers and captives, and the scale of it still startles. Bab Mansour, the great ceremonial gate, is covered in green and white tilework and marble columns taken from Roman Volubilis, and it stands over a large square called El Hedim, where storytellers and food stalls gather in the evening. The granaries, the Heri es-Souani, are a series of immense vaulted halls with walls several metres thick, where grain and animals were once stored, and the quiet inside is cool and heavy.
Read the complete Historic City of Meknes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Historic City of Meknes, about halfway.
5. Historic City of Meknes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historic City of Meknes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Historic City of Meknes sits at 99 km, about halfway. Next is back through Historic City of Meknes.
6. back through Historic City of Meknes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historic City of Meknes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Historic City of Meknes comes up 123 km in. Next is back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
7. back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Archaeological Site of Volubilis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
148 km in you reach back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis. Next is back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
8. back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Archaeological Site of Volubilis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis, late in the day. Next is Fes.
9. Fes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 254 km.
Leg by leg
Fes to Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Fes → Archaeological Site of Volubilis is 70 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Archaeological Site of Volubilis to Historic City of Meknes
Archaeological Site of Volubilis → Historic City of Meknes is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Historic City of Meknes to back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis
back through Historic City of Meknes → back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis to Fes
back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis → Fes is 70 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.