Exploring ancient Roman ruins in Volubilis with ITChicTravels

Volubilis, Morocco

I especially enjoy visiting places off the beaten path. About 30 minutes north of Meknes, surrounded by lush farm lands in the middle of nowhere lies ancient Roman ruins. Wait? What? Yes, you read that right. Roman ruins in Morocco?? Yup! The ruins are open 7 days a week from 8.30 am till an hour or so before sunset. It costs adults 10Dhs and children under 12 3Dhs to enter.

Getting there

We made this a day trip from Fes. Volubilis can be accesses by public transportation with a few transfers in about 2.5 to 3 hours. Your route via trains and grand taxis will be:

Fes to Meknes via Train (33 km ,22-32Dhs 3-4USD) Train tickets are easily purchased at http://www.oncf.ma/Meknes to Moulay Idriss Via grand taxi(10-15Dhs) Moulay Idriss to Volubilis Via Petit taxi (20-30Dhs)

Be like ITChic the tourist that wants to see the ruins on her terms and hire a driver/tour guide from Fes to create your own schedule. Your Airbnb host or Airbnb experiences is great for this or referrals.

What we did/saw:

Capitoline Temple
Triumphal Arch
The Basilica of Volubilis
The Labors of Hercules House
The House of Venus: This was once one of the most opulent houses in Volubilis.
The mosaic of Venus articles that gave this house its name is now located in a museum in Tangier

Notes if you plan to visit Volubilis

Wear comfortable shoes if you are making this trip and be watchful of loose rocks as you move about the ruins.
You may run into a security guard or two among the ruins who will gladly take great photos of you for a small tip.
If you took public transportation, plan to leave about 2 hours before sunset as it becomes a ghost town around the ruins.
If you have limited mobility this may not be the day trips for you as it is very uneven.

Viewing the ancient ruins made me feel like I was back in time. It was the last item added to the trip and very much worth the detour. Take a peek at photos below.