Things to do · Volubilis & Moulay Idriss
About 170 km east of the capital, Morocco's finest Roman ruins and its holiest little town sit a few kilometres apart in the green hills below Meknes. Volubilis spreads its mosaics and arches across an olive-covered plateau; whitewashed Moulay Idriss tumbles down two hills around the shrine of the man who founded Morocco's first dynasty. Paired with Meknes, they make a rich long day from Rabat. Here is what to see.
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The best-preserved Roman site in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Volubilis was a thriving provincial capital from the 1st century. Its forum, basilica, capitol and grid of streets still stand among olive groves.
Many of Volubilis's grand townhouses retain their floor mosaics in situ — the Labours of Hercules, Orpheus, Dionysus and bathing nymphs — vivid scenes that make this one of North Africa's great archaeological showcases.
The triumphal arch raised in 217 AD in honour of the emperor Caracalla anchors the main street, framing the Decumanus and the distant hills. It is the site's signature image and a fine spot at golden hour.
A whitewashed hill town wrapped around the tomb of Moulay Idriss I, who founded Morocco's first Arab-Muslim dynasty in the late 8th century. One of the country's holiest places and long a pilgrimage destination.
Climbing the lanes of Moulay Idriss to a hilltop terrace rewards you with a postcard view of the town's two hills, the green Zerhoun valley and the only cylindrical minaret in Morocco.
The green-roofed mausoleum at the town's heart is the focus of pilgrimage and the August moussem festival. Non-Muslims cannot enter the shrine itself but can take in the atmosphere of the surrounding square and lanes.
Both sites sit amid the olive country of the Zerhoun hills, long famous for its oil. The rolling green landscape, especially after winter rains, is part of what makes the trip so scenic.
Volubilis and Moulay Idriss lie just 30 km north of the imperial city of Meknes, so most day trips from Rabat pair all three — the ruins, the holy town and Meknes's monumental gates — into one full day.
Volubilis is about 170 km east of Rabat, roughly a 2 to 2.5-hour drive. It sits near Moulay Idriss and about 30 km from Meknes, so the three are usually combined into a single full-day trip.
Yes. With an early start, Volubilis, Moulay Idriss and Meknes make a comfortable long day from Rabat by private car, returning the same evening. It is too far to combine easily with public transport in one day.
Yes. Non-Muslims are welcome to walk the town's lanes, climb to the viewpoint and take in the square, though entry to the shrine of Moulay Idriss itself is reserved for Muslims.
Very much so. Volubilis is the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with standing arches, columns and remarkable in-situ mosaics set among olive groves — a highlight of any trip inland from Rabat.
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