Volubilis

Tickets and tours: all the options

There is one entry ticket, sold at the gate next to the car park, which covers the whole site and the small museum and garden by the entrance. Official guides wait at the gate and offer tours of about an hour and a half for a fixed fee; agree the price before you start. Signs on the site are few, so a guide or a good guidebook helps a lot.

Most tours sold online are full-day trips from Fes that combine Volubilis with the holy town of Moulay Idriss and the imperial city of Meknes, with transport by minibus or private car. Some come from Rabat, Tangier or Casablanca, and several transfers between Fes and Chefchaouen or Rabat stop at the ruins on the way. A few multi-day tours of the imperial cities include it. Transport is always included, while the entry ticket, a local guide at the site and lunch are often extra, so check the details. Small-group and private versions cost more but let you spend longer at the site.

For most visitors, a day trip from Fes with a guide at the ruins is the simplest plan; if you are staying in Meknes, a grand taxi there and back is easy and cheaper.

A short history

A Berber settlement with Carthaginian links grew here from the 3rd century BC, and Volubilis may have been a capital of the kingdom of Mauretania under Juba II. After Rome annexed the kingdom in AD 40, the town flourished on olive oil and gained a basilica, a temple and a triumphal arch in the 2nd and early 3rd centuries. Rome withdrew around AD 285, but Christians and then Muslims lived on here; Idris I, founder of the Idrisid dynasty, ruled here in the late 8th century. It was abandoned after power moved to Fes. Sultan Moulay Ismail took stone from it for Meknes; an earthquake in 1755 toppled much of the rest. French archaeologists excavated it from 1915.

Getting there

Volubilis lies about 30 km north of Meknes and 3 km from the town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun. From Meknes, shared grand taxis leave from near Bab Mansour for Moulay Idriss, about 40 minutes; from there walk 3 km or take a petit taxi to the gate. A taxi hired for the round trip from Meknes, with waiting time, is the easiest independent option. From Fes the drive is about 80 km and takes an hour and a half; trains run from Fes to Meknes in about 40 minutes. Fes airport is the nearest with international flights. By car, there is a car park at the entrance on the road from Moulay Idriss.

Rules and what to bring

Stay off the mosaics and do not walk across them, even where there is no rope, and do not climb on the reconstructed columns or the arch. Drones are restricted in Morocco and need a permit. There is almost no shade, so bring a hat, sun cream and plenty of water, especially from May to September. A café with toilets is at the entrance, and Moulay Idriss has simple restaurants.

When to go

Most day trips from Fes reach Volubilis in late morning, so the site is busiest from about 10.30 am to 1 pm. Arrive at opening, when the light is soft on the arch and the mosaics, or come in the late afternoon, when the sun is low over the plain and the heat eases.

Spring, from March to May, is the best season: the fields around the ruins are green and full of flowers, the storks are nesting on the basilica and temperatures are mild. October and November are pleasant too. In July and August the ridge is very hot by midday, often well over 35 degrees, and there is nowhere to shelter. Winter days are cool and often clear, with occasional rain. During Ramadan tour schedules and opening times can shift, so check locally. Allow one and a half to two hours with a guide, a little longer if you want photographs of each mosaic.