Private Day Trip to Volubilis, Moulay Idriss and Meknes

Our excursion to Volubilis starts at 9 o’clock. Our driver will pick you up from your hotel and take you across the Saiss Plains to visit the ancient Roman city Volubilis that dates back to 2000 years in history. The Roman ruins in Volubilis are mainly ancient olive presses, mansions, incredible mosaics, monumental arches and Corinthian columns where you’ll get a true sense of the Roman lifestyle and that of a subsequent medieval Berber town. It’s behind these shops, in the mansions of city’s elite that some of the jewels of Volubilis can be found, the mosaics and carvings with their dominant themes of Greek myths that make this Roman outpost so important. Once we arrive in Volubilis, we will get to witness the magic and peruse the details and stories behind the Mansions containing the mosaic of the Labors of Hercules, the Baths of Gallienus and Baths of Forum with their fragmentary mosaics; the House of Orpheus and its Dolphin mosaic and Orpheus Myth; the Cortege of Venus, many of whose mosaics we may only see from the outside yet will get to see the medallions of Bacchus, Diana and the Abduction of Hylas; the Gordian Palace with its bath house and pooled courtyards; the House of the Wild Beast, the House of Nymphs, the House of the Seasons, the House of Flavius Germanus, the Knight’s House with an incomplete mosaic of Dionysus Discovering Ariadne Asleep, the Triumphal Arch , the Capitol and the House of Ephebus with its pictorial mosaics, especially that of Bacchus Being drawn in a chariot by Panthers. After getting a glimpse of the Roman heritage in Morocco, we’ll continue our Fes to Volubilis day trip to the town of Moulay Idriss which is less than 5 kms away from Volubilis, considered to be one of Morocco’s most sacred Islamic towns, where thousands of Moroccan faithful come on pilgrimage (Moussem) every August to pray at the tomb of a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Arriving at the elongated square, we’ll see above us the green-tiled pyramids of the Zaouia with its two conical quarters on both sides and stroll amidst the labyrinth of alleyways before leaving for the Imperial City rebuilt by Moulay Ismail. After Moulay Idriss, we will visit the Imperial City of Meknes (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), where remnants of no less than three sets of fortifications, ingeniously incorporated into the city’s road networks, make it clear how important this city once was. The king’s tomb sits at the heart of what remains of the original imperial city, flanked by an almighty royal granary, the magnificent Bab Mansour – the likes of which even Fez can’t compete with – and the Place El Hedim, a local square for traditional shops and folklore. We will get our lunch in Meknes before leaving back to Fes in the late afternoon. Upon arrival in Fes, our driver will drop you off at your hotel or riad marking the end of a wonderful day trip.