Maybe it’s the Meknesi friendliness. Maybe it’s just the air. But despite a population approaching one million, Meknes welcomes its visitors like a small town. When compared to its bigger and better-known brothers, Meknes has the best of both worlds: small town warmth and tranquility with vibrant big city attractions.

Meknes epitomizes Moroccan living, from the golden alleys of the medina to the classy boulevards of the ville nouvelle. Enjoy the merrymaking crowds of Place el-Hedim in the evening, the jaw-droppingly gorgeous Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail in the Imperial City, the nightlife on Av. Mohammed V and, of course, the medina’s madness and fresh food bazaars. If you have time, a side-trip to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, only 33 km north of the city, makes for a sweet archaeological escapade.