What is Meknes like in autumn?

Autumn rivals spring as my favourite window for Meknes, and in some ways I love it more, because it carries the smell of harvest. September arrives still summery — daytime highs of 28–31°C, warm but past the fierce July peak — then the city eases through October into a glorious 24–27°C with crisp, comfortable nights, before November cools to the high teens and brings the first proper rains back to the Saiss plateau. That long, gentle slide from warm to mild is ideal touring weather, and the harsh midday glare of summer is gone.

What makes Meknes special in autumn is that it's the agricultural climax of Morocco's wine and olive country. Through September and October the vineyards that ring the city are being picked, and a little later the olive harvest begins — you'll see laden trucks on the roads, presses working, and the markets piling up with grapes, fresh olives, pomegranates and quinces. The countryside has turned from summer gold to a warm, dusty richness, and the whole region feels full and abundant. Pairing a Meknes visit with a vineyard stop is at its most rewarding now.

The sightseeing is as easy as spring: comfortable temperatures for long walks around the imperial monuments and the calm, workaday medina, and the crowds — never heavy in Meknes — are at their thinnest as the summer trickle fades. Volubilis in the soft autumn light, with the harvest fields around it and storks still on the ruins, is wonderful, and the half-hour drive there through farming country is part of the pleasure. The cafés and terraces are still firmly in outdoor season through October.

My practical advice is about timing within the season. September and October are the sweet spot — reliably warm, dry and luminous. By November you should expect cooler days in the high teens, noticeably chillier evenings and the return of rain, so a November trip wants a warm layer and a rain jacket and a willingness to lose the odd grey day. If you want the harvest atmosphere with the best weather, I'd aim squarely at early-to-mid October: warm, golden, abundant and quiet.