What is Meknes like to visit by season?

Meknes sits inland on the Saadian plains below the Middle Atlas, near Fes, and it shares that interior climate rather than the mild coastal weather — so its seasons swing much more than Rabat's or Casablanca's. It is one of Morocco's four imperial cities, grander and quieter than its famous neighbour Fes, and the season makes a real difference to how comfortably you can explore its huge ramparts, monumental gates and sprawling royal granaries on foot. I always factor the weather in carefully when scheduling a Meknes day.

Spring and autumn are clearly the prime times, and they are when I most like to send people. From March to May and again from September to November, daytime temperatures sit comfortably in the low-to-mid 20s°C, the surrounding plains and the Zerhoun hills are green in spring and golden in autumn, and the light is kind. These are the ideal conditions for wandering the vast Place el-Hedim, admiring the magnificent Bab Mansour gate, exploring the cavernous Heri es-Souani granaries and the Agdal basin, and — crucially — for the easy half-day trip out to the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the holy hilltown of Moulay Idriss, which are far more pleasant walked in mild weather.

Summer (June to August) is hot and dry inland — daytime highs frequently push into the mid-to-high 30s°C, sometimes touching 38, with little of the coastal breeze that relieves Rabat or Tangier. It is perfectly doable if you adopt the local rhythm of early starts, a long shaded midday rest and late-afternoon sightseeing, and the evenings cool pleasantly, but midday at Volubilis under a summer sun, with almost no shade among the ruins, is genuinely punishing — I always push that visit to early morning. Winter (December to February) flips the other way: cool, grey and wet, with highs around 12 to 17°C, cold nights occasionally near frost, and rainy spells. It is the green season and the cheapest, but the weather is hit-or-miss and the open monuments feel bleak in the rain.

So my clear steer: visit Meknes in spring or autumn if you can, when the imperial grandeur is matched by perfect walking weather and the Volubilis day trip is a delight. Summer demands an early-and-late strategy and plenty of water; winter rewards bargain-hunters and green-landscape lovers who don't mind packing warm layers and a waterproof. In every season, Meknes pairs naturally with Fes and the imperial circuit, and its calmer, less touristy streets are a refreshing counterpoint whatever the weather.