Meknes in October

If Meknes has a perfect month, October is the contender. Daytime highs around 26°C are warm without being heavy, the autumn light is soft and golden, and the evenings are mild and easy. The summer heat is gone, the surrounding plain is pleasant, and the imperial monuments — the Bab Mansour gate, the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum, the Heri es-Souani granaries and the medina — are at their most enjoyable for full days of unhurried sightseeing.

It is ideal timing to pair the city with its countryside. The exposed Roman ruins of Volubilis are superb in October's warm, clear light — the mosaics, the Capitol and the Triumphal Arch comfortable to explore without the summer heat — and the hilltop holy town of Moulay Idriss completes a rewarding day trip. Fes next door rounds out a two-city imperial circuit in the settled, golden autumn weather.

Because the weather is so good, October sits among the more popular autumn windows on the imperial circuit, so booking ahead helps — though Meknes stays calmer than headline Fes. The reward is close-to-flawless conditions across the city and its surroundings — warm days, mild evenings, soft light and the great gates and Roman ruins at their photogenic best — making October a top choice for a first, full-featured visit.