Fes Plus Day Trips in 6 Days on a Budget
Six days: the 5-day plan, plus a real rest day
This is the 5-day itinerary ’s exact spine, Meknes and Volubilis, Ifrane and Azrou, Sefrou, an honest Chefchaouen overnight, with one added day at the end to actually recover before you fly out. Don’t need the extra day? Drop back to the 5-day version. Want the Sahara added instead of a rest day? The 7-day plan swaps this day for a short desert add-on.
| Day | Focus | Time/cost from Fes |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Meknes medina, Bab Mansour, Volubilis ruins, Moulay Idriss | ~1-1.5 hrs each way, ~40-110 MAD round trip |
| Day 2 | Ifrane chalets, Azrou cedar forest, Barbary macaques | ~1.5-2 hrs each way, ~500-700 MAD chartered taxi or ~€45-60pp tour |
| Day 3 | Sefrou medina and Mellah, half day | ~30-40 min each way, ~20-30 MAD shared seat |
| Day 4 | Travel to Chefchaouen, overnight | ~4.5 hrs each way, ~150-180 MAD CTM bus |
| Day 5 | Chefchaouen morning, return to Fes | ~4.5 hrs return |
| Day 6 | Rest day in Fes, departure | n/a |
Book these before you go:
- Meknes and Volubilis day tour : removes the taxi-rank negotiating on Day 1.
- CTM bus tickets for Day 4: departures run roughly every 4 hours, book ahead.
- Riad rooms in Fes on Booking.com : 5 nights here, plus 1 in Chefchaouen booked separately.
Day 1: Meknes and Volubilis by train and taxi
Take an early ONCF train from Fes Ville to Meknes, 45 minutes to an hour, roughly 30-90 MAD one way. Morning at Bab Mansour and the Meknes medina, then a shared grand taxi (roughly 10-20 MAD per seat) or chartered round trip (roughly 400-500 MAD for the car) out to Moulay Idriss and the Archaeological Site of Volubilis . Evening train back to Fes.
Day 2: Ifrane and Azrou, the Middle Atlas on a day trip
Ifrane, 1.5-2 hours out, runs alpine-chalet architecture and genuine winter snow; Azrou’s cedar forest 20 minutes further has resident Barbary macaques. Charter a grand taxi for the day (roughly 500-700 MAD) or book a shared-group tour (roughly €45-60 per person). Back to Fes for the evening.
Day 3: Sefrou, then rest before the Chefchaouen leg
Sefrou is a 30-40 minute grand taxi ride, roughly 20-30 MAD shared or 120-200 MAD chartered. Its walled medina and historic Mellah take half a day; the Cherry Festival runs mid-June and is UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage-listed. Be back in Fes by early afternoon and rest before the longer travel day ahead.
Day 4: Travel to Chefchaouen, an honest overnight
Book the CTM bus, 4 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 45 minutes, roughly 150-180 MAD (about $16-19) one way, departures roughly every 4 hours. Spend the afternoon and evening in the blue-washed medina and book a room here for the night, separate from your Fes riad.
Day 5: Chefchaouen morning, then back to Fes
Use the morning for whatever you missed the evening before, then catch an afternoon CTM bus back to Fes so you’re not arriving late. Have a low-effort dinner back at your riad after two straight travel days.
Day 6: A genuine rest day, then departure
Keep this day loose on purpose; five days of trains, buses, and grand taxis earns a slow morning. If you’ve still got energy, the Fes budget guide lists cheap and free sights for a light final loop; otherwise pack, confirm your onward transport, and treat today as recovery, not a sixth destination.
Is 6 days enough for Fes plus Chefchaouen?
Yes, and with room to spare. You’ll cover Meknes, Volubilis, Ifrane, Azrou, Sefrou, and Chefchaouen’s overnight, plus an actual rest day instead of stacking a trip on every remaining slot. The Sahara still doesn’t fit here; that needs its own 2 to 3 days on top, covered in the 7-day version.
How much does a 6-day Fes-based itinerary cost?
Figure 2,950-3,700 MAD ($317-398) total for a solo traveler: five Fes riad nights plus one in Chefchaouen, the Meknes train and taxi legs, an Ifrane and Azrou charter or tour, the Sefrou taxi, and the CTM bus both ways. The rest day itself costs close to nothing beyond food and your riad room.
Check the official Morocco tourism site before you go for current notices on Volubilis and the Middle Atlas roads. Carry small MAD bills for every taxi leg; drivers on these routes rarely carry change for a large note.