At a glance
- Best for
- History, crafts, architecture and traditional food
- Airport
- Fes Saiss (FEZ)
- Time needed
- Two to three days
- Best season
- March to May and September to November
- Language
- Moroccan Arabic, with French widely used
- Getting around
- On foot in the medina, petit taxis outside it
Why visit Fes
Founded in the ninth century, Fes has been a centre of learning, faith and craft for more than a thousand years. The medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and feels less polished and more lived in than Marrakech. Here you see Morocco's traditional trades at work: tanners, weavers, tile cutters, brass engravers and bookbinders, all in the same lanes their great grandparents worked.
Highlights of the medina
Enter through Bab Boujloud, the blue gate, and follow the two main lanes, Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira, downhill into the old city. The Bou Inania Madrasa and the Al Attarine Madrasa are masterpieces of carved cedar, stucco and zellige tilework. Al Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 by Fatima al Fihri, is often described as the oldest continuously operating university in the world; non-Muslims can glimpse the courtyard from the doorway. Nearby, the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts sits in a restored caravanserai with a rooftop café.
The Chouara tannery is the most famous sight in Fes, with its honeycomb of stone dye vats. You view it from the terraces of the leather shops around it, which will hand you a sprig of mint for the smell and hope you browse. You are not obliged to buy.
Beyond the old walls
Fes el Jdid, the newer medina built in the thirteenth century, holds the gates of the Royal Palace with their great brass doors and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, with its synagogues and cemetery. For a view over the whole medina, walk or take a taxi up to the Merenid Tombs or the Borj Nord fortress at sunset. The Ville Nouvelle, the French era new town, has wide boulevards, modern cafés and the train station.
Where to stay
Stay in a riad or dar inside or right at the edge of the medina. Places near Bab Boujloud or Batha are easiest to reach by taxi and good for first visits. Larger hotels with pools are found on the hills around the medina and in the Ville Nouvelle.
Food
Fes is known for its refined cooking. Try pastilla, a sweet and savoury pie traditionally made with pigeon or chicken, almonds and cinnamon, plus bissara, a thick fava bean soup sold from stalls in the morning, and khlii, preserved spiced meat. The medina's small snack counters around Bab Boujloud are perfect for a cheap lunch.
Day trips
The Roman ruins of Volubilis, with fine mosaics, and the holy hilltop town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun are about an hour away. Meknes, another imperial city with the grand Bab Mansour gate, is close by and makes an easy combination. Chefchaouen is about four hours north.
Getting around and a word on guides
The medina is confusing, and that is half the joy, but a licensed guide for your first morning helps you get your bearings. Book one through your riad or the tourist office, and politely ignore young men who offer to lead you. Petit taxis are red in Fes and should use the meter.
Practical tips
Carry small change for tips and snacks, wear comfortable shoes for the steep, uneven lanes, and download an offline map, though even this will struggle in the deepest alleys. Many shops close on Friday afternoons.
Questions about Fes
How many days do I need in Fes?
Two full days covers the medina's highlights. A third day lets you visit Volubilis, Moulay Idriss and Meknes.
Do I need a guide in Fes?
Not essential, but a licensed guide for the first half day makes the medina far less confusing. Book through your riad or the official tourist office.
Can I visit the tanneries without buying?
Yes. The shops will invite you onto their terraces for the view and show you their goods. A polite thank you and a small tip if someone explained the process is enough.
Is Fes or Marrakech better?
They are different. Marrakech is livelier with more choice of hotels and restaurants, while Fes feels older and more authentic. Most first trips include both.
Facts checked . Fees, schedules and entry rules change, so always confirm the latest with the official source.
