Inside the walls
The best things to do in Fes itself
Give the city a couple of days before heading out. These are the sights on every first-timer's list.
Explore Fes el-Bali with a local guide
The old medina, Fes el-Bali, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world — thousands of lanes, dead ends and covered passages where goods still move by donkey and handcart. A licensed guide on your first morning shows you the workshops and courtyards you would walk straight past, and the landmarks that make the rest of your stay easy. Our private guided walking tour of the Fes medina starts at the blue-tiled Bab Boujloud gate and finishes at the tanneries.
See the Chouara tannery at work
The city's most famous sight is a honeycomb of stone vats where hides are soaked, dyed and dried by hand. You watch from the terraces of the surrounding leather shops; the smell is strong, and there is no obligation to buy on the way out.
Step into the madrasas and past Al-Qarawiyyin
Two 14th-century Marinid madrasas show Fes craftsmanship at its finest. Bou Inania, near Bab Boujloud, is one of the few religious buildings in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors, and the smaller Al-Attarine, deep in the souks, is just as rich in zellige, carved stucco and cedar. Close by stands Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in the 9th century and often described as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. It is still a working mosque, so non-Muslims look in from the doorways.
Fes el-Jdid, the Mellah and the Royal Palace gates
South-west of the old medina, Fes el-Jdid was built by the Marinids in the 13th century. Photograph the great brass doors of the Royal Palace, then walk through the Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter, where houses have wooden balconies facing the street — rare in a Moroccan medina.
Watch sunset from the Merenid Tombs
Go up to the ruined Merenid Tombs or Borj Nord on the hill above the medina in late afternoon. The whole bowl of Fes el-Bali spreads out below, and the call to prayer rolls across the rooftops at dusk.
How many days to spend in Fes
Allow at least two full days, ideally three nights: one for a guided walk through Fes el-Bali, one for Fes el-Jdid, the viewpoints and the souks, and a third for one of the excursions below.
Practical tips for the medina
- Navigation: phone maps struggle in the narrow lanes. Learn a few anchors — Bab Boujloud and the two main streets, Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira, that run downhill towards Al-Qarawiyyin — and if you are lost, ask a shopkeeper rather than someone who approaches you.
- Pace: start early, before the lanes fill up. When you hear “balak!”, step aside: a donkey or handcart is coming through.
- Dress: clothes that cover shoulders and knees are appreciated in this traditional city, and closed shoes make the cobbles and steps easier.
- Bargaining: haggling is normal in the souks. Decide what an item is worth to you, keep it friendly, and ask before photographing artisans at work.
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