Morocco's spiritual heart — a labyrinthine medieval medina of tanneries, madrasas and workshops, best entered on foot.
A donkey squeezing past under a lantern-lit archway, the hammer of coppersmiths ringing down a covered lane, and the sharp smell of the tanneries reaching you before you find the balcony above the dye pits.
Fes holds the largest car-free old city on earth — a medieval labyrinth of nine thousand lanes where donkeys still carry the loads, craftsmen still hammer brass, and the tanneries still dye leather in stone vats as they have for a thousand years. It is Morocco's spiritual and cultural heart, and its most intense.
Fes sits inland in northern Morocco, in a bowl of hills, and splits into three parts. Fes el-Bali, the old walled medina, is the heart — a dense, downhill maze of souks, mosques and workshops, entirely closed to cars. Beside it, Fes el-Jdid, the "new" medieval quarter, holds the royal palace gates and the old Jewish district. Out beyond the walls spreads the French-built Ville Nouvelle, the modern city. The medina is the reason to come, and it is a place to surrender your sense of direction — you will get lost, and that is part of it.
Fes is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site — Medina of Fez — inscribed in 1981.
Fes is the best-preserved medieval city in the Arab world — a living one, not a museum, where the crafts, trades and rhythms of a thousand years still run. The medina is an overwhelming, sensory marvel of colour, smell and sound; the old university is among the oldest anywhere; and the tanneries and souks are unlike anything in Europe. It is harder work than Marrakech, less polished and more real, and all the more rewarding for it.
Losing yourself in the medina — Fes el-Bali has no straight lines and no cars, and the only way to know it is to walk it — down through the souks organised by trade, past the coppersmiths and the dyers, following the crowds and the donkeys. You will get lost; embrace it, and let the lanes deliver you to a hidden fountain, a food stall or a craftsman at work. A licensed guide for the first morning is worth it to make sense of the tangle. **The tanneries** — The Chouara tanneries have dyed leather the same way for centuries — a honeycomb of stone vats of colour where hides are worked by hand. Climb to one of the leather-shop balconies above (you'll be handed a sprig of mint for the smell) to look down on the whole medieval process. It is pungent, extraordinary and unforgettable. **The medersas and the university** — Behind plain doors, the old Quranic schools open into courtyards of astonishing craft — carved cedar, stucco lace and zellij tilework covering every surface. The Bou Inania and Al-Attarine medersas are the finest, and the Qarawiyyin, founded over a thousand years ago, is claimed as the oldest continually operating university in the world. **The craft trades** — Fes is Morocco's craft capital, and the souks are still working — brass and copper beaten in the metalworkers' square, ceramics glazed in the famous Fes blue, weavers, woodcarvers and the tanneries. Watching the makers, and buying at the source, is one of the city's great pleasures; haggling is expected and good-humoured.
Fes neighbourhood by neighbourhood — the character of each and who it suits.
The old walled medina — a downhill labyrinth of thousands of lanes, souks by trade, mosques, fountains and workshops, entirely free of cars and utterly immersive.
The "new" medieval quarter beside the old medina — the royal palace, the old Jewish district, and gardens, less dense and less visited.
The French-built modern city beyond the walls — broad avenues, cafés, hotels and the everyday commerce of contemporary Fes.
Fassi cooking is among Morocco's most refined. The tagine — slow-cooked in a conical pot — comes in endless forms, sweet with prunes and almonds or sharp with preserved lemon and olives; couscous is the Friday ritual. The city's signature dish is the pastilla, a pigeon or chicken pie dusted with cinnamon and sugar, savoury and sweet at once. Harira soup, grilled meats and fresh bread fill the tables, and mint tea — poured high and sweet — is the constant. Alcohol is limited; the ceremony is all in the tea.
Vegetarians manage with vegetable tagines, couscous, salads and bread, though meat stock is common, so ask. Vegan is harder but doable from the same base. Halal is the default across the city. Kosher food is very limited despite the historic Mellah, and needs arranging ahead. Gluten-free is difficult given the bread-and-couscous base; rice and tagines help — confirm at each place.
Staying in a riad — a traditional courtyard house — inside the medina is the classic Fes experience, all carved plaster and a rooftop over the old city, though you'll walk (and porters will carry your bags) through the lanes to reach it. The medina is atmospheric but intense and easy to get lost in after dark. The Ville Nouvelle offers modern hotels, quiet and cars, but you trade away the magic. Most visitors choose a medina riad and accept the walk.
Pan, zoom and compare live prices — every stay in one map.
The medina is entirely car-free and walked — there is no way around that, and it is the point. Beige petit taxis link the medina gates, the Ville Nouvelle and the station cheaply; agree the meter or the fare. A car is useless inside the walls and only needed for onward trips. Porters with carts move luggage through the lanes.
Within Fes el-Bali everything is on foot, downhill from Bab Boujloud toward the tanneries and back up. A petit taxi links Fes el-Bali, Fes el-Jdid and the Ville Nouvelle in minutes, saving the longer walks between quarters.
Ready-made day plans for Fes — from a single day to a long weekend.
Enter the medina at the blue gate of Bab Boujloud and work downhill through the souks with a guide for the morning, taking in the Bou Inania medersa, the Qarawiyyin, the Al-Attarine medersa and the Chouara tanneries. Break for a medina lunch, explore the craft souks in the afternoon, and climb to the Merenid Tombs for sunset over the whole old city.
Give day two to the quieter quarters and the crafts. Wander Fes el-Jdid for the royal palace gates and the Mellah, visit the potters and zellij-cutters beyond the walls, browse for brass, leather or ceramics at the source, and end with a hammam and a riad rooftop dinner.
Skip-the-line tickets and small-group tours in Fes — compare across our partners.
We're still curating hand-picked tickets and tours for Fes. In the meantime, the map above and the nearby cities are a great place to start.
March to May and September to November — warm and comfortable, before and after the summer heat
What to expect — Warm and comfortable, one of the best times, with the surrounding hills green and the medina pleasant to walk. Occasional rain early on.
What's best — Ideal walking weather for the medina, green landscapes, and comfortable days before the summer heat. The sacred-music festival draws crowds in early summer.
What to expect — Very hot and dry inland — Fes bakes, and the airless medina lanes are hard going at midday. Fewer tourists, and the city slows in the heat.
What's best — Lower prices and thinner crowds; do the medina early and late and rest through the afternoon. Better to come in spring or autumn if heat is a problem.
What to expect — The summer heat easing into warm, pleasant weeks, the light golden and the medina comfortable again. Reliable into November.
What's best — The best all-round weather returning, comfortable medina walking, and the crafts and food at their most active as the season picks up.
What to expect — Cool to cold, especially at night, with grey days and the occasional rain; the medina can be chilly and the hills sometimes snow. Low season and quiet.
What's best — A quieter medina, low prices, crisp air, and the tanneries and workshops without the crowds — bring warm layers for the cold evenings.
Skip hiring a "guide" who attaches himself in the street → arrange a licensed guide through your riad or the tourist office, and agree the plan and price first.
Skip the hard-sell tannery shops that funnel you in → you can reach the balconies to look, and buy only if and where you choose.
Skip trying to navigate the medina alone on day one → take a guide for the first morning to get your bearings, then explore freely after.
Skip the tourist-menu restaurants near Bab Boujloud → eat where locals do deeper in the medina, or book a riad dinner.
The medersas and the tannery balconies are busiest midday; go early for the light and the calm.
The sacred-music festival in early summer fills the city — wonderful, but book accommodation well ahead.
Dress modestly — cover shoulders and knees, and women may want a scarf; non-Muslims cannot enter the working mosques, including the Qarawiyyin, though the medersas are open.
Ask before photographing people, and expect a small tip to be requested; the tannery workers and craftsmen appreciate the courtesy.
Haggle with good humour in the souks, and be firm but polite with persistent sellers and would-be guides.
Carry cash in dirham — the medina is cash-only for almost everything, and small notes ease tips and taxis.
The dirham can't easily be bought abroad; change on arrival, and use bank ATMs over informal exchanges.
The medina quiets and darkens early — an atmospheric after-dinner wander near your riad, more than a nightlife.
The Ville Nouvelle has the modern cafés, and a few hotels have bars, but this is not a party city.
A riad rooftop dinner under the stars is the classic Fes evening.
Fes has its own airport, Fès–Saïs (FEZ), a short drive southwest of the city, with a taxi into town. The train (ONCF) also links Fes well to Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes and Marrakech, arriving at the Ville Nouvelle station. Petit taxis connect the station and the medina gates.
Flights, airport transfers and car hire — search and compare without leaving the page.
Parking, holiday extras, and more — coming soon.
We're lining up parking, holiday extras and activities you'll be able to add to any trip from here.