Morocco
Fes
The great medieval city of the Maghreb, still living inside its walls and still closed to cars.
Fes is the oldest of Morocco's imperial cities and long its centre of faith and learning, founded at the end of the 8th century. Its walled medina, Fes el-Bali, is a steep, car-free maze of souks, fountains and craft streets where loads still move by donkey, built around the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, founded in 859. From the terraces above the Chouara tannery you look down on the dye-pits where leather is still worked by hand.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
Arabic, French
Currency
MAD
Timezone
UTC+1
Why you'll love Fes
The medina Fes el-Bali is a working medieval city of tangled, stepped alleys, where handcarts and donkeys do the hauling
Craft streets tanners, coppersmiths, weavers and tile-cutters still work in their own quarters, much as their guilds always have
Madrasas the 14th-century Merinid colleges are lined floor to ceiling in zellij tilework, carved stucco and cedar
Riad stays old courtyard houses turned guesthouses sit quiet behind plain doors in the thick of the old city
Best time to visit
Sep-Jun
16-31° days
34.035° N, 5.016° W
UTC+1 · Africa/Casablanca
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Weather & when to go to Fes
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Sep-Jun
Watch for Jul-Aug extreme heat risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Fes
July and August are the hard months: the inland basin gets very hot and the medina's alleys hold the heat, so sightseeing works best early and late. During Ramadan, which moves through the calendar, many food stalls close by day and the city's life shifts to after dark.
Top things to do in Fes
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Chouara Tannery - the dye-pits from the terraces
culture arts history 👍 PopularThe largest of the medina's tanneries is a honeycomb of stone vats where hides are soaked and dyed by hand. You watch from the terraces of the surrounding leather shops; a sprig of mint helps with the smell, and the morning light is best.
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Al-Qarawiyyin - the mosque and university at the heart of the medina
history culture arts 👍 PopularFounded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri and often called the oldest continuously operating university in the world. Non-Muslims cannot enter, but the open doors on the surrounding lanes give glimpses of the vast courtyard and its fountains.
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Bab Boujloud - the blue gate into Fes el-Bali
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe tiled gate, blue on the outside and green within, is the main way into the medina and the start of its two great streets, Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira. The square around it is busiest in the evening.
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Bou Inania Madrasa - Merinid craft at its finest
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA 14th-century religious college built for the Merinid sultan Abu Inan, with a courtyard of zellij, carved stucco and cedar, and one of the few religious buildings in Fes that non-Muslims may enter.
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Al-Attarine Madrasa - the jewel box by the spice souk
history culture artsA smaller Merinid college beside the Qarawiyyin, named for the perfume and spice sellers around it. Its courtyard is a dense lesson in Moroccan decoration, from tiled dados to carved wooden screens.
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Merinid Tombs - the medina from the hill at sunset
history scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedThe ruined tombs of the Merinid dynasty crown the hill north of the medina, and from here the whole of Fes el-Bali spreads out below, its minarets lighting up as the evening call to prayer rolls across the valley.
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Nejjarine - the carpenters' square and wood museum
culture arts historyA tiled public fountain stands beside an old caravanserai that now holds the Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts, with carved doors and tools across three floors and a roof terrace over the medina.
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Royal Palace and the Mellah - Fes el-Jdid
history culture artsThe Merinid new town holds the golden doors of the royal palace, which you admire from the square outside, and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter with its balconied houses, restored Ibn Danan synagogue and white-tombed cemetery.
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Fassi cooking - pastilla, bessara and the medina's street food
foodFes claims pastilla, the sweet-savoury pie of pigeon or chicken, almonds and cinnamon, as its own. Mornings start with bessara, a thick fava bean soup, and the lanes around Bab Boujloud are lined with stalls frying, grilling and baking all day.
Best areas to stay in Fes
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Fes el-Bali
First-time visitors $$Riads deep in the medieval maze
Explore hotels in Fes el-Bali →
Fes el-Jdid
Quieter local base $Royal palace walls and the old Mellah
Explore hotels in Fes el-Jdid →
Ville Nouvelle
Hotels and transport $$French-built boulevards and modern hotels
Explore hotels in Ville Nouvelle →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Fes
Getting to & around Fes
Getting there
Fly into Fes-Saiss (FEZ), about half an hour south of the medina by taxi, or arrive by train or coach from Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier or Marrakesh
Flight
Fes-Saiss Airport (FEZ)
Taxis wait outside arrivals and reach the medina gates in about half an hour; many riads arrange a pickup and a porter to walk you in. An airport bus runs to the train station in the new town.
Train
Fes railway station, Ville Nouvelle
Regular trains from Meknes, Rabat and Casablanca, with direct but long services from Tangier and Marrakesh
Coach
CTM and Supratours coaches link Fes with Chefchaouen, Marrakesh and the desert towns of the south
Getting around
Walk
The only way through Fes el-Bali, which no car can enter; expect steep lanes and dead ends
Free
Petit taxi
Small red metered taxis for up to three people link the medina gates, Fes el-Jdid and the new town
TBC
Grand taxi
Shared larger taxis for nearby towns such as Sefrou and Moulay Idriss, or hired whole for a day out
TBC
Day trips from Fes
Meknes
Full dayImperial city
Moulay Ismail's 17th-century capital, smaller and calmer than Fes, with the monumental Bab Mansour gate, the lively Place el-Hedim and vast royal granaries and stables.
Getting there
train | car
About 45 min-1 hr by train or car
Volubilis and Moulay Idriss
Full dayRoman ruins, holy town
The best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, with floor mosaics still in place among the olive groves, paired with Moulay Idriss, the whitewashed hill town where the founder of Fes is buried. Often combined with Meknes.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1.5 hr by car or tour
Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest
Full dayMiddle Atlas highlands
Ifrane is a tidy, alpine-style town built under the French, and the cedar forests beyond Azrou are home to troops of Barbary macaques. A cool, green contrast to the medina.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1-1.5 hr by car or tour
Sefrou and Bhalil
Half daySmall walled town
Sefrou is a compact walled town in the Middle Atlas foothills with an old Jewish quarter and a river running through its medina; nearby Bhalil is known for houses built into the rock.
Getting there
car
About 40 min by car or grand taxi
Chefchaouen
1-2 daysBlue mountain town
The blue-washed town in the Rif mountains is too far for a comfortable day, but works well as an overnight stop or as a stage on the way north to Tangier.
Getting there
bus | car
About 4 hr by coach or car
A little history of Fes
Fes was founded by Idris I in 789, and his son Idris II made it the capital of Morocco's first Islamic dynasty, building a second town across the river. Families from Cordoba and from Kairouan settled the two banks, and in 859 Fatima al-Fihri founded the Qarawiyyin mosque, which grew into one of the great centres of learning in the Islamic world.
Under the Merinids in the 13th and 14th centuries Fes reached its height: they built the royal town of Fes el-Jdid and the madrasas that are still its finest buildings. Later dynasties ruled from Marrakesh and Meknes, but Fes stayed the country's religious and intellectual heart. The 1912 Treaty of Fes made Morocco a French protectorate, the capital moved to Rabat, and the French built a new town outside the walls, which is why the medina survived intact.
Idris I founds the city on the east bank of the Fes river
Idris II builds a second town on the west bank and makes Fes his capital
Families from Cordoba and Kairouan settle the two banks, giving the Andalusian and Qarawiyyin quarters their names
Fatima al-Fihri founds the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque
The Almoravids unite the two towns inside a single set of walls
The Merinids found Fes el-Jdid, a new royal city beside the old one
Sultan Abu Inan builds the Bou Inania Madrasa
The Treaty of Fes makes Morocco a French protectorate, and the capital moves to Rabat
The medina of Fes is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Know before you go
Payment
Cash preferred
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type C / E
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+212
Extreme heat risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
Mobile network & SIM card
Get an eSIM before you fly
A Morocco eSIM installs in minutes and works the moment you switch off flight mode. No SIM swap, no roaming bill.
FAQs about Fes
▸ When is the best time to visit Fes?
Most of the year works. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable for long days of walking, and winter is fine for sightseeing too. July and August are the toughest months, when the inland heat makes midday in the medina hard going.
▸ How many days do I need in Fes?
Two full days covers the medina's main sights, the tannery, the madrasas and Fes el-Jdid. Add a day or two for Meknes and Volubilis or the Middle Atlas.
▸ Do I need a guide in the Fes medina?
Not strictly, but many people take one for the first morning. The lanes are a genuine maze and phone maps struggle in the narrowest parts. Official guides can be booked through your riad; politely decline unofficial ones who approach you, and ignore anyone who says the way ahead is closed.
▸ Can non-Muslims visit the mosques in Fes?
No. Mosques and shrines, including the Qarawiyyin, are closed to non-Muslims, though you can look in through open doors. The Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas are open to all visitors.
▸ Should I visit Fes or Marrakesh?
Ideally both. Marrakesh is more theatrical and set up for visitors, with the High Atlas close by; Fes is older, denser and less polished, a medina that still works mainly for the people who live in it.
▸ Can I go to the Sahara from Fes?
Yes. Desert tours to the Merzouga dunes leave Fes over the Middle Atlas, a long day's drive each way, so most run over two or three nights and often finish in Marrakesh rather than returning.
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