Overview
Fes is Morocco's spiritual and intellectual capital — the oldest of the imperial cities and, to many visitors, the most overwhelming. Its medina, Fes el-Bali, is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval urban centres in the world. Founded in the 9th century and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a city that has changed less in the past thousand years than almost anywhere else on earth. Wondering how it compares with the Red City? See Fes vs Marrakech.
Walking into Fes el-Bali is genuinely disorienting. There are no cars. The streets narrow to shoulder width and fork without warning. Donkeys carrying gas canisters and carved plaster push past you. The air carries the smell of cedar, cumin, and the sharp tang of leather from the tanneries. It is chaotic, beautiful, and completely unlike anywhere else in Morocco — or the world.
The Medina
Fes el-Bali — the old city — is the heart of everything. It covers roughly three square kilometres and contains around 9,000 streets and alleys, many of them dead ends. UNESCO estimates there are over 800 medieval monuments within its walls. By any measure it is one of the most significant historic urban environments on the planet.
The medina has two main arteries: Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira, running roughly parallel from the Bab Bou Jeloud gate down to the Qarawiyyin Mosque. Most of the major sights are reachable from these two streets. Getting lost off them is part of the experience — but a guide or a good offline map is worth having for your first day. Full Fes el-Bali guide — tanneries, madrasas & navigation →
The Fes el-Jdid quarter (the "new" medina, from the 13th century) sits adjacent and contains the Royal Palace and the Mellah, the former Jewish quarter. The modern Ville Nouvelle, built by the French in the early 20th century, is where the train station, most banks, and the better-value restaurants are located.
What to see
Chouara Tanneries
The Chouara Tanneries are the most iconic image of Fes — stone vats filled with dyes (saffron yellow, poppy red, indigo blue, mint green) arranged in a honeycomb pattern, workers wading through the liquid waist-deep. The tanneries have operated continuously since the 11th century and the process has barely changed.
You view them from the terraces of surrounding leather shops — entry is free with a purchase browse, though you are not obliged to buy. Shops will hand you a sprig of mint to hold under your nose; the smell of the tanning chemicals is powerful. Morning light (8–10am) is best for photography.
Bou Inania Madrasa
The Bou Inania Madrasa, built in the 14th century by the Merenid Sultan Bou Inan, is the most elaborate religious building in Fes open to non-Muslim visitors. The interior courtyard is extraordinary — carved cedar screens, intricate stucco panels rising to the ceiling, and the finest zellige tilework in the city. The proportions are perfect: nothing about it feels excessive.
Entry costs around 70 MAD. Allow 30–45 minutes to absorb it properly. It is a short walk from Bab Bou Jeloud.
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University
Founded in 859 AD, Al-Qarawiyyin is widely considered the world's oldest continuously operating university. The mosque itself — one of the largest in Africa, capable of holding 22,000 worshippers — is not open to non-Muslims, but the wooden doors on the surrounding streets offer glimpses of the courtyard fountain and prayer hall. The adjacent Al-Qarawiyyin Library, one of the oldest libraries in the world, reopened after restoration in 2016 and can be visited.
Merenid Tombs Viewpoint
For the best view over Fes el-Bali, climb to the Merenid Tombs — 14th-century ruins on the hillside north of the medina. The view from here at dusk, with the minarets lit and the call to prayer echoing across the rooftops, is one of the most memorable in Morocco. The climb takes about 20 minutes from Bab Guissa.
Bab Bou Jeloud
The Bab Bou Jeloud — the Blue Gate — is the main ceremonial entrance to Fes el-Bali and the landmark most visitors photograph first. The outer face is covered in blue zellige (the colour of Fes); the inner face is green (the colour of Islam). It was built in 1913 and has become the defining image of the city. The square in front of it, with its cafés and juice stalls, is a good place to get your bearings before entering the medina.
Where to eat
Fes has one of Morocco's most distinctive regional cuisines — Fassi cooking is considered the most refined in the country, built on slow-cooked tagines, pastilla (a sweet-savoury pastry of pigeon or chicken with almonds and cinnamon), and dishes that other Moroccan cities have forgotten. The flavour profiles are more delicate than the spice-forward cooking of Marrakech.
The best traditional Fassi meals are served in riad restaurants inside the medina — courtyard settings with set menus that often include pastilla, a main tagine, and sweet pastries with mint tea. These are generally the safest and most atmospheric option for an evening meal. Prices range from 150–350 MAD per person for a full spread.
For cheaper eating, the area around Bab Bou Jeloud has rows of street-facing restaurants with menus in French and English, serving harira, tagines, and sandwiches. The Ville Nouvelle has faster, cheaper options and is where locals eat when they want something quick — the boulevard Mohammed V strip is good for cafés and casual restaurants.
Specific picks: Café Clock (cultural hub near Bab Bou Jeloud — camel burgers, live music, a traveller institution); Dar Roumana (upscale modern Fassi tasting menus in a riad, the best fine-dining option in the city); The Ruined Garden (beautiful riad garden setting, reliable set menus, popular for dinner). For budget meals, the row of street-facing restaurants immediately inside Bab Bou Jeloud offers harira, tagines, and sandwiches at local prices.
Where to stay
Staying inside Fes el-Bali in a riad is one of the great accommodation experiences in Morocco. From the outside, riads are indistinguishable from the surrounding walls; step through the door and you find a cool courtyard, a fountain, carved plasterwork, and rooms arranged around a central light well. Many are genuinely beautiful and competitively priced — the medina's reputation for being hard to navigate keeps demand lower than in Marrakech.
The challenge is getting there: no cars enter the medina, so staff will often meet you at the nearest accessible gate with a trolley for your bags. Build this into your arrival plan and let the riad know your flight time. Most riads are within 15 minutes' walk of Bab Bou Jeloud.
The Ville Nouvelle has more conventional hotels with easier access and parking — a sensible choice if you're renting a car or prioritise logistical ease over atmosphere. Mid-range hotels cluster around Place Mohammed V in the Ville Nouvelle; budget guesthouses are near the train station.
For the 2030 World Cup, riad capacity is limited — Fes will fill quickly during match weeks. Booking 12–18 months in advance is strongly advised.
Specific picks: Riad Fes (flagship luxury riad near Bab Bou Jeloud, beautiful pool and hammam); Palais Amani (boutique hotel with an excellent in-house restaurant, one of the most elegant properties in the medina); Dar Roumana (intimate, antique-filled riad with a well-regarded chef); Sofitel Palais Jamai (historic palace hotel on the medina edge, gardens and pool — the grand option in Fes).
Getting there
By air: Fes–Saïss Airport (FEZ) is around 15 km south of the city centre. Taxis to the medina cost 150–200 MAD; agree the price before getting in. There is no direct rail link from the airport — taxis are the standard option.
By train: ONCF trains connect Fes to Casablanca (~4h 30min), Rabat (~3h 30min), Marrakech (~7h), and Tangier (~4h 30min). The station is in the Ville Nouvelle, about 3 km from Bab Bou Jeloud — petits taxis cover this in 10 minutes.
By bus: CTM coaches from Casablanca (~5h) and Marrakech (~9h) arrive at the CTM terminal near the train station. The journey times are longer than train but sometimes cheaper, especially for connections that require a change by rail.
By car: The A2 motorway connects Fes to Casablanca (around 3h 30min). Driving into the medina is not possible — park in the Ville Nouvelle or near one of the main medina gates and continue on foot.
| Destination | Public transport | By car |
|---|---|---|
| Meknes | 45min — train | ~45min |
| Rabat | 2h 30min — train | ~2h |
| Casablanca | 4h 30min — train | ~3h |
| Chefchaouen | 3h 30min — bus | ~2h 30min |
| Tangier | 5h — bus | ~3h 30min |
| Marrakech | 7h — train (change at Casablanca) | ~5h |
| Merzouga (Sahara) | No direct service | ~8h |
Practical tips
- Best time to visit: March–May and September–November offer mild temperatures (18–25°C) and manageable crowds. Summer (June–August) is very hot — the medina's narrow streets trap the heat. Winter is cool and sometimes rainy but the medina is at its most atmospheric.
- Guides: A licensed guide for your first day in the medina is genuinely worth the cost (around 300–400 MAD for a half-day). They unlock access to workshops, explain what you're looking at, and navigate efficiently. Book through your riad rather than accepting unsolicited offers at the gate — unlicensed "guides" are common and persistent.
- Shoes: Wear closed, flat shoes with grip. Medina streets are uneven cobblestone, often damp, and some tannery viewing terraces have slippery surfaces.
- Getting around: Inside the medina, everything is on foot. Petits taxis operate in the Ville Nouvelle and between the medina gates and the new city — they are cheap and metered.
- Money: Carry cash inside the medina — most small shops and restaurants are cash only. ATMs are readily available in the Ville Nouvelle; there are a handful near the medina gates.
- Haggling: Expected in the souks. A starting offer of 50–60% of the asking price is reasonable; walking away often brings the price down further. Fixed-price shops exist and will be marked as such.
- Day trips: Meknes, another imperial city, is just 60 km west — easy by train (45 min) or road. The Roman ruins at Volubilis are 30 km beyond Meknes, a half-day excursion from Fes worth combining into a single trip.