Fes-Meknes
Fez
Hire a licensed guide for your first day in the maze of Fes el-Bali, sleep inside the medina, see the Chouara tanneries without being fleeced, then let yourself get lost.
Best length
2-3 nights
Airport
Fes-Saiss (FEZ), ~15km south
Airport to medina
Petit/grand taxi ~25-35 min, around 150-250 MAD (£12-£20)
Best base
Inside Fes el-Bali, in a riad near Bab Bou Jeloud or the Andalusian quarter
In short
Fez at a glance
Fez is a 2- to 3-night cultural stop, not a beach break: sleep inside Fes el-Bali, hire a licensed guide for your first morning to crack the medina, see the Chouara tanneries before 10am, and then deliberately get lost in the afternoons. It pairs naturally with a train down to Marrakech or up to Tangier.
The short version
- Stay inside the medina (Fes el-Bali) in a riad, not in the modern Ville Nouvelle, or you miss the entire point of coming.
- Hire a licensed guide for your first half-day: the 9,000-odd lanes have no useful logic and a good guide saves a full day of frustration.
- See the Chouara tanneries before 10am and accept the mint sprig; a 20-50 MAD terrace tip is fair, anything over 100 MAD is a hustle.
- Two nights covers the headline sights; a third lets you slow down and treat getting lost as the activity rather than a problem.
- Spring (March-May) and October are the comfortable windows; high summer bakes the medina and makes the tanneries hard going.
Fez is Morocco’s cultural and spiritual heart, and the draw is one thing above all: Fes el-Bali, the 1,200-year-old walled old town that is the largest car-free urban area on earth. Roughly 9,000 lanes, no grid, donkeys and handcarts instead of vans, the working Chouara tanneries dyeing leather as they have since the medieval period, and madrasas like Bou Inania carved to a level your riad courtyard only hints at. It is not a city you sightsee in the usual sense. You drop into it and let it close over your head.
That is also why the first morning is the one planning call that matters. The medina genuinely has no useful logic, GPS drifts between the high walls, and the souks are organised by trade in ways you will not crack alone. A licensed guide for a half-day, met at the Blue Gate (Bab Bou Jeloud), gets you into the right tannery terrace, into the madrasas, and gives you the mental map to wander solo afterwards. After that, getting lost stops being a problem and becomes the point.
Treat Fez as a 2- to 3-night cultural stop rather than a holiday in itself, sleep inside the medina in a riad rather than the modern Ville Nouvelle, and aim for spring or October when the lanes are walkable and the tanneries bearable. It slots neatly onto a wider Morocco loop by train. Below, the structured planning — where to stay, the headline sights, airport transfers and a realistic budget in pounds — picks up from here.
Plan your Fez trip
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Fez
Al Quaraouiyine
Be clear before you go: the Quaraouiyine mosque and its working prayer hall are closed to non-Muslims, so you do not 'tour' the world's oldest university the way you might a cathedral. What you can do is peer through the bronze-clad doors at the courtyard, walk the lanes that wrap around the complex, and pay into the neighbouring Al-Attarine Madrasa for the same Marinid craftsmanship up close. A licensed guide is what turns this from a confusing five minutes into the highlight of the medina's monumental quarter.
Chouara Tannery
There is no ticket office at the Chouara tannery — you reach the famous honeycomb of stone dye pits by climbing through one of the leather shops that ring it, where a 20-50 MAD (about £1.60-£4) terrace tip per person is the real cost. Go before 10am, when the morning light hits the pits and the dyers are working but the heat hasn't yet sharpened the smell. Accept the sprig of mint they hand you at the door, allow 30-45 minutes including the souk walk in, and view from the top terrace rather than the ground.
Fez el-Bali Medina
The medina itself is free to walk into through Bab Bou Jeloud — but book a licensed guide for your first half-day before you fly, because the 9,000-odd lanes have no grid and a good guide turns a lost morning into a working map. Go early: the Chouara tanneries before 10am, the madrasas next, then wander unguided in the afternoon. Allow a half-day with a guide plus a free afternoon, and carry small dirham for terrace tips and madrasa tickets.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Fes el-Bali (medina)
££ mid-rangeThe 1,200-year-old walled old town and the only place worth sleeping for a first trip. Cars cannot enter, so you walk or take a handcart for luggage. Riads here put you steps from the souks, tanneries and madrasas, with the trade-off of narrow, noisy, sometimes confusing lanes.
Best for: First-timers, atmosphere, culture
Andalusian quarter (east of the river)
£ valueThe quieter, more residential half of the medina across the Oued Fes. Riads tend to be a touch cheaper and the daily rhythm feels more local, at the cost of being a little further from the main monument cluster.
Best for: Value, a calmer base, repeat visitors
Around Bab Bou Jeloud / Tala'a Kebira
££ mid-rangeThe western, Kairaouine side where the famous souks, tanneries and madrasas concentrate. Brilliant for sightseeing and easy guide meet-ups, but the busiest and loudest part of the medina at all hours.
Best for: Sightseeing-first stays, short trips
Ville Nouvelle (new city)
£ valueThe French-built modern district with wide streets, chain hotels and easy taxis. Only choose it if you want a car-friendly base or a very early flight; you will commute into the medina each day and miss waking up inside it.
Best for: Late/early flights, drivers, business
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riad-arranged private transfer | ~25-35 min | around 250-350 MAD (£20-£28) | Easiest first arrival; driver meets you and helps with the medina handover |
| Petit taxi from the rank | ~25-35 min | around 150-250 MAD (£12-£20) agreed first | Cheapest; agree the fare before getting in, cash dirham only |
| Grand taxi (shared/private) | ~25-35 min | around 200-300 MAD (£16-£24) for the car | Useful with a group or extra luggage |
When to go
Sweet spot: March to May and October are the comfortable sweet spot: 18-27C daytime walking weather, manageable crowds and the tanneries are bearable. October in particular gives soft light and a calmer feel.
High summer (July-August) bakes the medina and intensifies the tannery smell, which is hard going; winter is cool, cheaper and fine for sightseeing but the evenings are properly cold and riads can be chilly. Ramadan changes opening hours and the daytime pace, so check the dates before you book.
What it costs
There are few direct UK flights to Fez itself; most travellers fly into Marrakech (RAK) or Casablanca from £40-£140 return booked ahead and take the train, or connect via Casablanca. Direct Fez routes appear seasonally and are pricier.
Daily budget per person
Carry cash: the dirham is a closed currency you draw from ATMs on arrival, and almost everything in the medina, from taxis to terrace tips, is cash only. Agree guide and taxi prices before you start, not after.
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