DESTINATIONS
Fes Travel Guide
Everything you need to plan a trip to Fes — the world’s largest car-free urban area, the famous tanneries, top sights, and how to navigate Morocco’s most traditional imperial city.
Why Fes Feels Different From Marrakech
If Marrakech is Morocco’s most-visited city, Fes is its most traditional. Founded over 1,200 years ago, Fes el Bali (the old medina) is the world’s largest car-free urban area, a genuine medieval city still functioning as a living, working town rather than a preserved museum piece. Where Marrakech has adapted heavily to tourism, Fes retains a rawer, less polished character, home to the oldest continuously operating university in the world (the University of Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 AD) and a medina that has changed astonishingly little in structure over centuries.
This is both Fes’s greatest strength and its biggest practical challenge for visitors: it is genuinely fascinating to explore, and genuinely easy to get lost in. This guide covers what to expect, what to prioritize, and how to navigate the city comfortably.
The Medina: A World Without Cars
Fes el Bali’s medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with an estimated 9,000-plus narrow streets and alleys, far denser and more disorienting than Marrakech’s medina. Goods are moved by handcart and pack mule rather than vehicle, since most streets are too narrow for anything larger. This is not an exaggeration for effect: even locals occasionally need directions in unfamiliar corners of the medina, and GPS is largely useless under the covered passages. A guided orientation walk here is not just useful, as it is in Marrakech, but genuinely close to essential for getting real value out of your first day.
Top Things to Do in Fes
The Chouara Tanneries — Fes’s most famous sight, centuries-old leather tanneries where hides are still dyed by hand in stone vats using traditional methods, viewed from surrounding leather shop terraces (a sprig of mint is traditionally offered to offset the smell). Al Quaraouiyine University & Mosque — the world’s oldest continuously operating university; non-Muslims cannot enter but the exterior and surrounding streets are worth seeing. Bou Inania Madrasa — an exceptional 14th-century Islamic school with some of the finest tilework and carved cedar in the city, and one of the few religious buildings in Fes open to non-Muslim visitors. Al-Attarine Madrasa — another beautifully preserved historic madrasa, smaller and less crowded than Bou Inania. The Royal Palace (Dar al-Makhzen) — not open to visitors inside, but its seven ornate brass doors are a genuinely striking photo stop. Borj Nord — a hilltop fortress offering the best panoramic view over the entire medina, especially at sunset.
Fes is home to some of Morocco's finest surviving examples of historic Islamic architecture.
Where to Stay in Fes
A riad inside Fes el Bali is the classic choice and puts you within walking distance of the major sights, though be prepared for a longer walk with luggage than in Marrakech, given the medina’s scale. The Ville Nouvelle (new town) offers easier access and more modern hotels for travelers who want a simpler base, with a short taxi ride into the old medina for sightseeing.
Food in Fes
Fes is considered by many Moroccans to be the country’s culinary capital, with a refined, historic cooking tradition distinct from Marrakech’s more street-food-driven scene. Pastilla (a sweet-savory pie traditionally made with pigeon, now often chicken, wrapped in flaky pastry with almonds and cinnamon) originates here and is worth seeking out. Fes is also known for its version of harira soup and a wider variety of traditional sweets than most other Moroccan cities.
Fes vs Marrakech: Which Should You Visit?
This is one of the most common planning questions we get, and we cover it in full detail in our dedicated Marrakech vs Fes comparison guide. The short version: Marrakech is more accessible, more tourism-adapted, and a better first stop; Fes is more traditional, more architecturally significant, and rewards travelers who want depth over ease. Most longer itineraries include both rather than choosing one over the other.
Practical Tips for Visiting Fes
- A guided orientation walk on arrival is genuinely close to essential here, more so than in any other Moroccan city
- Fes-Saïss Airport is about 20 minutes from the city center; arrange a pickup in advance
- The medina has official gates (bab) that make good orientation landmarks if you do explore solo
- Persistent unofficial "guides" are common near medina entrances; a firm decline works fine
- Two full days is a reasonable minimum to see the medina's highlights without rushing
- Fes pairs naturally with a Sahara Desert route, since it sits on the main route east from Marrakech to Merzouga
Getting Around Fes
The medina itself is entirely on foot, since it is genuinely car-free; even bicycles are impractical on most streets. Petit taxis handle journeys between the medina, Ville Nouvelle, and your riad’s nearest accessible drop-off point, since vehicles cannot enter most of the old city. For day trips or onward travel, a private driver is by far the most practical option, and how we structure every Fes-based itinerary.
Day Trips From Fes
Meknes — another imperial city about an hour away, quieter and less visited than Fes, with the impressive Bab Mansour gate and Roman ruins at nearby Volubilis. Chefchaouen — the blue-washed mountain town is about 3.5 hours north, doable as a long day trip but better as an overnight stop on a longer northern route. Ifrane — a small, unusually alpine-looking town in the Middle Atlas, about an hour from Fes, worth a stop if traveling toward the cedar forests to see Barbary macaques.
Frequently Asked Questions
Two full days is a good minimum to see the tanneries, the major madrasas, and explore the medina without rushing. Add a third day if you want to explore further afield or take it at a slower pace.
Marrakech is generally the easier, more accessible first stop, while Fes offers more historical depth. See our full Marrakech vs Fes guide for a detailed comparison.
Yes, though the medina’s scale and complexity make it easy to get disoriented. See our full Morocco safety guide for more detail.
Yes, most leather shops surrounding the Chouara Tannery offer terrace access to view the dye pits from above, traditionally with a sprig of mint offered to offset the smell.
We strongly recommend at least a guided orientation walk on your first day. Fes el Bali is genuinely one of the most disorienting medinas in Morocco, even more so than Marrakech.
Yes, Fes sits on one of the main routes toward Merzouga, and many of our multi-day tours combine the two.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Ready to Explore Fes?
Tell us your dates, and we’ll design a private itinerary around Fes, with or without an extension to the Sahara Desert or Marrakech.