Fez is the oldest of Morocco's imperial cities, founded at the end of the eighth century by the Idrisid dynasty and for long periods the country's capital and its center of religion and learning.
AT A GLANCE
Best time
March to May and September to November for mild weather.
How long
Two full days for the medina, three or four with day trips to Meknes and Volubilis.
Getting there
Fly into Fes-Saiss Airport or take the train from Casablanca, Rabat or Tangier.
Why visit Fez
If Marrakech is Morocco's showpiece, Fez is its soul. The city was home to scholars, mystics and master craftsmen for over a thousand years, and that heritage is still visible everywhere: in the madrasas covered in carved cedar and tile, in the shrines that draw pilgrims, and in the craft workshops where techniques are passed from parent to child.
Fez also feels less geared to tourism than some Moroccan cities. Daily life fills the medina, and you share the lanes with students, shoppers and porters.
Fes el-Bali: gates, madrasas and mosques
Bab Bou Jeloud
Most visitors enter the old medina through Bab Bou Jeloud, the Blue Gate, completed in 1913. Its outer side is covered in blue tiles, the color of Fez, and the inner side in green, the color of Islam.
Bou Inania Madrasa
A few steps from Bab Bou Jeloud, the Bou Inania Madrasa was built in the 1350s by the Marinid sultan Abu Inan Faris and is one of the few religious buildings in Fez open to non-Muslims.
Al-Attarine Madrasa
Deeper in the medina, near the spice market from which it takes its name, the Al-Attarine Madrasa was built in the 1320s.
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University
Founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman from Kairouan, Al-Qarawiyyin grew into one of the world's oldest continuously operating places of learning. Non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque, but you can glimpse its large courtyard and fountains through the doors.
Zawiya of Moulay Idris II
The shrine of Moulay Idris II, who founded Fez as a city in the early ninth century, is one of the most important religious sites in Morocco. Non-Muslims may not enter, but the decorated entrances, the candle sellers and the stream of pilgrims make it worth a stop.
Crafts, tanneries and museums
Chouara Tannery
The Chouara Tannery, the largest of the city's tanneries, has been processing hides for centuries.
Place Seffarine and the craft souks
Close to the Al-Qarawiyyin, Place Seffarine is a small square ringed with coppersmiths hammering cauldrons and trays, a scene that has changed little in centuries. From here, lanes lead to souks of dyers, weavers, slipper makers and woodworkers.
Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts
The beautifully restored Nejjarine funduq, an eighteenth-century inn for traveling merchants, now houses a museum of wooden crafts, from doors and ceiling panels to tools and musical instruments. The rooftop cafe offers views over the medina.
Dar Batha
Just outside Bab Bou Jeloud, Dar Batha is a nineteenth-century palace with an Andalusian-style garden. It reopened in 2025 after restoration as a museum of Islamic arts, with ceramics, woodwork, metalwork, manuscripts and textiles from across the region.
Fes el-Jdid and the city viewpoints
The Royal Palace gates
Fes el-Jdid, the new Fez, was founded by the Marinids in the thirteenth century as a royal and administrative district.
The Mellah
Next to the palace, the Mellah was the city's Jewish quarter, distinctive for its houses with wooden balconies facing the street. You can visit the restored Ibn Danan Synagogue and the Jewish cemetery, with its rows of whitewashed tombs on the hillside.
Jnan Sbil Gardens
Between Fes el-Jdid and Fes el-Bali, the Jnan Sbil Gardens are a restored historic park with palms, fountains, bamboo and a pond, where local families come to relax. Allow forty-five minutes for a peaceful walk.
Merenid Tombs and Borj Nord
On the hill north of the medina, the ruined Merenid Tombs offer the best panoramic views over Fes el-Bali, with its thousands of rooftops, minarets and satellite dishes.
Food and local flavors
Fassi cuisine is often regarded as the most refined in Morocco. Its signature dish is pastilla, a flaky pastry pie traditionally filled with pigeon or chicken, almonds, eggs and spices and dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Around Bab Bou Jeloud and along Talaa Kebira, stalls sell kefta and grilled brochettes, harira soup, msemen and sfenj, light doughnuts fried to order.
Popular dishes to try in Fez
Where to stay
The medina, Fes el-Bali, is full of riads and dars, traditional houses built around a courtyard, many with rooftop terraces.
The Ville Nouvelle, the modern district built under the French Protectorate, has wide avenues, modern hotels, cafes and the train station. It suits travelers who prefer easy access by car and a quieter evening, and it is a short taxi ride from the medina gates.
Where to stay in Fez
Best time to visit
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November, offer comfortable temperatures for long walks through the medina.
Getting there and getting around
Fes-Saiss Airport, south of the city, has flights to European cities and to Casablanca, and the taxi ride to the medina takes around half an hour.
Within the medina, walking is the only option. Red petit taxis carry up to three passengers within the city and should use the meter.
A suggested itinerary
First day
Enter through Bab Bou Jeloud with a licensed guide.
Second day
Visit the Nejjarine Museum and Place Seffarine in the morning, then browse the craft souks on your own. In the afternoon, head to Dar Batha and Jnan Sbil Gardens.
Third day
Explore Fes el-Jdid, the Royal Palace gates and the Mellah in the morning. Or hire a driver for a day trip to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the hilltop town of Moulay Idriss and the imperial city of Meknes.
Practical tips
- Hire an official guide through your riad or the tourist office, at least for your first visit to the medina.
- Ignore people who tell you a street is closed or offer to show you the way; they expect payment or a commission.
- Download an offline map, but expect it to lose accuracy in the narrow lanes.
- Check the official website for current hours and fees at museums and madrasas, which may close for prayer.
- Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, and stay out of mosques and shrines unless you are Muslim.
- When you hear "balak", step aside; it means a donkey or cart is coming through.
