Things to do in Fez
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Fez
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: warm spring days, green gardens and pleasurable all day medina walking. Late April to May is peak.
Best months: late September to November, slightly cooler autumn days, golden light and everything open.
Worst for heat: regularly over 35C and past 40C. Sightsee early and after 6pm or escape to the Middle Atlas.
Cold winter nights near freezing, chilly riad courtyards and rain most likely November to March, but crowd free madrasas.
What's on
- Fes Festival of World Sacred Music Late May or early June each year
Sufi chant, gospel and classical concerts at Bab Makina, Jnan Sbil and Batha, plus free concerts and Sufi Nights.
- Cherry Festival (Fete des Cerises), Sefrou June
A UNESCO listed local festival in Sefrou, an easy half day from Fez.
- Apple Festival, Immouzar September
Apple harvest festival in the Middle Atlas apple town of Immouzar Kandar.
Best things to do in Fez
Fes el-Bali
A licensed guide on your first morning unlocks the labyrinth, explains the sights and stops the shop diversions.
Bou Inania Madrasa
The finest accessible monument interior in Fez, with carved cedar, stucco and tilework around a cool courtyard.
Al-Attarine Madrasa
A smaller, jewel like madrasa by the spice quarter where tile, plaster and cedar compete at close range.
Chouara Tannery
Stone dye vats in saffron, poppy and indigo viewed from leather shop terraces, a process unchanged for centuries.
Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts
Carved doors, tools and instruments in a restored fondouk, with a rooftop terrace over the medina.
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University
Founded in 859 and viewed respectfully from its doorways, it anchors Fez as Morocco's intellectual capital.
Bab Bou Jeloud
The blue and green ceremonial gate that starts most medina walks, paired with the Mellah and palace gates loop.
Hammam Mernissi
A monumental, visitor friendly first hammam with steam, black soap scrub and clay near Bab Bou Jeloud.
Where to stay in Fez
Inside Fes el-Bali on its accessible edge
first trip, all-round base
Wake inside the city you came for, within a short walk of a gate, a taxi point and porter help for luggage.
Fes el-Jdid / Batha edge and Ville Nouvelle fringe
comfort, pools, drivers and mobility ease
Palace hotels just outside the old walls with car access, pools and parking, a short walk or taxi to the lanes.
Ville Nouvelle
practical, modern and lower priced base
Wide avenues, the station, supermarkets and easier parking at lower prices than the medina.
Think twice about
- Deep interior Fes el-Bali far from any gate
Disorienting unlit alleys at night, no vehicle access, unreliable maps and a long confusing walk out each morning.
- Ground floor rentals directly on the Bab Bou Jeloud / Bab Ftouh gate squares
Noise, tout pressure concentrated at the gates and late night emptiness right at the doorway. Stay a few lanes inside.
- Unreviewed unstaffed medina apartments deep in Rcif / far eastern medina
No one to meet you, let you in late, store bags or call a taxi. In Fez staffed riad service is infrastructure.
Best restaurants in Fez
Dar Roumana
A small market led dining room serving Mediterranean Moroccan French courses, the special dinner in Fez.
Eden at Palais Amani
Modern Moroccan fine dining under citrus trees in the Palais Amani garden, the most romantic medina dinner.
Restaurant Ouliya
A family run Moroccan table of generous tagines and couscous with warm service and fair prices.
The Ruined Garden
Lunch among plants in a roofless ruined palace garden, with signature mechoui and pigeon pastilla ordered ahead.
Cafe Clock
A tall medina cafe house of terraces, camel burger and cultural programming where travellers and locals mix.
Dar Tajine Fes
A proven traditional house with a broad Moroccan and Mediterranean menu that suits mixed groups well.
Dar Hatim
A family feel traditional restaurant with home style generosity and strong vegetarian and vegan options.
L'Amandier
Refined Moroccan Mediterranean dining on the Palais Faraj terrace with a panorama over the medina at sunset.
Outdoor things to do in Fez
Volubilis
Morocco's best preserved Roman ruins with in situ mosaics, combined with Meknes and holy Moulay Idriss in one day.
Ifrane
A cooler Middle Atlas escape of cedar forest, Barbary macaques and hill towns, ten degrees below Fez in summer.
Chefchaouen
The blue washed Rif town of lanes, kasbah and waterfall, far better as an overnight than a long day trip.
Royal Golf de Fes
An 18 hole parkland course through olive groves with lakes, large bunkers and Middle Atlas views.
Oued Fes Golf
The newer city golf alternative to Royal Golf de Fes, worth checking for current conditioning locally.
Michlifen Golf
The Nicklaus mountain course at Michlifen in Ifrane, the luxury golf day out from Fez.
Jbel Zalagh
A steep half day ridge hike over the medina with the definitive view, unmarked paths and no shade or facilities.
Erg Chebbi Dunes, Merzouga
Camel in at sunset and sleep in a desert camp by the Erg Chebbi dunes, a two to three day trip, never a day trip.
Best hotels in Fez
Riad Fes - Relais & Chateaux
A restored palace grande dame with pool pavilion, spa and rooftop bar, car accessible to its medina edge.
Palais Amani
A palace riad around a green garden courtyard with restaurant, hammam, rooftop and cooking school in one house.
Hotel Sahrai
A contemporary five star with infinity pool, spa and floor to ceiling glass, built for views back over the medina.
Palais Faraj Suites & Spa
A former palace of huge suites, spa and pool on the southern rim, with a terrace panorama over the old city.
Karawan Riad
Seven vast, individually designed suites around a courtyard, the connoisseur luxury riad that sells out first.
Riad Laaroussa
A restored palace with pool, hammam and cooking classes and superlative service below luxury riad prices.
Riad Le Calife
A small, elegant, owner run riad with rooftop terrace and famously helpful staff, the perfect first riad.
Dar Seffarine
An architect owned riad near the Attarine with communal dinners and rooftop views over the old city.
Is Fez expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MAD 350 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MAD 950 a person |
| Splurge | MAD 2,800 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Fes el-Bali: a few days ahead
- Hammam Mernissi: a few days ahead
- Fez Cooking School: a few days ahead
- Volubilis: a few days ahead
- Ifrane: a few days ahead
- Chefchaouen: a few days ahead
- Royal Golf de Fes: a few days ahead
- Michlifen Golf: a few days ahead
- Riads in festival week, Easter, April to May and October book weeks to months ahead.
- Book the day one guide two to seven days ahead via your riad, and top restaurants one to three days ahead.
- Luxury hammams and cooking schools need one to two days, shared day and Sahara tours two to five days in season.
Is Fez safe?
- Watch for pickpockets in souks, at gates and at the station. Keep a cross body bag and phone away in crowds.
- Take a petit taxi to your gate at night and walk lit lanes in, or use a riad or restaurant escort.
- Dress modestly, ask before photographing people and never photograph palace guards. No drones. Drink bottled or filtered water.
Fez travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Unlicensed guides at the gates whose tour becomes a shopping procession, and tannery shops expecting a large leather purchase for the view.
- Carpets sold as an investment or resale story. Buy a rug only because you love it at a price you accept.
- Combining Chefchaouen, Meknes and Volubilis in one day, and treating the Royal Palace as a visit rather than a gate photograph.
- Claims that a sight is closed today, friendly escorts to a cousin's shop, and directions offered for escalating tips.
Getting around Fez: public transport and more
- On foot only inside the medina. Petit taxis are red and metered, insist on the meter or agree the price first.
- Use grand taxis or private drivers for day trips and do not rent a car for Fez itself.
- Arrange a riad transfer from Fes-Saiss Airport so the porter chain through the lanes works.
Who Fez suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Fez your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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