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Visitors on the square before the full facade of the Fes Royal Palace gate

The Royal Palace gates and Fes el-Jdid

You can't go inside the Royal Palace, but you can stand at its brass gates, then walk the quieter royal town around it: the Mellah, Bab Semmarine, the old granary and the Jnan Sbil garden. A private morning with a licensed Fassi guide.

Plan this walkSee the route
  • Private or small-group
  • Licensed Fassi guide
  • A written quote for your date
Royal Palace (Dar al-Makhzen), Fes. Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fes has a second old town

Fes el-Bali is the medina everyone comes for. Next to it, the Marinid sultans built Fes el-Jdid in the 1270s: a royal town with its own walls, a palace, a garrison and, later, the Mellah. It's flatter and calmer than the old medina, and fewer visitors walk it.

One gilded brass door of the Fes Royal Palace framed in blue zellige
Royal Palace (Dar al-Makhzen), Fes

Dar al-Makhzen, the palace you see from outside

The palace still belongs to the king, so its gardens and halls stay closed. The main gate on Place des Alaouites is the reason people come: tall brass doors set in zellige and carved cedar under green tiles. Come early and the square is almost empty.
The main street of the Fes Mellah with balconied houses, a palace gate at the end
Mellah, Fes

The Mellah, along the palace wall

Fes's Jewish quarter grew up against the palace wall. Its main street still has the carved wooden balconies that set it apart from the closed façades of the medina, and your guide can take you to the Ibn Danan synagogue and the white tombs of the cemetery.
Bab Semmarine, the crenellated tiled gate of Fes Jdid, people passing through
Bab Semmarine, Fes Jdid

Bab Semmarine and the old granary

A crenellated, tiled gate leads into the covered market street of Fes el-Jdid. Nearby, the restored Souq Semmarine granary has a vaulted roof lit through round skylights. It's an easy place to stop in the shade.
The lake and fountain of the Jnan Sbil garden at golden hour, palms along the shore
Jnan Sbil, Fes

Jnan Sbil, the garden between the two towns

The walk ends in the shade of Jnan Sbil, the public garden between Fes el-Jdid and Fes el-Bali, with its palms, its lake and the old Borj Sheikh Ahmed reflected in the pond. From here, Bab Boujloud and the old medina are a short walk away.
The carved cedar and green-tiled crown of the Royal Palace gate against blue sky

Brass, cedar and green tile, and behind them a palace that still belongs to the king.

Royal Palace (Dar al-Makhzen), Fes

How the morning runs

About three hours on foot, at your pace. We change the order around your riad and the light.

Early

Pickup at your riad

Your guide meets you at the door. From most riads in Fes el-Bali it's a short drive or a walk through Bab Boujloud and the garden to the palace square.

First hour

The palace gates before the crowds

The square on Place des Alaouites is quietest in the morning. Your guide explains what the palace was for, who built Fes el-Jdid and why, and where to stand for the photograph.

Mid-morning

The Mellah and its cemetery

Along the balconied main street to the synagogue and the cemetery, with the story of the families who lived here for centuries and where they went.

Late morning

Through Bab Semmarine

Into the covered market street, past the Lalla Ghriba minaret, where storks nest, to the old granary.

Before lunch

Jnan Sbil, then on or home

A slow loop of the garden. From here you can carry on into Fes el-Bali for the afternoon or head back to your riad for lunch.

Pair it with

Fes el-Jdid takes a morning. These fill the rest of the day.

A tanner working hides in a lime pit at the Chouara tannery, FesHalf or full day in FesFes el-Bali and the tanneriesThe old medina in an afternoon: madrasas, souks and the Chouara vats.See the medina tourPainted stucco flowers in yellow, red and blue on an old Mellah facade, FesGuideThe Mellah in depthSynagogues, the cemetery and the history of Jewish Fes.Read the guideA noria turning on the Oued Fes stream beside old houses near Jnan SbilGuideJnan Sbil gardenThe garden between the two towns, and when to go.Read the guide

Before you knock

The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.

Can you go inside the Royal Palace in Fes?
No. Dar al-Makhzen is still a working royal palace and the inside is closed to visitors. What you can see is the main gate on Place des Alaouites, with its brass doors, zellige and carved cedar. Guards sometimes ask people to keep back from the doors, so your guide will show you where to stand for photos.
What is Fes el-Jdid?
Fes el-Jdid means New Fes. The Marinid sultans built it in the 1270s next to the older medina of Fes el-Bali, as a royal town with the palace, a garrison and, later, the Mellah, the Jewish quarter. Its streets are wider and straighter than the old medina's, and far fewer visitors walk them.
How long does a Fes el-Jdid walk take?
Most people spend about three hours: the palace gates, the Mellah's main street and the old Jewish cemetery, Bab Semmarine and the covered market, then the Jnan Sbil garden. We often pair it with an afternoon in Fes el-Bali so the whole city fits into one day.
Is it worth visiting Fes el-Jdid if I only have one day in Fes?
If you have one day, the old medina comes first. But Fes el-Jdid is close, flatter and calmer, and a morning there before lunch in Fes el-Bali works well. We plan the order around where your riad is.
How much does the tour cost?
We don't publish prices. Every walk is private or small-group and quoted for your date, your group and how long you want. Tell us what you'd like to see and we send a written plan and quote.

Tell us your date. We'll plan the walk.

  1. Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
  2. A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
  3. You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.
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