Morocco for women travellers

Solo women in the dense lanes of Fes el-Bali are likely to encounter unsolicited attention: comments, would-be 'guides' offering to lead you to the tanneries, and persistent salesmen. This is harassment and it is tiring. It is, however, rarely threatening, and the vast majority of Fassis are hospitable and respectful. The medina and visitor areas are genuinely safe in terms of violent crime.

Confidence and purpose are your best tools: walk as if you know where you are going (even if you don't), make eye contact briefly and continue, and say 'la shukran' (no, thank you) once without engaging further. Prolonged responses — positive or negative — can encourage rather than deter.

Covering shoulders and knees in the Fes medina and around the religious sites is both respectful and practically effective — it reduces unsolicited attention in this conservative city. A lightweight scarf that can drape over the shoulders is the most useful single item you can pack. You do not need to cover your hair, and in the Ville Nouvelle many Fassi women dress in contemporary western styles.

If your trip extends to the coast (Essaouira) or a resort, dress codes there are much more relaxed. In Fes itself, keep it modest — it is the heartland of traditional Morocco.

Pre-booking a licensed Fes medina guide and private driver eliminates most friction: you skip the false-guide approaches at the gates and the arrivals-hall chaos at Fès–Saïss. For exploring Fes el-Bali, hiring a female guide provides companionship, context and a natural social buffer. Ask your riad to arrange one — vetted female guides work in Fes and Meknes.

Travelling from Fes to Rabat, Casablanca or Marrakech by train is comfortable and well-used by local women. Book an air-conditioned first-class carriage — the reserved seats and mixed clientele make them particularly easy. Long-distance CTM buses are similarly reliable.

Fes has a growing community of licensed female guides. A woman guide navigates the medina fluidly, can take you into spaces — a henna artist's workshop, a women's hammam, a home kitchen, a weavers' cooperative — that a male guide sometimes cannot, and offers a very different perspective on daily Fassi life. A female guide can be matched to your trip on request.