Ramadan in Morocco

Ramadan moves roughly eleven days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar. Through the late 2020s it falls approximately as follows: 2027 in late January to late February; 2028 in mid-January to mid-February; 2029 in January. Because dates are set by moon sighting, always verify in the year you travel. The holy month lasts 29 or 30 days.

• 2027: approximately 28 January — 26 February
• 2028: approximately 17 January — 15 February
• 2029: approximately 6–25 January

Most restaurants serving visitors stay open, but neighbourhood eateries, juice stalls and street-food carts in Fes el-Bali often close during daylight hours. Café culture shifts dramatically — a mid-morning coffee on Talaa Kebira becomes harder to find. The pace of the souks slows in the late afternoon as energy wanes before iftar (the sunset breaking of the fast).

After sunset, Fes transforms. The medina lanes and the Rcif and Bou Jeloud areas fill with families, vendors and the scent of food. The breaking-fast meal — harira soup, chebakia and sellou sweets, dates, hard-boiled eggs and msemen — is one of the city's great culinary experiences, and many riads offer guests a seat at the iftar table. At night the call to prayer carries across the medina rooftops.

Fes's major sights — the Chouara tanneries, the medersas, the museums, the souks and the riads — run normally, and licensed guides work as usual. Hotels and riads continue to serve food throughout the day, and restaurants in the medina and the Ville Nouvelle that cater to visitors remain open. Transport is largely unaffected, though the roads around the medina gates in the hour before iftar can be frantic as everyone rushes home.

As a visitor, eat, drink and smoke discreetly in public during daylight out of respect for those fasting — in a devout city like Fes this is especially appreciated, even though it is not legally required of non-Muslims. Dress slightly more conservatively than usual, and expect a warmer, more festive medina atmosphere in the evenings than at any other time of year.

For many travellers who have experienced it, Ramadan in Fes is a highlight — perhaps the most atmospheric time to feel the city's spiritual character. Crowds are thinner, prices at some riads dip, and the nightly iftar atmosphere is genuinely special. The trade-off is the limited daytime food options outside hotels and the slower souk pace. It suits those who are curious about culture over those on a packed sightseeing sprint.