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Two bands of calligraphy, carved plaster above and cut zellige below, Al-Attarine madrasa

Al-Attarine Madrasa, Fes · Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0

Morocco travel writing from Fes

This journal answers the questions our guests ask before they book: whether Fes is worth visiting, how many days to give it, where to stay, how the Sahara camps work, what to pack and what to eat. Our own team writes every article from Fes, and we publish no sponsored posts.

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  • Written in-house
  • No sponsored posts
  • Updated each season

Fes el-Bali on foot

The medina as we walk it with guests: the tanneries, the madrasas, the lanes that lose everyone once, and whether you need a guide to find your way back.

The old stone pits and workshop galleries of the small Ain Azliten tannery in Fes5 min read · November 2026The three tanneries of FesChouara, Sidi Moussa and Ain Azliten: where they are and how they differ.Read itLattice shadows across a sunny medina lane leading to an arch, Fes el Bali9 min read · June 2026Is the Fes medina overwhelming?Why getting lost is normal and safe, and the anchors that keep you oriented.Read itThe Chouara tannery in bright sun, rows of dye pits between the old tannery houses8 min read · June 2026Seeing the Chouara tanneryWhich terrace, what time, why they hand you mint, and whether you have to buy.Read itFes el Bali packed across the valley, the green-tiled roofs of the Qarawiyyin and Moulay Idriss shrine among the minarets9 min read · June 2026Is Fes worth visiting?What to see in the medina, and the day trips worth leaving it for.Read itThe full sweep of Fes el Bali from the northern hills, minarets rising from the rooftops10 min read · June 2026Walking Fes el-Bali on a first visitThe tanneries, the Qarawiyyin and the madrasas in order, and how to find your way.Read itSkeins of dyed wool hanging over the dyers' souk lane in Fes el Bali9 min read · June 2026Shopping the Fes souksThe artisan quarters one by one, what each sells, and how to bargain without stress.Read itThe blue-tiled horseshoe arch of Bab Boujloud framing the minaret of the Bou Inania madrasa, Fes7 min read · March 2025Getting around FesThe car-free medina, petit taxis, the gates and the Ville Nouvelle.Read itA souk lane under a slatted cedar roof, textile shops on both sides, Fes el Bali7 min read · March 2025Things to know before visiting FesDress, Fridays, faux guides, photography and the medina's rhythm.Read itFes el Bali at blue hour, its lanes and minarets lit up beneath the dark hills7 min read · April 2025Fes for couplesRooftop dinners, a private hammam and the quiet corners of the medina.Read itA narrow whitewashed derb tunnelling under arches in the Fes medina8 min read · June 2026Do you need a guide in the Fes medina?When a licensed guide is worth it, and how to tell one from a faux guide.Read it
The whole medina of Fes filling its valley below bare hills

Every answer here started as a guest's question.

Fes el Bali

When to come, and for how long

Seasons, trip length, where to sleep and what a few days in Fes actually cost.

Fes el Bali climbing its hillside, white minarets and green-tiled roofs among the houses9 min read · June 2026Fes and the 2030 World CupWhat is confirmed, how to get here, and what to see between matches.Read itThe medina of Fes below the olive-covered hills, a tall white minaret in front8 min read · April 2025How many days in Fes?What one, two and three days in Fes look like, and who each suits.Read itBirds over the packed rooftops and green-tiled shrines of Fes el Bali at dusk8 min read · March 2025The best time to visit FesMonth by month: heat, rain, Ramadan, festivals and the crowds.Read itPainted plates, bowls and lanterns crowding a souk arcade in the Fes medina7 min read · April 2025Fes on a budgetFree sights, cheap eats and where a little money goes a long way.Read itBab Boujloud on a rainy evening, umbrellas and hoods crowding through the lit gate7 min read · April 2025Fes in winterCold nights, quiet lanes, hammams and wood smoke over the rooftops.Read itA palm island and the old tower reflected in the still Jnan Sbil pond7 min read · April 2025Fes in summerThe airless midday medina, how to cope with the heat, and why it is still worth it.Read itJacaranda in bloom over the garden and fountain of the Dar Batha palace8 min read · June 2026Fes in springMild days, gardens in blossom, green countryside, and why it is high season.Read it

Planning 2027

The dates that change a Fes trip next year: holidays, Ramadan and the Eids, the Sacred Music festival, and Easter with children.

Musicians in red kneeling with drums on Place Boujloud during the moussem, a dancer leaping in yellow7 min read · November 2026The Fes calendar for 2027Holidays, Ramadan, the Eids and the festivals, month by month.Read itA green-tiled minaret and the dense medina of Fes rising behind6 min read · November 2026Eid al-Adha 2027 in FesExpected on 16 or 17 May: what slows down, and how we plan around it.Read itThe 16th-century Borj Sheikh Ahmed reflected in the Jnan Sbil pond at sunset6 min read · November 2026The Fes Sacred Music Festival in 2027Dates not announced yet: what we know, and how to plan before the programme.Read itThe blue-tiled horseshoe arch of Bab Boujloud framing the minaret of the Bou Inania madrasa, Fes7 min read · November 2026Fes with kids at Easter 2027A spring family week: the medina, Roman ruins, monkeys and maybe the dunes.Read itGeometric star patterns and iron ring knockers on the old cedar doors of the Bou Inania madrasa (black and white)5 min read · November 2026How far ahead to book Fes in 2027Spring, autumn, festival weeks and the Eids: when to plan, and when late is fine.Read itA small lake under leaning trees by the Parc La Prairie, Ifrane5 min read · November 2026Fes in summer 2027Heat, holidays and festivals, and how we plan summer days that stay cool.Read it

A day out of Fes

Roman Volubilis and imperial Meknes, the cedar forest above Azrou, and the blue town of Chefchaouen in the Rif.

Sefrou spread among gardens and trees below the Middle Atlas foothills4 min read · November 2026The Sefrou cherry festivalA June festival 30 km from Fes, and a day trip built around it.Read itThe Arch of Caracalla and Volubilis ruins glowing at sunset, the Zerhoun hills behind9 min read · June 2026Volubilis and Meknes in one day from FesWhether the Roman site is worth it, and how to fit Meknes and Moulay Idriss into one loop.Read itBarbary macaques in the Azrou cedar forest, one looking up close9 min read · June 2026Wild monkeys in the cedar forest near AzrouWhere the Barbary macaques live, why you must not feed them, and the Ifrane day.Read itChefchaouen seen from high above, spread at the foot of dry hills and Rif ridges in haze8 min read · June 2026Fes to Chefchaouen: bus, grand taxi or driverThe road over the Rif, how long it takes, and which way suits your trip.Read itDeep-blue steps climbing a narrow lime-washed lane to a turquoise door, Chefchaouen7 min read · June 2026Chefchaouen, the blue townWhy it is blue, what to do beyond photographs, and a day trip or a night.Read it

The Sahara and the south

How the desert run from Fes works, what a camp night is really like, and the kasbahs and passes on the way.

A guide leading two camel riders across the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi9 min read · June 2026The Sahara from Fes: how many days?Three days is the sweet spot: the drive, the camp night, Merzouga or Zagora.Read itPeople sitting under a black nomad tent on the sand at Erg Chebbi10 min read · June 2026Sahara desert camps, explainedStandard or luxury, Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga, and what each night is like.Read itThe green Imlil valley from above, earth-built villages among walnut and poplar trees7 min read · June 2026A High Atlas day from MarrakechImlil, the Ourika valley and what a mountain day really involves.Read itRooftops and towers of Ait Benhaddou above the green Ounila valley8 min read · June 2026Aït Ben HaddouThe ksar on the old caravan road: when to go and how long to stay.Read itSmooth curving dune crests of Erg Chebbi in warm light (wide panorama)8 min read · June 2026Merzouga or Zagora?Two very different deserts: dunes, distances and which one fits your route.Read itErg Chebbi dunes turning dusky red under a pale twilight sky7 min read · June 2026A night in a desert campThe tents, the food, the cold, the stars and the camel ride in.Read it

Marrakech and the coast

Three days in the red city, choosing a riad, and a weekend of wind on the Essaouira ramparts.

Jemaa el-Fna's food stalls lit up at dusk, the Koutoubia minaret against an orange sky9 min read · June 2026Marrakech in three daysA practical plan for the medina, the palaces and an evening on Jemaa el-Fna.Read itWaves breaking on the sea wall below a silhouetted bastion of Essaouira7 min read · June 2026A weekend in EssaouiraRamparts, wind, the fishing port, Gnaoua music and where to stay.Read itThe tiled patio and plunge pool of a riad in Marrakech, wicker chairs around a mosaic table7 min read · June 2026Choosing a riad in MarrakechWhat makes a good riad, which quarter to sleep in, and what to ask before booking.Read it

Planning Morocco

Safety, packing, tipping, haggling, driving and money: the practical answers we give on WhatsApp every week.

Brass lanterns, trays and teapots spilling from shops along a sunny souk lane in Fes8 min read · June 2026How to haggle in the souksThe etiquette, the opening offer and the phrases that keep it friendly.Read itA glass of mint tea in sunlight on a woven mat, Marrakech6 min read · May 2026How much to tip in MoroccoCafés, restaurants, porters, guides and drivers: what is normal and when.Read itSunlight falling through the reed roof of a covered souk lane in Fes el Bali9 min read · June 2026Is Morocco safe in 2026?An honest look at scams, solo travel, health and the medina after dark.Read itStraw hats with wool pompoms and striped woven cloth hung for sale on a blue wall in Chefchaouen7 min read · June 2026What to pack for MoroccoA seasonal list for the medina, the mountains and a night in the desert.Read itLive chickens for sale on a crowded market lane in the Fes medina8 min read · June 2026Morocco on a budgetReal daily costs for food, transport and sights, and where money is saved.Read itThe road winding in hairpins over the Tizi n'Tichka pass in the High Atlas11 min read · June 2026A classic week in MoroccoSeven days from Marrakech over the Atlas to the dunes and on to Fes.Read itThe road zigzagging up between red rock walls in the Dades Gorge8 min read · June 2026Driving in MoroccoRoads, police checks, mountain passes and when a driver makes more sense.Read itThe formal Andalusian beds and fountains of Jnan Sbil framed by cypresses9 min read · June 2026Fes with kidsTanneries, riads, gardens and a camel at sunset: pacing a family trip.Read it

Food, tea and the camera

What to eat in Fes beyond tagine, how mint tea is poured, and where the light is best.

Musicians in striped djellabas playing horns at the Moulay Idriss moussem procession, Place Boujloud5 min read · November 2026The moussem of Moulay Idris IIThe city's yearly procession to its patron saint's shrine, and how to watch it.Read itA golden pastilla on a zellige-topped table9 min read · June 2026What to eat in Fes beyond taginePastilla, Friday couscous, street food, vegetarian eating and what to drink.Read itMint tea poured from a silver teapot into glasses packed with fresh mint, Tangier6 min read · June 2026The mint tea ritualHow it is made, why it is poured from a height, and how to say no politely.Read itFes el Bali seen through a gap in the Merinid Tomb ruins, minarets and green roofs below8 min read · June 2026Where to photograph Fes and MoroccoThe Fes viewpoints first, then Volubilis, Chefchaouen and the dunes, and when the light is right.Read itA bowl of tomato harira on a bright red and gold cloth9 min read · June 2026Where to eat in FesFrom R'cif grills to riad tables: what to order, and where to sit down for it.Read it

Read enough? Tell us your dates and we'll plan it with you.

  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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