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The great plane tree of Place Seffarine shading the carved windows and doorway of the old madrasa, shop awnings below

Place Seffarine, Fes · Photo: R Prazeres, CC BY-SA 4.0

Private Fes tours with a guide who is yours alone

Your own Fassi guide on foot through the medina, or your own driver for a day out of Fes. You never share a minibus or follow a flag. You choose the pace and the stops: tanneries, artisan workshops, food, the Andalusian quarter, Volubilis or Sefrou.

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  • Never pooled with strangers
  • Quoted per group, not per head
  • Door-to-door pickup

Six days we run privately

A Fassi guide or a private driver working only with your party, for a half day, a full day or several days of your stay. Open any day for the full route; each is quoted for your group.

Carved plaster walls and the minaret of the Bou Inania madrasa under a blue sky with cloudsFull day · private for your partyFes el-Bali Medina & TanneriesA full day on foot through Fes el-Bali with a local historianSee how the day runsAn elderly potter in a white coat and glasses shaping clay in a Fes workshop, rows of unfired cups beside himFull day · private for your partyFes Artisan WorkshopsA full day inside the workshops that made Fes famousSee how the day runsSacks of spices and dried red chillies at a spice stall in the Fes medinaHalf day · private for your partyFes Food TourA half-day grazing walk through Fes el-BaliSee how the day runsGreen-tiled roofs of the Kissaria and Souk al-Attarine, the Moulay Idris II minaret beyondHalf day · private for your partyFes Spiritual & Andalusian QuarterA half-day on the quieter east bank of the medinaSee how the day runsThe Roman Arch of Caracalla at Volubilis, the green plain beyondFull day · private for your partyVolubilis & Meknes Day TripA full day to the Roman city of Volubilis, the holy town of Moulay Idriss, and the imperial capital of MeknesSee how the day runsBhalil's pastel houses stepping down the hill to the Saïss plainFull day · private for your partySefrou & the Fes CountrysideA gentle day in the green country south of FesSee how the day runs

Guided walks in the medina

Each walk follows its own route on foot, private for your party. Open one to follow it stop by stop, then ask us to quote it for your dates.

Bab Mahrouk, a crenellated rammed-earth gate block with a horseshoe arch and closed wooden doorsGuided walk · Full dayThe ten gates of Fes walkBoujloud to Segma, all ten gates in a day, with the story of each.See the walkFes el Bali seen through a gap in the Merinid Tomb ruins, minarets and green roofs belowGuided walk · Late afternoon to sunsetMerinid Tombs and Borj Nord at sunsetUp the northern hill on foot to watch the sun set over the medina.See the walkThe marble courtyard of the Bou Inania madrasa, its carved facade and fountain basinGuided walk · Half day, morningMadrasas and mosques of FesBou Inania, the Attarine, the Qarawiyyin's doors and the Saffarin madrasa.See the walkA tiled lane of the Kissaria market in Fes el Bali hung with red lanternsGuided walk · Half dayThe Fes souk walkTalaa Kebira, the Henna souk, the Kissaria and the coppersmiths.See the walkThe arcaded courtyard of Dar Batha with its sunken zellige poolGuided walk · Half dayDar Batha and Nejjarine museumsThe Al Batha palace museum and the cedar fondouk of the carpenters.See the walkA tanner treading hides in a pit at the Chouara tanneryGuided walk · Late afternoonGolden-hour photo walkJnan Sbil to the Chouara tannery, paced for photographs.See the walkCafé terraces and a carved wooden balcony house just inside Bab Boujloud, start of Talaa KebiraGuided walk · 2 to 3 hours, morningFirst-day orientation walkThe landmarks, the two main streets and the way home.See the walk
Lattice shadows across a sunny medina lane leading to an arch, Fes el Bali

Fes el-Bali has no cars. Your guide walks it with you.

Fes el Bali

How a private day runs

From the first message to the drop-off at your door, one guide and one WhatsApp thread.

The evening before

We plan it with you

A short message about what you want: the great monuments, the tanneries, craft workshops, a day out to Volubilis. We shape the route around it and tell you honestly what fits in the day.

Morning

Your guide meets you at the door

Your guide or driver collects you from your riad inside the medina or your hotel in the Ville Nouvelle, or meets you at the blue gate of Bab Boujloud. No meeting point, no group to wait for.

On foot, at your pace

The medersas and the old city, explained

Fes el-Bali is a UNESCO World Heritage site where everything moves on foot, by handcart or by mule. Your guide takes you into the courtyards of the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine medersas, past the Nejjarine fountain and to the doors of the Qaraouiyine, founded in 859. You stop where you want and skip what you have seen.

Midday

The tanneries from a merchant's terrace, then the workshops

The Chouara tanneries are best seen from a leather merchant's terrace, a sprig of mint in hand. From there it is a short walk to working zellige, pottery and brass workshops. Introductions are made for you, with no pressure to buy a thing.

When you are ready

Back to your riad, unhurried

You finish when you want to. We walk or drive you home, or keep the same guide and driver with you across several days of your stay.

What the day includes, and who it suits

Included in every private day

  • A Fassi guide, a private English-speaking driver, or both, working only with your party
  • Pickup and drop-off at your riad in the medina or your hotel in the Ville Nouvelle
  • A pace set by you: linger at the tanneries, skip what you have already seen
  • A private vehicle with fuel, tolls and parking for any day trip out of Fes
  • Introductions to artisans, with no pressure to buy
  • Bottled water on board and WhatsApp support during your trip

Every private tour is quoted per group, not per head, so the more of you there are, the better the value. You get a written, itemised quote, and nothing is fixed until you approve it.

Who books a private day

Couples and small families. A private guide adapts to children, slow mornings and the heat, which a fixed group walk cannot.

Craft and culture travellers. Time inside working zellige, pottery and brass workshops, with someone to translate and real introductions.

First-timers in the medina. The lanes are genuinely disorienting. A Fassi guide turns the maze into a city you can read.

Repeat visitors. Skip the headline sights and go further: the Andalusian quarter, Sefrou, the Roman ruins of Volubilis.

Still shaping the trip? Read how many days to spend in Fes, the best time to visit or the medina highlights guide.

Fes el Bali spread through its valley under a blue sky, seen from the Merinid Tombs hill

Fes el-Bali, from the Merinid Tombs hill.

Fes el Bali from the Merinid Tombs

Private Fes tours: your questions

Cost, licensed guides, languages, hotel pickup and what to wear.

How much does a private Fes tour cost?
Private Fes tours are quoted per group rather than per person, so the price depends on the length of the day, whether you want a guide on foot or a private driver for a day trip, and your group size. We send a written, itemised quote and nothing is charged until you approve it. As a rule, a half-day medina walk costs less than a full day or a day trip.
What is the difference between a private Fes tour and a group tour?
A private tour is yours alone. Your guide or driver works only with your party, the route bends to what you want to see, and you set the pace. There is no pooled minibus, no fixed meeting point and no waiting on strangers. Group tours cost less per head but follow a set script; private tours suit couples, families and anyone who wants the medina explained properly.
Do I need a licensed guide for the Fes medina?
It is not legally required, but Fes el-Bali is a car-free maze of narrow lanes and getting lost is the norm rather than the exception. A licensed Fassi guide gets you into the medersas and up to the tannery terraces, handles the souks without the hard sell, and turns a confusing maze into a city you can read.
Can a private Fes tour include the tanneries and artisan workshops?
Yes. Our classic private day takes you through Fes el-Bali to the Chouara tanneries, seen from a leather merchant's terrace, and we can add visits to working zellige, pottery and brass artisans. Introductions are made for you and there is never any obligation to buy.
Can you arrange a private day trip from Fes?
Yes. With a private driver from Fes we run full-day trips to the Roman ruins of Volubilis and imperial Meknes, the blue city of Chefchaouen, and the countryside around Sefrou and the cave village of Bhalil. The vehicle is yours for the day, with fuel, tolls and parking included.
How far in advance should I book a private Fes tour?
A week or two is comfortable for most dates, and it lets us secure the right guide and vehicle. In spring and autumn, and during the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, the best guides book out further ahead. We can often arrange a private medina walk at shorter notice; message us and we'll tell you honestly what's possible.
What languages do your private Fes guides speak?
All our private tours run in English by default, and most of our guides and drivers also speak French and Arabic. Other languages can sometimes be arranged with notice; tell us what you need when you enquire.
Is hotel pickup included on a private Fes tour?
Yes. Every private tour includes door-to-door pickup from your riad inside the medina or your hotel in the Ville Nouvelle, and a drop-off at the end of the day. For day trips the private vehicle collects and returns you to your accommodation.
How long should I allow, and what should I wear?
A half day covers the medina's headline sights; a full day adds the tanneries and the artisans. Day trips run from morning to early evening. Wear comfortable shoes for the cobbled lanes and keep shoulders covered for the medersas and shrines.

Tell us your dates. We'll plan your private day 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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