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The marble courtyard of the Bou Inania madrasa, its carved facade and fountain basin

Bou Inania Madrasa, Fes · Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0

Things to do in Fes, and further out

Guides our team wrote to the sights of Fes: the madrasas, the souks and workshops, the quarters and the views from above. Then the Atlas, the Sahara and the Atlantic towns. Any of it can be a private or small-group day with us.

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  • Written by our Fes team
  • Private or small-group
  • A written quote for your dates

Madrasas, mosques and gates

The Marinid colleges you can walk into, the Qarawiyyin seen from its doors, the blue gate at Boujloud, and two museums in old merchant and palace buildings.

The courtyard arcade of the Bou Inania madrasa: carved stucco arches over zellige walls and cedar doorsFes el-Bali, on Talaa KebiraBou Inania MadrasaThe Marinid college you can walk into: marble court, cedar and stucco.Read the guideThe full courtyard of the Al-Attarine madrasa: marble fountain, zellige walls and carved cedar galleriesFes el-Bali, by the QarawiyyinAl-Attarine MadrasaA small Marinid madrasa in the spice souk, next to the Qarawiyyin.Read the guideThe carved cedar pavilion in the Qarawiyyin courtyard under a deep blue skyHeart of Fes el-BaliAl-QarawiyyinThe mosque and seat of learning at the heart of the medina, seen from its doors.Read the guideThe blue-tiled horseshoe arch of Bab Boujloud framing the minaret of the Bou Inania madrasa, FesWest gate of Fes el-BaliBab BoujloudThe blue gate most visitors walk through into Fes el-Bali.Read the guideThe courtyard of the Fondouk el-Nejjarine, cedar galleries on three floors above the old merchant stallsFes el-BaliNejjarine Museum and FondoukA merchants' inn of carved cedar, now a museum of wood with a rooftop.Read the guideThe arcaded courtyard of Dar Batha with its sunken zellige poolBy Bab BoujloudDar Batha MuseumFes blue ceramics in a 19th-century palace with an Andalusian garden.Read the 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, the hill above the medina.

Fes el Bali from the Merinid Tombs

Quarters, gardens and the views from above

The quiet Andalusian bank, the river at R'cif, the Mellah by the palace, the Jnan Sbil garden, and the hill and rooftops you see it all from.

The white tombs of Bab Ftouh cemetery and the medina beyond, seen from the Merinid TombsEast bank of Fes el-BaliThe Andalusian QuarterThe quiet east bank of Fes el-Bali, up to Bab Ftouh.Read the guideA narrow medina lane with shuttered shopfronts in warm late light, Fes el BaliLower Fes el-BaliBab R'cif and the riverA working square in the lower medina where the Oued Fes runs under the city.Read the guideOrnate carved balconies along Rue Bou Ksissat in the Fes MellahFes el-JdidThe MellahBalconied lanes and Jewish heritage beside the Royal Palace in Fes el-Jdid.Read the guideThe 16th-century Borj Sheikh Ahmed reflected in the Jnan Sbil pond at sunsetBetween the two old citiesJnan Sbil GardensA green pause between the two old cities, with a lake and a waterwheel.Read the guideThe Borj Nord fortress on the hill above the white roofs of Fes el BaliNorth hill above the medinaBorj Nord and the Merinid TombsThe hill above the medina, best at sunset.Read the guideRooftop terraces and houses of the Fes medina in bright sunAcross the medinaRooftops and terracesWhere to see the medina from above, and when the light is best.Read the guide

Souks, makers and Fes after dark

Which souk sells what, where the potters, coppersmiths and weavers work, the sacred music the city is known for, and what to do once the shops close.

Purple wool skeins and bright djellabas hanging along a souk lane in Fes el BaliFes el-BaliSouks and shoppingWhich market sells what, and how buying works in the medina.Read the guideCoppersmiths' cauldrons and pans stacked in the metalworkers' square of Fes el BaliFes el-Bali and the potters' quarterArtisans and craftsZellige, pottery, brass, cedar and looms: where the makers work.Read the guideMusicians in red kneeling with drums on Place Boujloud during the moussem, a dancer leaping in yellowAcross the citySacred music and festivalsThe June festival, Sufi nights and Andalusian song.Read the guideFes el Bali at blue hour, its lanes and minarets lit up beneath the dark hillsFes el-Bali and the hillsFes at nightSunset on the hill, Bab Boujloud lit up, dinner and a hammam.Read the guide

Before you go

What Fes is famous for, what each month's weather is like, and how to get on to Marrakech.

Rows of dye pits and white lime vats at the Chouara tannery, FesFes in one readWhat Fes is known forThe university, the tanneries, the madrasas and the food, in one read.Read the guideThe whole medina of Fes filling its valley below bare hillsMonth by monthFes weather by monthTen years of measured temperatures, rain and sun, month by month.Read the guideAn ONCF diesel locomotive and train at the Fes station platform in morning lightAbout 530 km by roadFes to MarrakechTrain, coach, flight or a car with a driver, and the stops on the way.Read the guide
Erg Chebbi dunes turning dusky red under a pale twilight sky

Erg Chebbi at dusk, a long day’s drive south of Fes.

Erg Chebbi, Merzouga

The Atlas and the Sahara

Cedar forests and a lake above Ifrane, the dunes at Merzouga, the Todra canyon, and the High Atlas villages and waterfalls nearer Marrakech.

Alpine-style pitched roofs and café terraces in the centre of IfraneMiddle AtlasIfraneThe alpine town of the Middle Atlas, its cedars and lakes.Read the guideA guide leading two camel riders across the golden dunes of Erg ChebbiErg Chebbi, eastern SaharaMerzougaThe Erg Chebbi dunes, a camel walk and a night in camp.Read the guidePalm groves of the Tinghir oasis below the earthen town and bare mountainsNear TinghirTodra GorgeA limestone canyon above the palm groves of Tinghir.Read the guideThe green Imlil valley from above, earth-built villages among walnut and poplar treesHigh AtlasImlilThe High Atlas village below Toubkal, for walks and treks.Read the guideThe stony riverbed and green slopes of the Ourika Valley under grey sky, a village on the hillsideHigh Atlas, near MarrakechOurika ValleyRiver cafés, waterfalls and Berber villages near Marrakech.Read the guideThe Ouzoud waterfalls dropping in several streams down red rock cliffsMiddle Atlas, near AzilalOuzoud FallsWaterfalls over red rock, boats at the base, macaques on the ledges.Read the guideA small camel caravan crossing the stony Agafay desert, the Atlas hazy on the horizonNear MarrakechAgafay DesertMarrakech's stone desert, with the Atlas on the horizon.Read the guide

Down to the Atlantic

Asilah's white ramparts, the surf at Taghazout, the walled souks of Taroudant, and the lagoon at Dakhla.

The white medina of Asilah above its sea ramparts at low tideNorth Atlantic coastAsilahA whitewashed town of murals on the Atlantic ramparts.Read the guideThe ochre ramparts of Taroudant behind a row of palm treesSouss valleyTaroudantThe walled market town of the Souss, inland from Agadir.Read the guideSurfers waiting for waves off the rocky point and beach at Taghazout on a grey dayNorth of AgadirTaghazoutMorocco's surf village, just north of Agadir.Read the guideA wide sandy beach on the Dakhla lagoon at low tideFar south, AtlanticDakhlaA lagoon where the Sahara meets the Atlantic, made for kitesurfing.Read the guide

Seen something you want to do? We'll fit it into your days.

  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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