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The arcaded courtyard of Dar Batha with its sunken zellige pool

Dar Batha, Fes · Photo: R Prazeres, CC BY-SA 4.0

Two museums, a palace and a caravanserai

A late-19th-century royal palace, reopened in February 2025 as the Al Batha Museum of Islamic Arts, and a caravanserai of 1711 that now holds a museum of carved wood. Two great interiors of Fes, a short walk apart, with a licensed guide.

Plan a museum morningSee the walk on the map
  • Private or small-group
  • Licensed Fassi guide
  • Opening days checked for your date

The walk, stop by stop

1.4 km on foot, about 21 minutes of walking between 3 stops, along the OpenStreetMap foot route. Half day, at your pace.

123باب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudمتحف البطحاءAl Batha museumفندق النجارينNejjarine museumمتحف البطحاءAl Batha museumباب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudفندق النجارينNejjarine museumمتحف البطحاءAl Batha museumباب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudمتحف البطحاءAl Batha museumفندق النجارينNejjarine museum

  1. Where the walk begins

    Where we meet, 1913

    Bab Boujloud باب أبي الجنود

    The tiled gate at the western end of Fes el-Bali: blue on its outer face, green on its inner face. Through the main arch you see the minarets of the Bou Inania madrasa and the Sidi Lazzaz mosque. Your guide meets you here, or at your riad door.

    More about Bab Boujloud

  2. 6 min on foot from Bab Boujloud, 410 m

    Royal palace, museum since 1915

    The Al Batha Museum متحف البطحاء

    A palace begun in the late 19th century by Moulay Hassan I and finished by Moulay Abdelaziz, who ruled from 1894 to 1908. It became a museum in 1915, and after a renovation reopened on 26 February 2025 as the Al Batha Museum of Islamic Arts. Its garden is laid out in four parts round a central fountain.

    More about Al Batha museum

  3. 15 min on foot from Al Batha museum, 1.0 km

    Fondouk of 1711

    The Nejjarine museum فندق النجارين

    A fondouk, an inn for merchants, built in 1711 under the Alaouite sultan Ismail. On 23 May 1998 it reopened as a museum of wood arts and crafts. Outside on the square is the Nejjarine fountain, added in the 19th century.

    More about Nejjarine museum

Why walk it with a guide

Private or small-group, planned around your date and your questions.

  • The best of Fes indoors

    Tiled courtyards, painted ceilings and carved cedar, seen slowly and explained by someone who knows how they were made.

  • Checked before you go

    Museum days and hours change. We check both museums for your date before we plan the walk.

  • Good for a hot day

    Two cool courtyards and a garden, and only about 1.4 km of walking between them.

Plan a museum morning

A person writes back with a plan and a quote. No prices online, no obligation.

Carved cedar balustrades and arches along an upper gallery of the Fondouk el-Nejjarine

Cedar carved by the carpenters whose square this was.

Fondouk el-Nejjarine, Fes

What we checked

Every date on this page, and where it comes from. Opening days and hours change, so we confirm them for your date.

More walks in the medina

Each one on its own OpenStreetMap route, each planned for you.

The long white arcade of Dar Batha with its zellige floor and cedar ceilingGuideDar BathaOur guide to the palace museum.Read the guideThe Nejjarine fountain: a zellige basin under a carved cedar and green-tiled canopy, FesGuideThe Nejjarine museumOur guide to the fondouk and its fountain.Read the guideBab Mahrouk, a crenellated rammed-earth gate block with a horseshoe arch and closed wooden doorsFull 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 belowLate 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 basinHalf 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 lanternsHalf dayThe Fes souk walkTalaa Kebira, the Henna souk, the Kissaria and the coppersmiths.See the walkA tanner treading hides in a pit at the Chouara tanneryLate 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 Kebira2 to 3 hours, morningFirst-day orientation walkThe landmarks, the two main streets and the way home.See the walk

Questions before you walk

The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.

Are the museums open every day?
Not always: opening days and hours change. We check both museums for your date before we confirm the plan.
How far apart are they?
About 1.4 km on foot along the OpenStreetMap route from Bab Boujloud, by way of Dar Batha to the Nejjarine fondouk.
Is Dar Batha the same as the Al Batha Museum?
Yes. Since its renovation, completed in 2025, the museum in Dar Batha is officially the Al Batha Museum of Islamic Arts.
How much does it cost?
We don't publish prices. Every walk is private or small-group and quoted for your date, your group and how long you want to stay out. Tell us and a person writes back with a plan and a quote.

Tell us your date. We'll check the museums.

  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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