09:30
Pottery & zellige cooperative
Drive to the potters' quarter on the city edge. Watch wheel-throwing, glazing and the painstaking hand-cutting of zellige mosaic.
Fes, Morocco· Concierge · Mon–Sat · 09:00–18:00 GMT+1
Henna Souk, Fes · Photo: Robert Prazeres, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fes artisan workshops: zellige, pottery and brass
This is a full day behind the showroom, in the workshops where Fes still makes things by hand. You watch zellige tiles cut at the Aïn Nokbi cooperative, blue pottery thrown and fired, and brass hammered in Place Seffarine, then meet a master weaver. Private or small-group for 1–6 travellers, custom-quoted.
- Full day from Fes
- Private or small-group
- Planned and run from Fes
What the day is
A full day inside the workshops that made Fes famous — the zellige tile cooperative at Aïn Nokbi, the blue-pottery kilns, and the hammering brass quarter of Place Seffarine.
Fes has been the craft capital of Morocco for over a thousand years, and most of its great trades are still practised by hand exactly as they were. This day takes you behind the showroom and into the workshops themselves, with the artisans who do the work.
We start at the Aïn Nokbi pottery and zellige cooperative on the edge of the city, where you'll watch tiles being hand-cut and chipped into the geometric mosaics that cover every great Moroccan building, and see the cobalt-blue Fassi pottery turned, glazed and fired. After lunch we head into the medina to the copper-and-brass quarter of Place Seffarine, where the ringing of hammers fills the square.
- How long
- Full day
- Starts and ends
- Fes
- Group
- 1–6 travellers, private or small-group
- Pace
- Easy
- Languages
- English, French, Arabic
Place Seffarine, the coppersmiths' square, under its plane tree.
Place Seffarine, FesHow the day runs
A typical running order. Times shift with your pace, the season and the day of the week.
11:30
Hands at the wheel
Try throwing a simple bowl and chipping a zellige star under a master's eye.
13:00
Lunch in the medina
Casual artisan-quarter lunch before the afternoon.
14:30
Brass at Place Seffarine
The ringing square of the brass and copper beaters, then a master weaver's loom in the kissaria.
16:30
Drop-off
Return to your riad with anything you commissioned arranged for shipping.
What's included
In your quote
Local English-speaking guide for the day; all listed entrance fees and workshop visits; meals and tastings as noted in the itinerary; meeting point at your riad or a medina gate; bottled water; and whatsApp support on the day.
Not in it
International flights to/from Morocco; travel insurance (we recommend a provider); alcoholic drinks and personal shopping; optional activities marked “add-on” in your quote; and tips for driver, guides and camp staff.
What to bring
Comfortable walking shoes (medina cobblestones); layers — even desert nights can drop to 5°C; sun hat, sunglasses, SPF 30+; modest cover-up for mosques and conservative areas; reusable water bottle (we refill on the road); and adaptor for Type C/E plugs (220V).
Places on this trip
Fes. Each has its own guide.
Private or small-group
Private means just you and the people you travel with, your own guide and your own pace, on the dates you choose.
Or ask us about a small-group date and share the day with a few other travellers (1–6 travellers). The route is the same.
Every itinerary is a starting point. Add a stop, slow a day down or change the start, and we send a revised quote, agreed in writing before any deposit.
No deposit to receive a quote. A person in Fes reads your request and writes the plan, and we stay on WhatsApp while you travel.
Before you knock
The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.
Is "Fes Artisan Workshops" private or a group tour?
Your choice: private or small-group. Book it privately (just you and the people you travel with, your own guide and pace) or ask us about a small-group date. Every trip is custom-quoted.
Can I change the dates or itinerary?
Yes. Every itinerary is a starting point. Add a day, swap a riad, change the start city — we'll send a revised custom quote, agreed in writing before any deposit.
How fit do I need to be?
Easy. Light walking on medina cobblestones, plus optional activities you can opt in or out of on the day.
When should I book?
For high season (Oct–Apr) and any trip involving the Sahara or hot-air balloon, book 8–12 weeks ahead. Last-minute (under 14 days) is usually still possible with a phone call.
Other trips from Fes
Pair it with another day, or make it part of a longer trip.
Fes el-Bali Medina & TanneriesBab Boujloud, the Qaraouiyine, Bou Inania and the tanneries, on foot.See the plan
Fes Food TourBissara, maakouda, msemen and pastries, grazed through Fes el-Bali.See the plan
Volubilis & Meknes Day TripRoman Volubilis, holy Moulay Idriss and imperial Meknes in a day.See the plan
Sefrou & the Fes CountrysideSefrou's old medina and waterfall, and the cave homes of Bhalil.See the plan
Fes Spiritual & Andalusian QuarterThe Andalusian quarter, its great mosque and the zawiyas.See the plan
Chefchaouen Day Trip from FesThrough the Rif to the blue medina, about four hours each way.See the planSend your dates and who's coming. We'll write the plan.
- Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
- A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
- You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.