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The blue-tiled outer face of Bab Boujloud: three horseshoe arches under a crenellated top, two minarets seen through the main arch

Bab Boujloud, Fes · Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0

Your first day in the Fes medina

The walk that makes the rest of your stay easy: down Talaa Kebira from Bab Boujloud, past the Henna souk and the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II, to the Qarawiyyin and the coppersmiths of Seffarine. Your guide shows you the landmarks, the two main streets and how to get back to your riad on your own.

Plan my first morningSee the walk on the map
  • Private or small-group
  • Licensed Fassi guide
  • Starts from your riad door

The walk, stop by stop

1.4 km on foot, about 21 minutes of walking between 6 stops, along the OpenStreetMap foot route. 2 to 3 hours, morning, at your pace.

123456باب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudساحة الصفارينPlace Seffarineالمدرسة البوعنانيةBou Inania madrasaباب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudسوق الحناءHenna soukالمدرسة البوعنانيةBou Inania madrasaضريح المولى إدريس الثانيZawiya of Moulay Idris IIسوق الحناءHenna soukجامع القرويينThe Qarawiyyinضريح المولى إدريس الثانيZawiya of Moulay Idris IIساحة الصفارينPlace Seffarineجامع القرويينThe Qarawiyyinباب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudالمدرسة البوعنانيةBou Inania madrasaسوق الحناءHenna soukضريح المولى إدريس الثانيZawiya of Moulay Idris IIجامع القرويينThe Qarawiyyinساحة الصفارينPlace Seffarine

  1. Where the walk begins

    Your landmark, 1913

    Bab Boujloud باب أبي الجنود

    The tiled gate at the western end of Fes el-Bali, and the point beyond which cars generally cannot go. Inside it, Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira, the two main streets, lead down towards the Qarawiyyin. Learn them and you can always find your way out.

    More about Bab Boujloud

  2. 2 min on foot from Bab Boujloud, 140 m

    Your first madrasa

    Bou Inania المدرسة البوعنانية

    A few steps down Talaa Kebira, the madrasa built for Abu Inan Faris between 1350 and 1355. Its minaret is one you will learn to spot over the roofs.

    More about Bou Inania madrasa

  3. 13 min on foot from Bou Inania madrasa, 850 m

    Off Talaa Kebira

    The Henna souk سوق الحناء

    A small tree-shaded square, historically called the Souq el-Henna, beside the old Maristan of Sidi Frej: a quiet place to stop and get your bearings.

  4. 1 min on foot from Henna souk, 90 m

    The heart of the medina

    Zawiya of Moulay Idris II ضريح المولى إدريس الثاني

    The shrine of Idris II, who ruled from 807 to 828. Non-Muslims cannot go in, but can walk to its doors and around it. Your guide explains the shrine and how to pass it respectfully.

    More about Zawiya of Moulay Idris II

  5. 2 min on foot from Zawiya of Moulay Idris II, 150 m

    Founded 857 or 859

    The Qarawiyyin جامع القرويين

    The great mosque of Fes el-Bali, by tradition founded by Fatima al-Fihri. Its doorways open onto the lanes all round it.

    More about the Qarawiyyin

  6. 2 min on foot from the Qarawiyyin, 160 m

    Where we finish

    Place Seffarine ساحة الصفارين

    The coppersmiths' square, on the south side of the Qarawiyyin. From here your guide shows you the way back up to Bab Boujloud, or walks you home.

    More about Place Seffarine

Why walk it with a guide

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

  • The medina, made readable

    Fes el-Bali is a maze to anyone new. One morning with a guide gives you its spine: the gates, the two main streets and the landmarks you can steer by.

  • Ask anything

    Where to eat, what to pay for a taxi, how to say no politely, when the mosques call to prayer. Your guide answers the questions a book can't.

  • Then explore alone

    We finish by showing you the way back, so the rest of your stay is yours.

Plan my first morning

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

A green-tiled minaret and the dense medina of Fes rising behind

By lunchtime the maze has a shape, and you know your way home.

Fes el Bali

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.

A souk lane under a slatted cedar roof, textile shops on both sides, Fes el BaliJournalHow not to get lost in the medinaIs the Fes medina overwhelming? What helps.Read the articleFood stalls along a covered lane of the Fes medina, olives and sweets in glass countersJournalDo you need a guide in Fes?When a guide helps, and when you can go alone.Read the articleBab 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 walkThe arcaded courtyard of Dar Batha with its sunken zellige poolHalf 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 tanneryLate afternoonGolden-hour photo walkJnan Sbil to the Chouara tannery, paced for photographs.See the walk

Questions before you walk

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

Is this a good first thing to book?
Yes, it is made for your first morning. You learn the main streets and landmarks, so the rest of your stay is easier on your own.
Can the guide pick us up from our riad?
Yes. Your guide meets you at your riad door, wherever it is in the medina, and can walk you back at the end.
How long is it?
About 1.4 km of walking along the OpenStreetMap route, in two to three hours with stops and questions.
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 when you arrive. We'll meet you at the door.

  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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