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Fes el Bali at blue hour, its lanes and minarets lit up beneath the dark hills

The Fes medina after dark

When the workshops close, the medina changes. We start with the sunset over Fes el-Bali, walk down through Bab Boujloud to the lit food stalls, taste what Fassis snack on in the evening, and finish with dinner. A private evening with a licensed guide, who walks you back to your riad.

Plan an eveningSee the evening
  • Private or small-group
  • Licensed Fassi guide
  • Walked back to your riad
Fes el Bali. Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0

What the evening is about

Fewer workshops, more food, and the light on the hills.

The ruined arches of the Merinid Tombs above Fes at dusk
Merinid Tombs, Fes

Sunset over the medina

From the hill by the Merinid Tombs you see the whole of Fes el-Bali turn gold, then blue, as the lights come on.
Msemen and round loaves stacked in a lit bread stall in the Fes medina at night
Fes el Bali, Fes

The food stalls

Bread stalls stacked with msemen, fruit stands under bare bulbs, and the snacks Fassis buy on the way home.
A pastry stall at night in the Fes medina, trays of fried sweets under the lamp
Fes el Bali, Fes

Something sweet

Pastry stalls with trays of honey sweets under the lamp. Your guide knows which ones are fresh.
Riad rooftops in Fes el Bali bristling with satellite dishes at dusk
Fes el Bali

Dinner

In a riad or a restaurant your guide recommends, then a walk back through lanes most visitors never see at night.
Fes el Bali at blue hour, its lanes and minarets lit up beneath the dark hills

When the shutters come down, the medina belongs to the people who live there.

Fes el Bali

How the evening runs

About three to four hours. Later in summer, earlier in winter.

Before sunset

Up to the Merinid Tombs

A short drive to the hill above the medina to watch the light change.

Dusk

Down through Bab Boujloud

Into the medina by its best-known gate as the lamps come on.

Evening

Along Talaa Kebira

Stalls, snacks and the evening crowd on the medina's main street.

Dinner

Sit down and eat

A Fassi dinner, then your guide walks you back to your riad door.

Make a day of it

The evening walk pairs well with a daytime tour.

A tanner treading hides in a pit at the Chouara tanneryHalf or full dayThe medina by dayMadrasas, souks and the Chouara tannery with a guide.See the tourTrays of green, black and red olives at an olive stall in the Fes medinaHalf dayFes food tourA tasting walk through Fes el-Bali.See the tourA tiled lane of the Kissaria market in Fes el Bali hung with red lanternsGuideFes at nightOur guide to evenings in the city.Read the guide

Evening questions

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

Is the Fes medina safe at night?
The main streets stay busy into the evening, and many side lanes go quiet. With a guide who knows the way, an evening walk is relaxed and easy. Your guide walks you back to your riad at the end.
What time does the evening walk start?
Shortly before sunset, so the time changes with the season: later in summer, earlier in winter. We set it for your date.
Is dinner included?
We plan the dinner with you: in your riad, or in a restaurant your guide recommends. It is all in your written quote.
Can we do it during Ramadan?
Yes, and the evenings are especially lively then. We start after the sunset meal and plan the walk around iftar.
How much does it cost?
We don't publish prices. The evening is private or small-group and quoted for your date and group.

Tell us your evening. We'll plan it.

  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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