Fez is the spiritual and artisan capital of Morocco, and its heart, Fes el-Bali, is the largest car-free urban area in the world — a labyrinth of some 9,000 lanes, workshops and hidden squares behind medieval walls. Instead of cars, it's handcarts and laden mules that rattle through the alleys.
Behind plain doors hide dazzling courtyards, Quranic schools and the steaming vats of ancient tanneries. It's a city built for getting lost: follow the scent of spices and fresh leather, and let the muezzin's call carry you back through time.
Enter through Bab Bou Jeloud and lose yourself in Fes el-Bali, stopping at the Bou Inania Madrasa and the gates of Al-Qarawiyyin. Wind down through the souks to the Chouara tanneries, then eat a pastilla on a rooftop as the light fades.
Start at the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and the Al-Attarine Madrasa, then browse the coppersmiths and weavers of the medina. In the afternoon cross to Fes el-Jdid for the Royal Palace gates and the Mellah.
Climb to the Merenid Tombs at either end of the day for the classic panorama over the medina. With more time, take a half-day trip to the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the whitewashed holy town of Moulay Idriss, or the ceramic workshops on the city's edge.
The city's largest medieval tannery, a honeycomb of stone vats where hides are still cured and dyed by hand as they were 1,000 years ago. Climb to a leather shop's terrace for the view, and take the sprig of mint they hand you against the pungent smell.
Founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, it is widely considered the oldest continuously operating university in the world, with a library to match. Non-Muslims can't enter the prayer hall, but you can admire the tiled courtyard and gates from the surrounding lanes.
A 14th-century Marinid theological college and the grandest in Fez, layered in carved cedar, stucco and zellij tile. It's one of the few religious buildings in the medina open to non-Muslim visitors, so step inside for the courtyard.
The grand horseshoe-arch gateway into Fes el-Bali, tiled blue on the outside and green on the inside. It's the classic entrance to the medina and the meeting point where the two main artery streets begin.
Ruined Marinid-era tombs on a hillside north of the medina, less about the crumbling walls than the panorama. Come at dusk to watch the whole labyrinth of Fes el-Bali glow gold and hear the call to prayer rise from a thousand rooftops.
The medina is one vast market, but the Attarine souk around the spice sellers is the most atmospheric, heaped with cumin, saffron, dates and pyramids of olives. Follow your nose past the coppersmiths and the henna square as you go.
The ancient walled medina and the heart of Fez, a car-free maze of some 9,000 lanes, workshops and hidden squares. Base yourself in a restored riad to wake up in the middle of the world's largest car-free zone.
The 'new' Fez laid out in the 13th century, home to the Royal Palace's golden gates and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter with its distinctive balconied houses. Quieter than the main medina and easy to pair with it.
The French-built new town, with wide boulevards, cafés and modern hotels a short taxi ride from the medina. Handy for the train station, evening drinks and a break from the labyrinth.
The area around Place Batha and, across the river, the Andalous quarter settled by refugees from Córdoba. Calmer lanes, the Nejjarine and Batha museums and some of the medina's best rooftop views.
The slow-cooked stew that shares its name with the conical clay pot it steams in. In Fez, try it lamb with prunes and almonds, or chicken with preserved lemon and olives.
A sweet-savoury pie of shredded poultry (traditionally pigeon) layered in crackling warqa pastry and dusted with cinnamon and sugar. It's the celebration dish of Fez and unmissable here.
A hearty tomato, lentil and chickpea soup finished with fresh herbs, eaten to break the fast in Ramadan but served year-round. Order it with dates and a sticky chebakia pastry.
Gunpowder green tea brewed with fresh spearmint and a heavy hand of sugar, poured from height into small glasses. Refusing a glass is near-impossible — it's the ritual of every welcome and every sale.
Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are ideal, with warm days, cool evenings and blossom or harvest in the surrounding hills. Summer is fierce and dry, often above 38°C in the medina, while winter is chilly and can be wet but keeps the crowds away.
Fes el-Bali is entirely car-free, so you explore on foot and simply accept that getting lost is part of it — handcarts and mules are the only traffic. Petits taxis (metered reds) link the medina to the Ville Nouvelle and train station, and hiring a local guide for the first day saves hours of backtracking.
A realistic daily budget per person, in three styles.
Fez offers a range of options to suit different travel budgets.
