Flight time
3h 30m
Best season
March–May & October–November
Budget
Budget
Best for
Medieval medina, authentic Morocco, food, architecture
Overview
Why Fez for a city break?
Fez is the world's largest living medieval city and one of the most extraordinary places on earth. The medina of Fez el-Bali — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 9,000 streets, 350 mosques, 200 foundouks (merchant inns) and the famous Chouara tanneries where leather has been dyed by hand using the same methods for a thousand years — is a complete medieval urban system still functioning as a living city. Where Marrakech has been smoothed for international visitors, Fez remains genuinely disorientating: a labyrinth so complex that even locals can get lost in its depths.
From London and several UK regional airports it's around three and a half hours — direct Ryanair and easyJet services make it one of Morocco's most accessible cities from the UK. Fez-Saïss Airport is 15km from the city centre (taxi, around 150 MAD fixed rate, under £12). Go in spring (March to May) or autumn (October to November): the heat in June to September can be extraordinary, and the medina's narrow streets offer little shelter. Fez is significantly less touristy than Marrakech — the prices are lower, the approaches from shopkeepers less aggressive, and the sense of discovery more acute.
Where to stay & explore
Fez's best neighbourhoods
Fez el-Bali (Old Medina)
The ancient medina — the largest medieval city in the world, entirely car-free (mules are the transport), a complete functioning medieval urban organism. Disorientating and extraordinary.
Fez el-Jdid (New Medina)
The 13th-century "new" medina — the Royal Palace with its extraordinary golden doors, the Mellah (Jewish quarter) and the covered food markets supplying the city.
Ville Nouvelle
The French colonial town west of the medinas — broad boulevards, excellent cafés, the best restaurants for non-Moroccan food and a comfortable base with easy medina access.
Things to do
What to see in Fez
1
Chouara Tanneries
The most photographed sight in Fez — the leather tanneries visible from the terraces of surrounding leather shops, where workers stand waist-deep in vats of pigeon dung (to soften the leather), saffron, poppy, indigo and henna, dyeing hides using methods unchanged for 900 years. The smell is extraordinary; the view from above, of workers in vats of vivid colour, is unforgettable. Access is through the leather shops whose terraces overlook the tanneries — purchase is not required but expected. Go in the morning when the light is best.
2
Bou Inania Madrasa
The finest example of Marinid architecture in Fez — a 14th-century Quranic school of extraordinary zellige tilework, carved plaster and cedar wood ceilings, built by Sultan Abou Inan between 1350 and 1355. The central courtyard with its marble fountain and the carved stucco panels above are among the finest examples of Islamic decorative art anywhere. Entry 20 MAD (under £2). The only madrasa in Fez that has remained in continuous religious use.
3
University of Al Quaraouiyine
The world's oldest continuously operating university — founded in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman, making it the oldest university in the world (by UNESCO and Guinness World Records). The university and its mosque are the spiritual heart of Fez; non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque but can see into the courtyard through the ornate doorways. The library (partially accessible) holds one of the finest collections of Islamic manuscripts in the world.
4
Borj Nord Museum & the view over Fez
The 16th-century fortified granary above the medina houses a weapons museum of modest interest — but the terrace above it gives the finest view of Fez: the medina spreading across the valley below, the minarets, the green-tiled rooftops, the surrounding hills. Best at dawn or dusk. The merinid tombs on the same hill are atmospheric ruins with equally extraordinary views.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Fez
Restaurant Nur
Modern Moroccan / Fez el-Bali
The most creative restaurant in Fez — chef Najat Kaanache's modern Moroccan cooking uses traditional ingredients and techniques in ways that feel entirely fresh. The bastilla (pigeon or seafood pastry) and the slow-cooked lamb dishes are extraordinary. In a restored riad in the medina. Book ahead; the only restaurant in Fez approaching fine dining.
Restaurant Dar Hatim
Traditional Fassi / local family cooking
The most authentic traditional cooking in Fez — a family riad kitchen serving the classic dishes of Fassi cuisine (Fez has its own distinct culinary tradition, more refined and complex than Marrakech): pastilla, mrouzia (lamb with almonds and raisins), couscous on Fridays. A fixed-price lunch in a beautiful courtyard. Book 24 hours ahead.
Café Clock
Cultural café / Fez el-Bali
A cultural café and community space in a restored house in the medina — camel burgers (genuinely excellent), Moroccan salads, excellent coffee, and a regular programme of Gnawa music, calligraphy workshops and storytelling evenings. The most accessible introduction to Fez's cultural life for visitors, and a reliable retreat from the medina's intensity.
Itinerary
3 days in Fez — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
Arrive, Bab Bou Jeloud, first steps into the medina
Fixed-rate taxi from Fez-Saïss Airport to the medina (around 150 MAD, under £12). Check into your riad — stay inside the medina for the full experience. Walk immediately to Bab Bou Jeloud (the Blue Gate) — the main entrance to Fez el-Bali, with its characteristic blue tiles on the exterior and green on the interior. Enter the Talaa Kebira, the main artery of the medina, and walk south: the Bou Inania Madrasa is on the right within the first 200 metres. Continue into the medina — get lost, find your way back, accept that this is the correct way to experience Fez. The Café Clock for lunch — camel burger and fresh juice. The Chouara Tanneries in the afternoon (morning light is better, but afternoon avoids the worst crowds) — follow the smell, find a leather shop terrace. Restaurant Nur for dinner if booked.
Day 2
Al Quaraouiyine, the Mellah, Borj Nord at sunset
The university quarter in the morning — the doorways and courtyards of Al Quaraouiyine (look in from the entrances), the Attarine Madrasa (the finest carved cedar ceiling in Fez, recently restored), the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts (a restored 18th-century fondouk around a fountain courtyard). The wood souks and the spice market adjacent. Lunch at Dar Hatim (booked 24 hours ahead) — the traditional Fassi fixed lunch in a riad courtyard. The Fez el-Jdid (new medina) in the afternoon: the Royal Palace golden doors from the outside, the Mellah Jewish quarter (the Hebrew cemetery, the preserved synagogue of Ibn Danan). Borj Nord at dusk for the panoramic view over Fez. Gnawa music evening at Café Clock.
Day 3
Pottery quarter, food market, one last mint tea
The pottery quarter (quartier des potiers) outside the medina walls — the largest pottery production centre in Morocco, with the kilns and hand-painting visible from early morning. The distinctive blue Fez pottery (faience) is the finest souvenir from the city; buy directly from the workshops. The covered food market of Bab Guissa in the north of the medina for the morning provisions — fresh bread, honey, argane oil, preserved lemons. Final mint tea on the Dar Hatim terrace or one of the rooftop cafés overlooking the medina. Taxi to the airport (150 MAD fixed rate).
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