8 Best things to do in Fes – Morocco
By Pete | May 2022
If you are looking for some of the best Spots to explore in Fes then you really have to look no further than this! Below we list the 8 Best things to do in Fes – Morocco along with some of our favourite places to eat and where we stayed.
I last visited Morocco back in 2016 for a 3 week itinerary which me made me fall in love with the country and people but one place that didn’t make it to our list before due to time restrictions was Fes so we just knew we had to come back! and we are so glad we did.
Fes is by far oldest of Morocco’s imperial cities and was founded in 789. Fes used to be the capital of Morocco, but it lost its status in the 16th century. After that, Marrakech then became the new capital of Morocco followed on by Rabat.
There is plenty of history to see on every street in Fes and this UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to the oldest and largest medina in Northern Africa. So Keep reading and soon it will be time for you to get lost down all of those hundreds of magical back streets exploring the traditional souks.
Where to stay in Fes
We stayed at two places on our trip to Fes and highly recommend them both equally, each offering different experiences we had to try out both.
For the first part of our trip we booked this cute little guest house on Airbnb:
For the second part of our trip we stayed with the Luxurious Palais Houyam
Best Places to eat
Being big foodies we always search out the best places to eat when we travel so heres a few ideas for you to try that we highly recommend
The Ruined Garden
Riad Fes
Cafe Clock
How to get around Fes
Fes is situated around 15km from the nearest airport so it is nice and quick to get to the city after your flight, if you are staying within the medina you can access everywhere by foot if you like a walk. The city is well connected with local buses and trains however we only used taxis, to get to and from the airport and for a 3 city tour which we go through a little more below.
8 best things to do in Fes – Morocco
1. Chouara Tannery
The first of our 8 best places to see in Fes – Morocco is the famous Chouara Tannery. Here you can see how the locals have been making leather goods that are exported world wide, these tanneries have been operational since the city was first founded and have not changed a whole lot since.
Besides the tanneries you can go through the shops where the shop keepers will welcome you inside with tea with the hope you buy something. if you don’t purchase anything, in return for a small payment normally you can go up to a viewpoint to see the tannery in action. We did because i always purchase something to remember a new place by. But do not ever feel pressured to do so!
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2. Walking tour of Fes Medina
Some of the best ways to see a new place is by foot, there are so many places to book a walking tour. if we get on with our hotel or guest house and they have a good knowledge and speak ok english we tend to book in house, with a place like Fez i recommend a tour like this so you really get a better insight and history lesson.
3. Jardin Jnan Sbil
For some peace and quiet that you probably are in much need of after the hustle and bustle of the medina head to the main medina entrance, Bab Boujloud and the gardens are just a short walk away they are very well landscaped and are the perfect place to escape for s little picnic to hide from the midday heat.
4. A day trip to Volubilis
On this day trip you travel west from Fez to the ancient ruins of Volubilis, it was once the capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. Volubilis was inhabited from around the 3rd Century to the 11th century and was ruled by The roman empire before being captured by the local berber tribes in the 3rd century.
Volubilis is now a UNESCO World heritage site and costs 70 dirhams to enter per person, it is worth the cost as it is one of the most amazing things to do in and around Fez, especially if you like to see ancient history, some of the level of detail and intricate tile work is truly amazing to see with your own eyes. make sure to take cash with you as we had to borrow from our taxi driver which luckily he had it to lend..
What speaks to the great wealth of the city is its amazing amount of mosaics, many still in situ at once luxurious villas.
5. Grande Porte Bab Boujeloud
The Grand Porte Bab Boujeloud is the gateway to the western side of the medina, it might surprise you but for such an old city this gate was built quite recently in 1913 during the french conquest. The gate looks so beautiful as it is decorated in blue Fassi tilework.
Cars are not permitted past this gate so it’s time to explore the 9000 alleys by foot. You may however see the odd donkey walking around carrying building materials instead of the vans you are used to though
6. Watching the sunset over Fes – The Marinid Tombs
For some of the best views over Fez head up to the Mainid Tombs, in our opinion the best time of the day is sunset here.
At the top of the steep hill you will find the 16th century fortress you’ll find a 16th-century fortress and museum, After you have finished in the museum, you can keep heading up to the scattered tombs. from here you can take in the best views for sunset. Before we visited we were reading that it can be unsafe for tourists as there is quite a high mugging rate at night, however we didn’t see anything like this and walked both ways. just be aware and maybe do not go alone.
7. Take a traditional cooking class
As we are big foodies, one of our favourite things to do whilst travelling is do a local/traditional cooking class. as we always like to collect something from our trips and this used to be art, the ability to recreate some of our favourite dishes quickly took over from that.
Whilst in Fez we decided to do a cooking class with our first guest house called RIAD DAR ARSAMA . Violeta first took us to the local market to choose our produce for our selected dishes then we were introduced to the chef and Adils sister to cook our Favourite dishes. a personal fav of mine was the moroccan meatballs.
8. Visit a traditional Hammam
in our opinion the best way to relax after exploring the medina is go and have a traditional spa/Hammam. A hammam is a traditional steam bath that uses elements of massage and scrubbing that when done correctly will leave you feeling fresh and relaxed. The hammam goes back to the Roman empire and are used to this current day in many places. Hammams are used by all classes to unwind and remove old skin leaving themselves feeling rejuvenated. We didn’t take any photos at our choice as we didnt want to ruin anyone else’s experience but below we have listed the top 5 in Fes
- Riad Fes
- Hammam Mernissi
- Le Spa du Palais Faraj
- Spa Laaroussa
- Les Bains Amani
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