Fes Morocco: The Complete Imperial City Guide (2026)

Fes (also spelled Fez) is Morocco’s oldest imperial city and home to Fes el Bali, the largest car-free urban area in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in the 9th century, it’s home to the Al Quaraouiyine, widely considered the oldest continuously operating university on Earth, and a medina so dense with 9,000+ narrow alleys that most visitors need a guide just to avoid getting lost.

This guide covers what to do, whether it’s worth the trip, how to get there, and what makes Fes different from Marrakech and Morocco’s other imperial cities.

⚡ Quick Answer

Is Fes Worth Visiting?

Yes — Fes has Morocco’s largest and oldest medina, the world’s oldest tannery still in operation, and the country’s most authentic (least touristy) souks. Most travelers spend 2 nights. It’s reached from Marrakech by train (7h direct, or fly) or Casablanca (4h by train). Top add-on: the Chouara Tannery viewpoint and Fes el Jdid’s Royal Palace gates.

Detail	Info
Best time to visit	March–May, September–November
Recommended stay	2 nights minimum
From Marrakech	7 hours by ONCF train, or 1h flight
From Casablanca	4 hours by ONCF train
Must-do	Chouara Tannery viewpoint, Al Quaraouiyine, Bab Boujloud

Fes el Bali: The Medina

Fes el Bali is the walled old city and the reason travelers come to Fes — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, and by most measures the largest contiguous car-free urban zone in the world. Over 9,000 alleyways wind through the medina, so dense and unmapped that goods are still moved by hand cart and pack mule, not trucks. Unlike Marrakech’s medina, Fes el Bali isn’t built for easy tourist navigation — most first-time visitors hire a licensed guide for at least the first half-day, both to avoid getting lost and to actually understand what they’re looking at.

The medina is entered through Bab Boujloud, the ornate blue-and-green tiled “Blue Gate” that’s become the unofficial symbol of the city. From there, the main thoroughfare (Talaa Kebira) runs downhill through the souks toward the historic center.

Best Things to Do in Fes

Chouara Tannery — the most photographed sight in Fes: dozens of stone dye-pits arranged like a giant paint palette, where leather has been tanned and dyed by hand using the same methods since medieval times. Viewed from surrounding leather-shop terraces (a small tip is customary); bring something to cover your nose, the smell is strong.
Al Quaraouiyine University and Mosque — founded in 859 CE, recognized by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as the oldest existing, continually operating university in the world. Non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque itself, but the exterior gates and surrounding streets are worth seeing.
Bab Boujloud (the Blue Gate) — Fes el Bali’s main entrance, blue tiles facing outward (toward the new city) and green tiles facing inward (the color of Islam, facing the medina).
Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts — a restored 18th-century caravanserai (merchant inn) with a rooftop café overlooking the medina.
Fes el Jdid and the Royal Palace gates — the “new” city (still 700+ years old), home to the Royal Palace’s massive brass-decorated gates — you can’t enter, but the gates themselves are a major sight.
The Mellah (Jewish Quarter) — one of Morocco’s oldest Jewish quarters, with distinctive balconied architecture unlike the rest of the medina.
Borj Nord viewpoint — a 16th-century fortress on the hills above the medina with the best panoramic photo spot over the entire old city.

How to Get to Fes

Fes has its own airport (Fes-Saïss) with limited direct international routes, so most travelers arrive overland. The ONCF train network connects Fes directly to Casablanca (about 4 hours), Rabat (about 3.5 hours), and Marrakech (about 7 hours, sometimes requiring a change). For the full route-by-route breakdown from Marrakech, see our Marrakech to Fes train guide.

Top-Rated Tours & Experiences

Where to Stay in Fes

Staying inside Fes el Bali in a traditional riad is the classic choice — many are converted merchant houses with interior courtyards that give no hint from the street of what’s inside. It also means arriving with light luggage, since cars can’t reach most riad doors and porters carry bags in by hand cart. Travelers who prefer easier access sometimes choose the Ville Nouvelle (new city) instead, trading atmosphere for convenience.

Best Time to Visit Fes

Spring (March–May) and fall (September–November) are ideal — Fes sits inland and gets noticeably hotter than coastal cities in summer, regularly exceeding 35°C in July and August, while the medina’s narrow, shaded alleys stay cooler than the exposed Ville Nouvelle. Winter is mild but can be damp; the cobblestone alleys get slippery when wet.