📍 Destination Overview
Fez, Morocco's oldest city and one of the Islamic world's best-preserved medieval cities, charms in its UNESCO old town of over nine thousand lanes still traversed by mule. It holds the first university, Al-Quaraouiyine, ancient colleges, mosques and the Chouara tanneries, air rich with leather and spice. Its pottery, leather, copper and carpet crafts are unrivalled.
🏰 Location
Inland Morocco
🗓️ Best Season
Mar-Jun & Sep-Nov
🕐 Time Difference
7-8h behind Beijing
💰 Currency / Language
Dirham (MAD) / Arabic, French
🕐 Suggested Duration
2-3 days
🔌 Outlet / Voltage
Type C/E · 220V
☀️ Best Time to Visit & Climate
🌸 Spring: Mar–Jun
Blooms & mild.
🍂 Autumn: Sep–Nov
Great to walk.
January
🌤️
15°/5°
February
🌤️
17°/6°
March
🌸
19°/8°
Best
April
🌸
21°/10°
Best
May
🌸
25°/13°
Best
June
☀️
29°/16°
Best
July
☀️
34°/19°
August
☀️
34°/20°
September
🍂
30°/17°
Best
October
🍂
24°/13°
Best
November
🌦️
19°/9°
Best
December
🌤️
16°/6°
📷 Top Attractions
More Attractions →
Bab Boujloud
Bab Boujloud is the most famous entrance to Fes Medina. Built in 1913, this exquisite gate features cobalt blue tiles on the outside and green tiles on the inside — Fes's most iconic landmark and the gateway to one of the world's oldest medinas. A beautiful Moorish arch with cobalt blue zellige tiles outside (Fes's color) and green inside (Islam's color). Passing through enters the Fes Medina — the world's largest car-free urban area with over 9,000 narrow alleys, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cafes on both sides offer rest and views. Visiting to pass through the most magnificent gate into the old Medina is a stunning Fes experience.
Historic Ruins & Heritage
No.2 Fes
Medina of Fez
The Fès Médina is the world's largest car-free medieval city; its tangled lanes hide the al-Karaouine university and Chouara tannery. Dye pits, coppersmiths and madrasas layer upon layer — Morocco's oldest, most labyrinthine living museum, every step a return to a thousand-year-old street life. After dark the lane lamps and spice scents mingle; the clang of leather and copper keeps the old city vividly alive.
Old Town & Historic District
No.3 Fes
University of Al Quaraouiyine
The al-Karaouine mosque and university was founded in 859 and is recognised as the world's oldest continuously operating degree-granting institution. Its courtyards, library and madrasas in the Fès Médina are the living heart of Islamic scholarship and manuscript civilisation — proof of a millennium of learning.
University & Campus
Chouara Tannery
The Chouara Tannery is Fès's most famous leather workshop; terraced vats filled with natural dyes have tanned and coloured hides here for over a millennium. From the surrounding terraces the colourful pits are the old city's most vivid, photogenic scene, thick with the old scent of leather and plant dyes.
Old Town & Historic District
No.5 Fes
Royal Palace of Fez
The Royal Palace of Fes (Dar El Makhzen), in the centre of Fes el-Jdid (the new city), covers some 80 hectares and is one of the king of Morocco's official residences. It began in the 13th century under the Merenid dynasty. The palace interior is not open to the public, but visitors can admire its signature gilded Andalusian-style gateway at Place des Alaouites - seven brass doors of varying sizes with intricate brasswork, geometric patterns, mosaic tiling and white marble columns - one of the most photogenic spots in Fes.
Castle & Fortress
No.6 Fes
Medersa Bou Inania de Fes
The Bou Inania Madrasa (Medersa Bou Inania) on the Talaa Kebira main street of the Fes old town was built by the Merenid sultan Bou Inan between 1350 and 1357. It is one of Fes's finest theological colleges and the only Quranic school built in the style of a mosque with its own minaret. The courtyard is lavishly decorated with blue-green zellige tiles, carved cedar wood and stucco pendants, and is regarded as the pinnacle of Fes's Islamic architecture and craftsmanship.
University & Campus
🎯 Fes Experiences
Labyrinth walk
Through the 9,000 lanes.
Tannery view
The dye pits from above.
Serene courtyard
A quiet medersa.
Souk treasure
Find a craft souvenir.
Fes is best in March–June and September–November, when the climate is mild and the ochre city glows under gentle light; midsummer is hot and the labyrinth exhausting. Spend one or two days roaming Fès el-Bali among the 9,000 lanes and old gates — past Al-Quaraouiyine and the carved Bou Inania medersa, over the Chouara Tannery's dye pits, and into souks of carpets, pottery and brass. Mules and donkeys still work the alleys, and a guide saves you from the maze. Older and more authentic than Marrakech, and reasonably priced, Fes is an unmissable window into Morocco's millennial heritage. Incense, leather and lively market din give Fes its unique breath.
🚌 Transport & Stays
City Transport
✈️varies
Flight
Fès–Saïss Airport
varies
🚄varies
High-speed rail
To Casablanca & Marrakech
varies
🚗varies
Car / taxi
To medina & region
varies
Recommended Stay Areas
🕌 Medina riads
Immerse in history
🏨 Ville Nouvelle
Modern & convenient
Free Consultation
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