4 Days in Fes: Medina, Tanneries & a Day Trip to Meknes

Morning

Check into your riad in the medina — ideally near Bab Bou Jeloud, the ornate blue gate that marks the medina entrance. Give yourself an hour to walk Talaa Kebira, the main artery, without a plan. You will get lost. That is fine. The first half of your first afternoon is exactly this.

Afternoon

Join a guided walk of the northern medina: the Bou Inania Madrasa (14th-century carved stucco and cedar that should stop you cold), the Nejjarine Fountain and Wood Museum, and a loop through the brass-smiths’ souk where the tapping never quite stops.

Evening

Dinner on a riad rooftop. Pastilla — the sweet-savoury pigeon pie — is the Fes signature dish. Order it here, not in Marrakech.

Morning

The Chouara tanneries are best before 10 am when the light is clean and the workers are active. Dozens of shops surrounding the tannery offer a terrace view — accept the mint sprigs they hand you, the smell is sharp. Watch the men treading hides in the honeycomb vats of saffron, poppy and indigo dye. Budget 45–60 minutes; there is genuine craft to watch.

Afternoon

Walk south to the Zaouia of Moulay Idriss II — non-Muslims cannot enter but can stand at the threshold and look in. Then the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university complex, founded in 859 CE and considered the world's oldest continuously operating university. The library is occasionally open to researchers; the courtyard views are accessible from adjacent lanes. End at the Andalusian Mosque quarter, quieter and less visited.

Evening

Street food evening: bissara (fava bean soup), msemen (flaky flatbread), and kefta skewers around the Rcif neighbourhood. Budget 50–80 MAD per person.

Morning

Meknes is 60 km west of Fes — roughly 55 minutes by shared taxi (grand taxi from Bab Bou Jeloud area, indicative 30–40 MAD per seat) or a private car. The city was Morocco's imperial capital under Sultan Moulay Ismail in the 17th century. Bab Mansour, the colossal triumphal gate, is the image most people carry home. The medina here is half the size of Fes and far less tourist-trafficked — explore freely without a guide.

Afternoon

Drive 30 km north from Meknes to Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman ruins in Morocco. The site sits on a hilltop above the Meknes plain; walk the decumanus maximus between triumphal arch and Capitol, and look for the mosaic floors still lying open to the sky — a Dionysus scene, hunting scenes, the Labours of Hercules. Entry is 70 MAD (indicative, 2026). Allow 90 minutes minimum. Return to Fes by late afternoon.

Evening

Riad dinner or try one of the uphill restaurants near Fes Jdid (the newer royal city quarter adjacent to the medina) for a change of scene.

Morning

Dedicate the morning to the artisan quarter you missed: the dyers' souk (Souk Sabbighin), potters' alley near the Andalusian quarter, or the leather goods market south of Chouara. If you haven't bought anything yet, Day 4 is the day — you have calibrated prices by now. Expect to haggle; opening prices are typically 2–3x the expected sale price.

Afternoon

Cross into Fes Jdid: the Mellah (former Jewish quarter) has the 15th-century Ibn Danan Synagogue (one of Morocco's oldest) and a distinctive covered souk. The Royal Palace (Dar el-Makhzen) has spectacular gilded bronze gates you can photograph from outside. End with the Batha Museum, housed in a 19th-century palace, for an overview of Fassi decorative arts: zellige tiles, carved wood, embroidery.

Evening

Last night: mint tea on a riad terrace and an early night if you are heading onwards. Fes Ville Nouvelle has taxis readily available for an early airport run.