Discovering...
October is the sweet spot. But every season has a case to make — and one detail most guides skip: how the Chouara tannery smell changes dramatically depending on when you go.
Yasmine El Amrani· Marrakech & Atlas Editor
Marrakech-born travel writer who has spent the last decade walking the medina’s souks and the High Atlas trails above Imlil. She covers the Red City, Berber villages and day trips into the mountains. Marrakech · 12+ years covering Morocco
Published 3 February 2025 Last updated 13 May 2026
The honest answer to "when should I visit Fes?" is autumn — specifically October — but that glosses over the texture of what each season actually feels like inside those 9,000 lanes. Fes el-Bali, the UNESCO-listed medieval medina, is a sensory place in the most literal sense: the smells of the tanneries, the heat trapped in the alleyways, the cold that seeps through the zellige floors of an unheated riad in January. Season shapes all of it.
Spring and autumn are the consensus favourites because they hit the middle ground on temperature, crowd numbers and — crucially — tannery odour. Summer brings the chaos of peak season and heat that turns the Chouara pit area genuinely unpleasant. Winter is the insider’s choice: the medina reverts to its local self, prices drop considerably, and the fermentation smell that makes summer visits memorable (not in a good way) is suppressed by cold. Here is a clear season-by-season picture.
Each season has a distinct character inside the medina. Here is what to expect on the ground.
March – May
Temperature
18–26 °C days
Crowds
Moderate, rising in April
Chouara Tannery
Tolerable — cool enough to keep the smell manageable
Pros
Cons
June – August
Temperature
34–40 °C days
Crowds
High — European peak season
Chouara Tannery
Intense — heat amplifies the fermentation smell significantly
Pros
Cons
September – November
Temperature
20–30 °C days cooling to 12 °C in November
Crowds
Falling sharply after mid-September
Chouara Tannery
Good — cooling temperatures mean the vats are far less offensive
Pros
Cons
December – February
Temperature
5–15 °C days; nights can reach 0 °C
Crowds
Very low outside Christmas week
Chouara Tannery
Mildest smell of the year — cold suppresses fermentation odours
Pros
Cons
A concise reference for picking your window. Prices shown are indicative riad mid-range nightly rates.
| Month | Temp (day) | Crowds | Tannery Smell | Riad Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12 °C | Very low | ★☆☆☆☆ | from ~400 MAD |
| February | 14 °C | Very low | ★☆☆☆☆ | from ~400 MAD |
| March | 18 °C | Low–moderate | ★★☆☆☆ | from ~550 MAD |
| April | 22 °C | Moderate (Easter spike) | ★★☆☆☆ | from ~650 MAD |
| May | 26 °C | Moderate | ★★★☆☆ | from ~650 MAD |
| June | 32 °C | High (festival) | ★★★★☆ | from ~800 MAD |
| July | 38 °C | High | ★★★★★ | from ~800 MAD |
| August | 39 °C | High | ★★★★★ | from ~750 MAD |
| September | 32 °C | Falling | ★★★★☆ | from ~650 MAD |
| October | 25 °C | Low–moderate | ★★☆☆☆ | from ~600 MAD |
| November | 17 °C | Low | ★★☆☆☆ | from ~480 MAD |
| December | 13 °C | Very low (Christmas spike) | ★☆☆☆☆ | from ~450 MAD |
Tannery smell rated ★ (barely noticeable) to ★★★★★ (very strong). Riad rates are indicative for a standard double room; boutique and luxury riads are higher. Prices in Moroccan Dirham (MAD); approximately 10 MAD per USD as of early 2026.
The Fes medina is roughly 1,000 years old and was not designed for modern tourist flow. In summer, the pressure shows: the lane from Bab Bou Jeloud to Chouara tannery — the main tourist corridor — can feel like a slow shuffle rather than a walk. In October or January, that same lane is navigable at your own pace.
Getting lost is part of the experience, but having a guide for at least your first morning makes a real difference. A local guide knows which tannery viewpoint has the best angle by time of day, which fondouks (medieval inns converted to artisan workshops) are genuine versus tourist set-pieces, and where to find the best msemen (flaky flatbread) stalls near the Al-Quaraouiyine. In any season, that context turns a confusing wander into a coherent story.
Prices in the souks are negotiable year-round, but in low season (January–February, November) shopkeepers are often more willing to deal — foot traffic is thin and a genuine sale matters. Expect to start at around 40–50 percent of the first asking price for leather goods or ceramics, and land somewhere between 55 and 70 percent.
Must-see in medina
Chouara, Al-Attarine, Bou Inania, Nejjarine
Minimum visit
2 full days; 3 is comfortable
October is hard to beat. Temperatures sit between 20 and 28 °C — warm enough to explore all day but not so hot that the medina lanes become oppressive. The main summer tour-group season has ended, so the Chouara tannery and the souks around the Al-Quaraouiyine mosque are far less congested. Riad rates are also typically 20–30 percent lower than at Easter. March and April are a close second, with wildflowers visible from roof terraces and comfortable walking temperatures throughout the day.
Yes — June through August is peak season, driven largely by European holidays and the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in June. The main tannery viewing platforms and iconic gates like Bab Bou Jeloud can feel genuinely gridlocked by mid-morning. That said, the festival itself (usually the second or third week of June) is worth the inconvenience if music is your reason for coming. For general sightseeing and wandering, summer is the hardest season to manage in the narrow lanes of Fes el-Bali.
Significantly worse. The tannery uses traditional methods involving pigeon dung, quicklime, salt and animal fats for softening hides — a fermentation process whose smell intensifies sharply when temperatures climb above 30 °C. In July and August, the odour can be detected from two streets away. Vendors at the viewing platforms hand out sprigs of mint to help. In November through February, the cold largely suppresses the smell, making winter the most comfortable time to linger at the overlooks. Spring and autumn fall in between — noticeable but manageable.
April in Fes is generally warm and pleasant, with daytime highs of around 22–27 °C and cool evenings around 12–14 °C. Brief afternoon showers occur a handful of times during the month but rarely last long. It is one of the most popular months to visit, which means Easter week in particular can bring noticeable crowds and slightly higher accommodation prices. If you come in early April or wait until after Easter, you get the best of the spring conditions without the peak-week congestion.
Yes, Fes is safe year-round. Winter (December through February) is in fact one of the most pleasant times for independent exploration because the medina is far quieter and local life is more visible. The main practical concern is warmth: nights regularly drop to 3–6 °C and some older riads have unreliable heating, so check before booking. Layering is essential — a warm coat, hat and gloves for mornings and evenings. The compensating benefit is near-zero waiting at major monuments and the lowest prices of the year.
A minimum of two full days lets you cover the core: the tanneries, the madrasas (Bou Inania and Al-Attarine), the Al-Quaraouiyine library, the souks and a food tour around the street-snack stalls near Place Rcif. Three days is significantly more comfortable — you can add a cooking class, a half-day in Fes el-Jedid (the Mellah and the Royal Palace gates), and a day trip to Meknes and Volubilis. Four days suits those who want craft workshops (ceramics, calligraphy, zellige mosaic) without feeling rushed. Most travellers staying in a riad inside the medina find three days the sweet spot.
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