Things to Do in Fes — The Medieval City Beyond the Matches

The greatest thing to do in Fes is simply to lose yourself in Fes el-Bali, the old walled medina and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is not a preserved showpiece but a working medieval city of thousands of alleys, where coppersmiths hammer, dyers dip skeins, donkeys haul goods and the call to prayer echoes off tiled walls. Entering through the blue-and-green Bab Bou Jeloud gate and following the downhill artery of Talaa Kebira is the classic first plunge into the labyrinth.

Give the medina unstructured time as well as a tick-list. Half the pleasure is stumbling on a hidden fondouk, a fountain wrapped in zellij, or a bakery where the neighbourhood brings its dough to the communal oven. First-timers often hire a licensed guide for an initial half-day to grasp the geography and the etiquette of the workshops, then explore solo afterwards with more confidence. Set the wider scene with our Fes city guide before you go in.

Because the alleys are steep and crowded, tackle the medina in the cooler morning and late-afternoon hours during the June–July tournament, and keep water on you throughout.

No image says Fes like the Chouara tannery: a honeycomb of stone vats filled with white lime and coloured dyes, worked by hand exactly as they have been for centuries. Leather is still cured and dyed here using traditional methods, and the sight of workers moving between the pits is one of the most photographed scenes in Morocco. The tannery is viewed from the balconies of the surrounding leather shops, which offer the vantage points — and, inevitably, a sales pitch on bags and babouches.

A few tips make the visit better. Shopkeepers often hand you a sprig of mint to hold against the strong smell of the curing process; accept it. There is no obligation to buy, though browsing is expected in exchange for the view, and prices are negotiable if you do want a leather piece. Go in the morning when the light is good and the pits are busy, and be honest that this is as much a working industrial site as a tourist sight.

The leather and artisan trades radiate out from here, so the tannery pairs naturally with a wider tour of the craft quarters described below.

Fes is Morocco's spiritual and intellectual capital, and its religious monuments anchor the medina. Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 CE by Fatima al-Fihri and cited as the world's oldest existing university, is the beating heart of the old city; non-Muslims cannot enter the prayer hall but can appreciate the complex from its gates and the surrounding lanes, and glimpse the great courtyard. Its restored library preserves centuries-old manuscripts and is one of the oldest in the world.

The madrasas are where visitors get closest to this heritage. The Bou Inania Madrasa, a fourteenth-century Marinid theological college, is among the few religious buildings in Fes open to non-Muslims, and its carved cedar, stucco and tilework are breathtaking. The smaller Al-Attarine Madrasa, also fourteenth-century and set in the spice-and-perfume quarter, is an even more concentrated jewel of zellij mosaic and mashrabiya screens. Both are unmissable and easily combined in a morning.

Treat these as living places of faith and learning, not just photo stops — dress modestly, keep your voice low, and be mindful during prayer times.

To understand how the medina works, visit its museums and craft districts. The Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts occupies a beautifully restored fondouk (a former caravanserai and merchants' inn) on Place Nejjarine, displaying woodwork and tools amid the building's own carved splendour; its rooftop café offers a rare elevated view over the rooftops. The Dar Batha museum, in a former palace at the medina's edge, holds a fine collection of Fassi ceramics — the city's cobalt-blue pottery is celebrated across Morocco.

The artisan quarters themselves are open-air museums. Fes is renowned for zellij tilework, hand-chiselled into geometric mosaics; for brass and copper, hammered out around the clangorous Place Seffarine; and for leather from the tanneries. Watching a craftsman split a tile or chase a copper tray is a highlight in its own right, and buying directly from workshops supports the trades that keep the medina alive.

If you want to take a craft home, our Fes food guide and where-to-stay guide can help you plan the rest of a day built around shopping and eating in the old city.

The sensory intensity of the medina makes its pockets of calm all the more precious. The Jnan Sbil gardens, historic public grounds between the old city and the new town near Bab Bou Jeloud, are the medina's green lung — shaded avenues, a lake, palms and fountains that offer genuine relief on a hot afternoon and a lovely spot to reset between sights. They are free to enter and beloved by Fassi families in the early evening.

The medina's monumental gates are landmarks in themselves. Bab Bou Jeloud, with its blue exterior and green interior tiles, is the iconic western entrance and a natural orientation point; Bab Rcif and Bab Guissa give access from other quarters. Learning a couple of gates well is the single most useful navigation skill in Fes, since they are your fixed reference points in an otherwise bewildering maze — and the places where taxis wait when you head for the stadium or a day trip.

For the definitive photograph of Fes, climb out of the bowl to the Marinid Tombs, the ruined hilltop mausoleums on the northern ridge. At dusk the whole medina spreads below you, its minarets catching the last light and the evening call to prayer rising from thousands of rooftops at once — one of the great sights in Morocco and best timed for late afternoon into sunset. The nearby Borj Nord, a sixteenth-century fortress, houses an arms museum and shares the same commanding panorama.

Beyond the old city, Fes has more to offer. The Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter beside the Royal Palace, holds ornate balconied houses and the striking brass gates of the palace itself (the palace is not open to visitors, but the plaza and gates are a worthwhile stop). And when you have exhausted the city, the region beckons — our Fes tours and day trips guide covers Roman Volubilis and the Middle Atlas, while Marrakech awaits at the other end of an imperial-cities itinerary.