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Voykit pocket guide · Morocco
Fez
فاس
Give Fez 2–3 nights: one full day for Fes el-Bali, one for the tanneries and madrasas, and one for the potteries or a Meknes run.
Fez is Morocco's medieval capital and holds Fes el-Bali, the largest car-free urban zone on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage walled city. The medina is a working maze of 9,000-plus lanes where goods still move by donkey and handcart. Most travellers come for two or three nights, walk the Talaa Kbira, and use the city as a base for Meknes, Volubilis and the Middle Atlas.
- Country
- Morocco
- Local name
- فاس
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (inland heat, 35°C+), Ramadan daytime closures (check dates)Jul–Aug (inland heat, 95°F+), Ramadan daytime closures (check dates)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- MAD
- Money
- Currency is the Moroccan dirham (MAD). Hotels, larger restaurants and chain shops take cards; souks, taxis, small cafés, guides and tips are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget MAD 350–600 excl. bed · Mid MAD 600–1,200 excl. bed · High MAD 1,200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Maroc Telecom, Orange and inwi sell tourist SIMs at airports and shops with a passport; 20–50 GB costs about MAD 100–200.
- Emergency
- Police 19 · Gendarmerie 177 · Ambulance and fire 15 · From mobiles 112
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 220 V · 50 Hz · European round-pin plugs; bring an adapter for UK or US devices.
- Tipping
- Café: Round up or leave MAD 2–5.; Restaurant: 5–10%.; Porter or bag carrier: MAD 10–20.; Guide, full day: MAD 100–200.; Desert camp staff and driver: MAD 100–200 per day shared.
- Water
- Tap water is treated in cities but most visitors drink bottled; carry water in the south.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels and restaurants; squat toilets in older cafés and on the road. Carry tissue and MAD 2–5 for attendants.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Mint tea in the medina | MAD 10–20 |
| Tagine or couscous, mid-range restaurant | MAD 60–120 |
| Street snack (msemen, harira, sandwich) | MAD 10–30 |
| Madrasa or museum entry | MAD 10–20 (check) |
| Petit taxi across town | MAD 15–20 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | MAD 100–200 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FEZ · Fès–Saïss International
- 15 km from the city; petit taxi to the medina about MAD 120 fixed, bus 16 about MAD 4 and 40 min (check)9.3 mi from the city; petit taxi to the medina about MAD 120 fixed, bus 16 about MAD 4 and 40 min (check)
Typical fares
- FEZ airport → medina, petit taxi
- about MAD 120 fixed (check)
- Train Fès-Ville → Meknes
- about MAD 35 second class, 50 min (check)
- Petit taxi in town
- MAD 15–20; insist on the meter
Get around
Inside Fes el-Bali you walk: the Talaa Kbira runs from Bab Boujeloud to the Qarawiyyin mosque, and heading downhill generally leads to Place R'cif. Petit taxis cover the ville nouvelle and the gates for about MAD 15–20 a ride — insist on the meter. City buses cost about MAD 2.50–3; bus 19 links the train station to Place R'cif. Trains from Fès-Ville station reach Meknes in about 50 min and Casablanca in about 3.5 h.
See and do
Known for
- Fes el-Bali medina (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Chouara tanneries
- Al-Qarawiyyin, founded 859
- Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas
- Fez blue pottery and zellij tilework
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Meknes | Train from Fès-Ville, about 50 min, MAD 35 second class (check) | About 1.5 h |
| Volubilis and Moulay Idriss | Grand taxi or tour from Fez, about 1 h 15 min to the ruins | About 1.5 h |
| Ifrane and Azrou | Grand taxi from the CTM station, Ifrane about MAD 28 a seat (check) | About 1–1.5 h |
| Chefchaouen | CTM or other bus, about 4 h | About 4 h |
Sleep
- Fes el-Bali (medina)
- Riads inside the walls; atmospheric but no cars past the gates, so you carry bags the last stretch. Best for a first visit.
- Bab Boujeloud / Talaa Kbira
- Medina edge with the easiest taxi drop-off and the main walking street on your doorstep.
- Ville Nouvelle
- Modern hotels, banks and the train station; 10–15 min by petit taxi to the medina gates, about MAD 15–20.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | السلام عليكمas-salaamu alaykum |
| Thank you | شكراshukran |
| How much is it? | بشحال؟bech-hal |
| No, thank you | لا شكراla shukran |
| Work the meter | خدم الكونتورkhdm l-koontoor |
| Where is the toilet? | فين البيت المياه؟fin beit l-ma |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Salam alaykum' and a handshake; hand on heart after; avoid: Offering a hand to a woman first unless she does
- Eating: Right hand, bread as your spoon; avoid: Refusing all food at a home
- Bargaining: Smile, take your time, walk away kindly; avoid: Naming a price you will not pay
- Dress: Shoulders and knees covered in medinas and villages; avoid: Beachwear away from the beach
- Photos: Ask and accept no; avoid: Photographing women or children without consent
- Ramadan: Eat discreetly indoors in daytime; avoid: Snacking on the street
Scams and watch-outs
- Faux guides in the medina: they walk you shop to shop and earn a hidden commission. Agree a licensed guide through your riad or the tourism office, or use the green, orange and blue waymarked trails.
- Touts on trains into Fez and at the bus station selling Chefchaouen tickets — buy at the counter.
- Tannery 'guides' expect MAD 1–5; leather shops with balconies over the pits push a purchase in return for the view.
- Prices in the souk are negotiable; agree any taxi fare before you get in.
Fez is generally safe for tourists; the real friction is hustling, not crime. Expect persistent faux guides and shop pressure in the medina, keep bags zipped in crowds, and treat any 'free' tour as a sales pitch.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Fez yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Fes el-Bali medina (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Chouara tanneries
- Al-Qarawiyyin, founded 859
- Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas
- Fez blue pottery and zellij tilework
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Fez, revision 5279803 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5279803
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Fezفاس
لهاد العنوان عافاك
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most embassies and consulates sit in Rabat or Casablanca; check your country's mission for consular help in Fez.
Medina lanes are unmarked and GPS drifts between walls — save your riad's phone number and a gate name before you set out.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/fez). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.