email   twitter   instagram
Travel to Morocco with Feel Morocco

Fez

Fez

Fez, also spelled Fes, is located in the interior of Morocco and approximately 300 km (200 miles) from its north coast, being the second most touristic city in the country, just below Marrakech. It’s also the oldest of the imperial cities and current religious capital of the country, with a population of approximately two million inhabitants.

Fez is divided into three main areas. Within the walls there’s the first medina, also called Fez el-Bali and the second medina or Fez el-Jdid, and outside the walls the French colonial area or Ville Nouvelle, located to the northwest.

Why Fez?

It’s impossible to talk about what stands out about Fez and defines it if we don’t start with its oldest medina, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Once we enter and walk through its labyrinthine streets, while we dodge donkeys and motorcycles transporting different things, we’ll feel like we’ve taken a journey to a different time.

We see a series of stores and workshops that, in the vast majority of the rest of the world, have disappeared: potters, goldsmiths, weavers, etc. The leatherwork is especially notable in the tanners’ neighborhood, a place where many feel fascinated and bothered at the same time by the hard work that is done there.

Although not everything is crafts in Fez, and inside its medina we can see real architectural jewels such as the Bou Inania Madrasa, the Al Karaouine Mosque or the Mulay Idris II Mausoleum. And if we leave the wall behind and go into the new area, we can marvel at the bronze doors of the Royal Palace or tour the Jewish quarter.

However, in Fez you can also enjoy more contemporary urban landscapes, such as the wide avenues and modernity of the French area.

Another example of modernity is its famous Festival of World Sacred Music, where in addition to hosting traditional Moroccan music groups, Spanish artists such as Paco de Lucía or Carmen Linares or even international avant-garde musicians such as Ben Harper or Björk have performed.

That is why Fez holds the honor of being the Moroccan city that has best managed to modernize without losing its identity in the course of time. A city where the roots of tradition are combined with a healthy open attitude towards contemporary culture.

Practical Information

What to do in Fez. Fez tourism guide

What to do

Discover the jewels that this city hides with a simple tour of its medina.

Places of Interest

Medina of Fez. Fes Morocco tourism guide

Medina Fez el-Bali

If there’s a place as fascinating as it is endless, it’s Fez-el Bali, the oldest medina in the city.

Fes el-Jdid. Visit Fez guide

Medina Fez el-Jdid

Discover the second medina of Fez, as well as the main reasons that led to its development.

Bou Inania Madrasa in Fez. Fez Travel Guide

Bou Inania Madrasa

See the most important Koranic school in the religious capital with its captivating decoration.

Tanneries of Fez. Fez Morocco tourism guide

Chouara Tannery

It’s the best known of the four tanneries in the medina. We explain why this place and the profession that takes place here does not leave anyone indifferent.

Climate

Fez enjoys mild temperatures most of the year. The only possible exception is summer, hovering around 85°F (30°C). Try not to expose yourself too much to the sun and to wear sunglasses and/or a hat in summer during the day.

Around wintertime you’ll need a jacket for the day and perhaps a coat for the night, and there’ll be some probability of rain (around 20%), so take a small umbrella if traveling at that time.

For more information, as well as month-to-month temperatures and a forecast for the next few days, you can consult the following link: Weather in Fez.

Getting There

Viajar a Fez en avión

The plane is the usual way to get to this city for people coming from Europe, partly because Fez has frequent passenger travel from European airports and also because low-cost airlines have been establishing themselves there for some time.

Another option is to land at an airport with more international traffic (for example Casablanca or Marrakech) and from there go to Fez (the following sections detail transportation between Fez and other major cities in Morocco).

Fez airport is very close to the city (just 12 kilometers or 7 miles). Once we land, it is best to get to our accommodations by taxi, probably costing around 150 dirhams, although if we’re skilled in the art of haggling we can close the deal for 120 dirhams.

Another cheaper option is to take one of the buses that leave the station regularly every half hour, and which cost 4 dirhams per person, although they only go to the train station.

Viajar a Fez en tren

Thanks in part to being one of the capitals of Morocco, as by plane, getting to Fez by train is very easy. It has good transportation connections with a many important cities, such as Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangier.

Timetables and prices based on the point of origin can be found on the page of the Moroccan train company, the OCNF (the page is in French). However, although you can buy tickets online, it’s only possible if you have a Moroccan credit card.

Viajar a Fez por carretera

Being a city located in the center of Morocco and of major domestic importance, it has highways that go almost anywhere in the country. The best roads (most of which are motorways) connect with other important cities such as Marrakech, Rabat, Casablanca or Tangier.

If you like it,
share it!

If you like it, share it!

Photo Gallery

Morocco Tours