Things To Do in Fes, Morocco

An ideal visit includes a balance of exploring, learning, and relaxing. Here are some recommendations for things to do in Fes in each of those categories!

Explore

• I highly recommend kicking off any visit to Fes with a guided tour of the

  medina - it will give you context for the culture and history of many of the main sights and, perhaps more importantly, give you an orientation to how to navigate the medina and negotiate when shopping! This tour in particular stops by the famous Chouara Tannery. Tip: travel with your face mask and use it here, the smells are POWERFUL!

• The Bou Jeloud (or Jnan Sbil) Gardens are a nice place to escape to some shade and greenery outside of the hustle and bustle of the Fes el-Bali medina.

Learn

• Go shopping at the markets and learn to make a full Moroccan feast with Palais Amani’s cooking class, or learn to bake bread using the historic communal kilns in the center of the medina.

• Make your own souvenirs and come home with either your own handcrafted pottery or zillige tile masterpiece!

• Visit the Nejjarine Fondouk woodworking museum and gain a new appreciation for the craftsmanship you see around you.

Relax

• Many hotels (including riads or dars) will feature a spa or hammam and a small pool. Highly recommend winding down each day there so that you can float on to your bed. Regardless, there are also several spas offering luxury services that are worth venturing out to experience.

• Riad Fes is host to the finest luxury spa in the city. There are two spa menus - Cinq Mondes includes many eastern practices and massages, while marocMaroc offers more local traditions such as rose, amber and honey body treatments.

• Hammam Mernissi is a lovely way to experience a more traditional hammam, with cold/warm/hot rooms and scrub treatments.

• The pool at Les Mérinides Hotel offers a sweeping view of the medina, and non-guests can purchase a pool pass plus three-course lunch for about $40 USD.

Day Trips:

• Sefrou is nestled at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains a short 35-minute drive from central Fez. There you’ll find refreshing swimming spots at the reservoir and waterfalls, and a vibrant cherry festival in June.

• Chefchaouen, also known as the “Blue Pearl,” is a mere three hours from Fes. Experience a slower pace of life in this sleepy mountain town, and bring your camera to capture the brilliant shades of azure-blue that adorn every building here.

• Fes is a gateway to Merzouga, which is several hours away but a popular departure point for overnight camel treks into the Saharan Desert. Seek out Bedouin outfitters for a truly authentic experience.

One thing you must do if you are visiting Fes is try the slow-cooked, complex flavors of a tagine. Tagines can be adapted to a variety of dietary needs, as they are naturally gluten-free and can be easily made vegetarian or vegan. In addition to the restaurants listed below, I highly recommend stopping for a midday mint tea at any cafe as you wander the medinas and enjoying a sweet treat such as the almond-paste Gazelle Horns!

• Fondouk Bazaar is an affordable rooftop restaurant in the old city. Recommended for their pastillas (skillet pies with flaky phyllo dough) and tapas.

• L’Amandier is a bit swankier, offering moody lighting and music alongside their dinner. They are also located on a rooftop, and feature one of the best wine lists/somms in town.

• Nur Restaurant modern Moroccan dining, with incredible hospitality. They’re located deep in the middle of the medina, but if you’d rather avoid a worried search at dinner time, they will send someone to your riad to escort you!

• Ruined Garden - Normally I would go out of my way to avoid sending you to a dump, but this restaurant proudly claims it’s history as a merchant’s house, which degraded into a rubbish dump, and then was transformed by the current owners into this charming shaded garden restaurant. Daily lunch specials, house-baked bread, and a cozy spot for a less-formal dinner.

• Bars can be hard to find in Muslim countries such as Morocco, and so your most reliable spots are going to be hotel bars. Don’t be shy - feel free to dip into one you’re not staying at! Two fantastic ones are The Rooftop, located atop Hotel Sahari, and The Golden Bar atop Palais Faraj.