Our visiting tips for what’s important in Fes, Morocco

Riads were historically homes of the wealthy Moroccan elite, and this is reflected to this day in the prices of hotels built inside them. They are not a budget option but rather a luxury guesthouse.

Walking around the busy, narrow streets of Fes’ medina, the historic old city, you don’t really expect such lavish places to exist behind the scruffy-looking walls.

And that’s, in our opinion, the real magic of staying in a Riad while in Fes. You can be right in the bustling medina, yet retreat to your peaceful riad for a break while exploring.

While you can stay in a cheaper room elsewhere, staying in a traditional riad is a much better experience.

The shared/common area in a riad is one of our favorite parts, as you typically have plenty of places around the building to chill (like the rooftop).

2. Al Attarine Madrasa

To see stunning architecture in a historic building in Fes, visit the Al Attarine Madrasa, a 14th-century school for Islamic studies.

Our first visit to a Madrasa was in Marrakesh, and while the one in Fes is much smaller than the Madrasa Ben Youssef, it’s still equally beautiful.

The architecture is truly spectacular, with mosaics, carvings, and other exceptional details.

Al Attarine Madrasa is easy to explore, but to learn more about its history and importance, you would need to visit with a guide. There is barely any information presented inside.

Although Fes is less crowded than Marrakesh, if you’re looking to explore the Madrasa without crowds, come right at opening. It’s a small place, and it gets crowded easily – one group of people is enough.

We came to Al Attarine Madrasa right at opening, and we had a few minutes before everyone else arrived as well. An equally good time to visit is also before closing.

Make sure also to walk upstairs and explore the corridors leading to the rooms where Madrasa’s students stayed. It’s a great place to explore and take beautiful photos.

3. Chouara Tannery

You can’t visit Fes without seeing the tanneries, which use traditional methods to turn animal hides into leather for bags, jackets, slippers, shoes, belts, and more.

We decided to visit the Chouara Tannery, which uses a thousand-year-old traditional method to make leather.

Since we wanted to avoid crowds, we visited the tannery right at opening in the morning, which was great because it wasn’t yet that hot. This might have helped with the smell, as it wasn’t as bad as we were expecting (it can be horrible!).

Plan your visit to the tanneries with our Fes Tanneries Review & Guide, where we detail our full experience so you know what to expect and how to find the best place to view them from.

4. Souks and the busy streets of the Medina

We’re constantly comparing Fes to Marrakesh, and for good reason, as the difference is also apparent in the way the Souks, the covered markets, are laid out in Fes.

In Fes, the markets don’t stretch for kilometers.

Instead, they are mostly concentrated on the two main routes that connect all parts of the Medina, the Rue Talaa Kebira and Rue Talaa Sghira, both starting at the grand Bab Boujloud gate.

If you’re looking to shop while in Fes, the many Souks are where you will find everything you could think of.

While exploring the Medina, keep in mind that it has about 9000 different streets and alleyways! It’s interesting, though, that we thought the Marrakesh medina was big, but the Fes one is bigger.

Today, it’s owned and cared for by Abdelkhalek Boukhars, an artist born in the palace who has dedicated his life to it.

The palace is unrestored, which means it’s in its original form, something that the caretaker wishes to keep – it’s an “unpolished antique”

Inside the palace, we explored the various rooms, which looked very interesting and unlike the buildings we had seen so far in Morocco.

In the different rooms, you can also see the artist’s work, which was honestly very impressive.

The only negative of our experience at the Glaoui Palace was the dog that they keep in the fountain area. While it’s a small area, like a cage, he looks all sad on those tiles, and we believe the dog deserves better!

6. Fes Jdid (New Fes) and Jnan Sbil Garden

After we were done exploring attractions in the Medina, we decided to leave the old city and walk to the Jnan Sbil Garden. The garden was nothing special when compared to other gardens we visited, but it was a nice retreat from the busy Medina streets.

On the way to the garden, we passed the gates of one of the royal palaces. But unfortunately it’s not open to the public, as it’s still an active summer palace of the royal family.

Important note: In Morocco, you are absolutely not allowed to take photos of the police, the army, or the royal guards. That’s why when you come to an area like this, make sure you take your photos without them being seen. We asked if taking photos was okay, and they moved aside.

There is another palace nearby, the Royal Palace of Fez, which is also not open to the public. You can only take photos in front of the gates again. But they do look stunning.

We wish we could actually enter some of these palaces!

After going back to our Riad, we also passed by Bab Chems, another gate to the old city, and the large Boujloud square.

Fes is known for its many gates to the city, all of which look fascinating, not only the Bab Boujloud, right in the Medina.

7. Borj Nord Viewpoint and Marinid Tombs

After leaving Fes for our next destination, Chefchaouen, we did one more thing in the city, checking out the viewpoints of the medina.

We went to the Borj Nord Viewpoint above Fes, which offers the best view of the entire old city.

Close to the viewpoint are also the Marinid Tombs, another attraction, but we only saw them from afar, as they were closed for renovation. You can see the construction in the second photo below.

This viewpoint at Borj Nord is also the best spot for a sunset in Fes.