How many days in Fez? 3 days in the medina, with a guide on the first morning
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Fes el-Bali, the old medina of Fez, is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world: a walled maze of thousands of alleys founded in the 9th century, where donkeys still carry goods and craftsmen work as they did in the Middle Ages. It is more intense and less polished than Marrakech, and easier to enjoy with a plan. Give it three days: one with an official guide to learn the main routes, one on your own in Fes el-Jdid and the less visited quarters, and one outside the city at the Roman ruins of Volubilis.
Short answer
Two days covers the main medina sights, the tannery and the royal quarter. The third day adds Volubilis and the holy town of Moulay Idriss, about 1 hour 15 minutes away, or a slower day of museums and gardens.
The 3-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Fes el-Bali: madrasas, souks and the tannery
Morning. Book an official licensed guide through your riad for the first morning (roughly 300-500 MAD for a half day). Enter by Bab Bou Jeloud, the blue-tiled gate, and walk down Talaa Kebira, the main artery. Stop at the Bou Inania Madrasa (about 20-30 MAD), a 14th-century college with carved cedar, stucco and zellige tiles.
Afternoon. Continue to the Al-Attarine Madrasa (about 20-30 MAD) next to the Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 and often called the oldest university in the world; non-Muslims cannot enter, but you can look through the doors. Visit Seffarine Square, where coppersmiths hammer pots, and the Chouara tannery, seen from the terraces of the leather shops around it.
Evening. Return to your riad to rest, then have dinner in a riad restaurant or at a simple place near Bab Bou Jeloud: a tagine costs about 60-100 MAD, a bowl of harira soup about 10-15 MAD.
At the tannery, shops give you a sprig of mint for the smell and expect you to look at their leather. Buying is not compulsory; a tip of 10-20 MAD for the terrace view is polite.
Day 2: Fes el-Jdid, the Mellah and the Marinid Tombs
Morning. Take a petit taxi (about 15-20 MAD) to Fes el-Jdid, the new Fez founded in the 13th century, and see the brass gates of the Royal Palace (Dar el-Makhzen); the palace itself is closed to visitors. Walk into the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, with its balconied houses, the restored Ibn Danan Synagogue and the white tombs of the Jewish cemetery (small entry fees or donations).
Afternoon. Walk through the Jnan Sbil gardens between the old and new Fez, then visit the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts (about 20-30 MAD) on its fountain square, a restored caravanserai with a rooftop cafe over the medina. Spend the rest of the afternoon in the souks of the henna souk and the Kissariat cloth market.
Evening. Before sunset, take a taxi up to the Marinid Tombs on the hill north of the medina, or the nearby Borj Nord, for the view over the whole of Fes el-Bali as the calls to prayer echo across the roofs. Return by taxi, not on foot in the dark.
Unofficial guides will offer to show you the way or claim that a street is closed. Say a polite no thank you and keep walking; use an offline map and the main gates as landmarks.
Day 3: Volubilis and Moulay Idriss
Morning. Hire a driver for the day (roughly 700-1,000 MAD per car) or join a tour to Volubilis, about 1 hour 15 minutes west. The Roman city (about 70 MAD) has a triumphal arch, a basilica and floor mosaics left in place, including the Labours of Hercules. Go early: there is almost no shade.
Afternoon. Drive 5 km to Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, the whitewashed holy town on two hills built around the tomb of the founder of Morocco's first Islamic dynasty. Non-Muslims cannot enter the shrine, but you can walk up to the terraces for a view. Continue 30 km to Meknes for its great gate, Bab Mansour, and Place el-Hedim.
Evening. Return to Fez for a last dinner of pastilla, a pastry of pigeon or chicken with almonds, cinnamon and sugar, a Fez speciality usually ordered for two or more (about 120-200 MAD).
Trains link Fez and Meknes in about 40 minutes, but Volubilis has no station; a grand taxi from Meknes is the public alternative.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Day 1 with a guide and Day 2 as written, ending at the Marinid Tombs. You lose Volubilis and Meknes.
Got extra days?
A 4th day can go to Chefchaouen, the blue town in the Rif mountains, about 4 hours away (better as an overnight stay than a day trip), or to the cedar forests and Barbary macaques of Ifrane and Azrou in the Middle Atlas, about 1-1.5 hours south.
Where to stay in Fez
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Near Bab Bou Jeloud | Hostels and simple riads at the top of the medina, close to taxis. | 250-500 MAD |
| Mid-range | Riads in Fes el-Bali | Courtyard houses with tiled fountains and roof terraces, breakfast included. | 600-1,200 MAD |
| Mid-range | Ville Nouvelle | Modern hotels near the train station, quieter and with easy taxis. | 500-1,000 MAD |
| Comfort | Palace riads and hilltop hotels | Restored palaces with pools, hammams and views over the medina. | 1,800-4,500 MAD |
Getting around
The medina is car-free: you walk, and porters with carts carry luggage to your riad from the nearest gate for about 20-50 MAD. Ask your riad to send someone to meet you. Red petit taxis run within the city on the meter, usually 10-25 MAD per ride. Trains from Casablanca take about 3.5-4 hours, from Rabat about 2.5 hours and from Marrakech about 7 hours; check current timetables with ONCF. Fes-Saiss airport is about 15 km away, about 150-200 MAD by taxi.
What to eat in Fez
Fez is considered the capital of Moroccan cooking. Breakfast on bissara, a soup of dried fava beans with olive oil and cumin, sold for a few dirhams in the medina, and sfenj doughnuts. Try pastilla, khlii (spiced preserved beef) cooked with eggs, slow-cooked tagines with preserved lemon and olives, and mechoui lamb. Snail soup (babbouche) and grilled skewers are sold at stalls near Bab Bou Jeloud in the evening. A full meal in a riad costs 200-350 MAD per person; a street meal 30-60 MAD. Alcohol is served only in some hotels and restaurants.
Best time to visit
March-May and October-November, with 18-28°C. Summer in Fez is very hot, often 38-40°C in July and August, as the city is inland. Winter is cool and can be wet, around 15°C by day and close to freezing at night; riads can be cold, so ask about heating. During Ramadan, many restaurants close by day and the medina comes alive after sunset.
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | 180 MAD | 450 MAD | 1,300 MAD |
| Food & drink | 120 MAD | 300 MAD | 600 MAD |
| Sights & tickets | 60 MAD | 200 MAD | 400 MAD |
| Local transport | 30 MAD | 100 MAD | 300 MAD |
| Total per person, per day | about 390 MAD | about 1,050 MAD | about 2,600 MAD |
Approximate 2026 prices in Moroccan dirhams (MAD), about 11 MAD to 1 euro; the mid-range and comfort columns include a guide or a driver for the day. A tourist tax of roughly 15-40 MAD per person per night is added to hotel bills.
Before you go
Common questions
Do I need a guide in the Fez medina?
Not for the whole stay, but an official guide on the first morning helps a lot. Fes el-Bali has thousands of lanes, few signs and phone maps that are not always accurate. A licensed guide, booked through your riad or the tourist office, shows you the main routes, which you can then repeat alone. Agree beforehand that you do not want to stop at shops.
Is Fez safe?
Yes, in general. The main problems are persistent unofficial guides and sellers, and getting lost. Keep valuables in a front pocket in crowded lanes, take a taxi after dark between the medina and the hills, and walk with a purpose. Women may receive comments in the street; a firm no and ignoring them usually works.
Fez or Marrakech?
Fez has the older, larger and more authentic medina, with more medieval monuments and a stronger craft tradition, and fewer tourists. Marrakech has more gardens, a livelier main square, better nightlife and is closer to the Atlas and the desert. With a week in Morocco, see both; trains link them in about 7 hours.
What should I wear?
Fez is more conservative than Marrakech. Men and women should cover shoulders and knees in the medina; loose, light clothing suits the heat. Women may want a scarf for religious sites they are allowed to see. Wear comfortable, closed shoes, because the lanes are uneven, sloping and sometimes wet or dirty.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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