Fes walking tour & city guide

Fes el-Bali

Most visitors enter the medina through Bab Boujloud, the 'Blue Gate', decorated with blue tiles on the outside and green on the inside. From there, two main streets, Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira, lead down through the medina, lined with shops selling everything from spices to brass lanterns.

The University of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, is considered the oldest existing university in the world. The Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas are masterpieces of carved cedar, stucco and zellige tilework.

The tanneries and the Royal Palace

The Chouara Tannery, with its stone vats of colored dyes, has worked leather in the same way for almost a thousand years. Leather shops around it have terraces where you can watch, often with a sprig of mint to cope with the smell.

Fes el-Jdid, the 'new' Fes built in the 13th century, contains the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, and the Royal Palace, whose giant golden doors are one of the most photographed sights in Morocco. The Ville Nouvelle, built by the French, is the modern city.

Visiting tips

A licensed guide is helpful for a first visit to the medina. For views over the whole city, go up to the Marinid Tombs at sunset. Fes is connected to Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier by train, and Chefchaouen and Meknes are easy trips.