Things to Do in Fes: Your Complete Guide to Morocco's Ancient Imperial City

The single most important of all things to do in Fes is exploring Fes el-Bali, the old city and one of the most remarkable places on earth. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this ancient walled medina is the largest car-free urban area in the world, with over 9,000 narrow alleyways winding through it like the veins of a living organism.

Inside you will find mosques, madrasas, artisan workshops, spice stalls, and centuries-old riads tucked behind plain wooden doors. Every corner holds a surprise a tiled courtyard open to the sky, a carpenter shaping cedar wood by hand, a baker pulling flatbreads from a clay oven. Give yourself at least a full day to wander without a rigid plan. This is, without question, one of the most extraordinary things to see in Fes Morocco.

Travel Tip: Hire a licensed local guide for your first morning. They will help you get your bearings and bring the medina's history to life in a way that transforms the whole experience.

Fes is home to two of the most beautiful medieval colleges in the Islamic world, and visiting both is one of the most rewarding best places to visit in Fes for those who love history and architecture.

The Bou Inania Madrasa, built in the 14th century, is one of the only religious buildings in Fes officially open to non-Muslim visitors. Its carved cedarwood doors, intricate plasterwork, and soaring minaret are genuinely extraordinary. Nearby, the Al-Attarine Madrasa tucked beside the Kairaouine Mosque is quieter and beautifully refined, with a serene marble courtyard that feels a world away from the busy medina lanes outside.

Entry Fee: Approximately 20 MAD each (around £1–£2)

For the finest panoramic view over Fes, head up to the Merenid Tombs on the hilltop above Fes el-Bali. These ruined 14th-century royal tombs are interesting in their own right, but the real draw is the sweeping view over the entire ancient city a vast terracotta-tiled roofscape of minarets and medieval rooftops stretching to the hills beyond.

Visit around sunset when the light turns golden and the call to prayer rises from hundreds of minarets across the city simultaneously. It is one of those moments that stays with you and it costs absolutely nothing.

Travel Tip: Take a petit taxi to the top and walk back down through the medina at dusk for a completely different, more intimate atmosphere.

Fassi cuisine the traditional cooking of Fes is considered by many Moroccan chefs to be the most refined in the country, and eating well here requires very little effort or expense. Must-try dishes include:

• Pastilla — Fes's most famous dish: a sweet-savoury pie of pigeon or chicken, almonds, and spices in wafer-thin pastry, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon
• Harira — a warming soup of tomatoes, lentils, and chickpeas, served with honey-soaked chebbakia pastries
• Mrouzia — a slow-cooked lamb tagine sweetened with honey and raisins; a true Fassi speciality
• Atay — Moroccan mint tea, poured theatrically from a considerable height; one of the great pleasures of any Moroccan holiday

Seek out small family-run restaurants tucked inside the medina the ones with no English signage and a queue of locals at the door are always the finest.

Travel Tip: Book a Moroccan cookery class during your stay. Several Fes riads offer half-day sessions combining a market visit with a hands-on cooking lesson one of the most memorable things to do in Fes and a skill you will use long after you return home.