Fes, Morocco
- From Marrakech
- 386 kmas the crow flies
- How long
- 2–3 days
- Nearest airport
- FEZFès-Saïs (FEZ)
- Best time
- April–May and September–October
Morocco's oldest imperial capital and craft heartland — the labyrinthine medieval medina that completes a longer Marrakech trip.
Where Marrakech is the showman of the south, Fes is its elder: tighter, more layered, more devout — and the two cities together form the classic Moroccan pairing we build most long trips around. Founded in 789 AD, Fes guards Fes el-Bali, a UNESCO medina of roughly 9,000 car-free lanes where the crafts have scarcely shifted in a thousand years — the dye pits of the tanneries, the ring of the brass-beaters, the weavers and the bookbinders gathered around the ancient Karaouine. Out of Marrakech it sits a full day away, so we never rush it: most travellers fly through Casablanca in about three hours or take a scenic private transfer, and we treat Fes as a second base to be walked slowly with a historian and slept in within the walls, in a restored dar.
Where it sits
Fes on the map.
Fes is about 386 km north-east of Marrakech in a straight line; the road is longer. The line on the map is that straight line, not the route your driver takes.
Map: Marrakech to Fes
- MarrakechView on OpenStreetMap
- FesView on OpenStreetMap
- Volubilis & Moulay IdrissView on OpenStreetMap
- MeknesView on OpenStreetMap
- IfraneView on OpenStreetMap
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
What to see in Fes.
Dense medina rooftops and green tiled roofs in Fes Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Fes el-Bali medina
Enter at Bab Boujloud and let the Talaa Kebira carry you downhill through the souks to the Karaouine — a university running since 859 AD — in what is the densest, most intact medieval cityscape anywhere in Morocco.
Chouara tanneries
Look down on the pigment pits from a leather-shop terrace, a sprig of mint pressed to your nose against the reek; come in the morning, when soft light gathers in the vats.
Bou Inania & el-Attarine madrasas
A pair of 14th-century Marinid colleges where carved cedar, sculpted stucco and zellige reach the absolute summit of Moroccan craftsmanship.
Bab Mansour in evening light, Meknes Photo: Daemon11, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Volubilis & Meknes day
A straightforward day out of Fes: the Roman mosaics of Volubilis, a lunch up in the Zerhoun hills, and the towering gates of the quiet imperial city of Meknes.
The blue pottery quarter
Over the river, Fassi potters throw, glaze and hand-fire the cobalt-and-white ceramics that gave the city its trademark shade of blue.
Trips
Fes, the way we would plan it.
Every itinerary is private and built around your dates, with a proper stop in Fes. Each one is priced in a written quote within 24 hours.
Fes, unhurried
3 days
Three nights within the walls and a private history guide alongside you — the tanneries, the kissaria textile halls, the great madrasas and a home dinner with a Fassi family.
Marrakech to Fes, the imperial route
8 days
Eight nights threading Marrakech, Meknes, Volubilis, Fes and Chefchaouen by private car, with a historian to meet you in each medina.
Plan your Fes days
- Private your group in its own car
- 24 h a written quote
- Free nothing to pay to ask
Fes, answered.
Is Fes worth visiting if I've already done Marrakech?
Do I need a guide for the Fes medina?
How do I get from Marrakech to Fes?
Before you go.
- Getting there
- Fly into FEZ direct, or drive — 3h from Tangier, 6h30 from Marrakech
- Where to stay
- Within the medina walls, in a restored dar or riad
- Dress code
- Modest near religious sites — keep shoulders and knees covered
Pair Fes with.
From the journal.
Have your Fes days planned by a local.
Tell us your dates, group size and pace. We send a written proposal within 24 hours: private guides, transfers, riads, the lot.