Destination

Fes tours take you to one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world: Fes el-Bali, a UNESCO-listed maze of roughly nine thousand lanes founded at the end of the eighth century, and home to the University of al-Qarawiyyin, which has been teaching since 859. It is four hours from Tangier by motorway, and it is the one big Moroccan city where the old town is still the working centre rather than a museum piece.

All our Fes tours start at your door in Tangier or Chefchaouen — a hotel, a riad, the cruise terminal or Ibn Battouta Airport — in an air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver. Take the direct motorway run, break it with three hours in the blue city, or leave Chefchaouen for Fes through the Roman ruins of Volubilis.

Fes tours we run from Tangier and Chefchaouen

There are three ways to reach the city with us, and each one includes fuel, motorway tolls, parking and insurance in the quoted price.

• Tangier to Fes Transfer — about 310 kilometres in four hours on the A1 and A2 motorways, door to riad gate, with optional stops at Volubilis and Meknes.
• Tangier to Fes via Chefchaouen — a nine-hour day that breaks the drive with three free hours in the blue medina and reaches Fes by evening.
• Chefchaouen to Fes Transfer — 200 kilometres through Ouezzane in under four hours, with an optional detour to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss.

Every one of our Fes tours is private and priced per vehicle: no coach, no fixed departure time and no shopping stop you did not ask for. If you want a driver for the whole stay, with a day trip to Meknes or Volubilis built in, ask for a quote and we shape it around your plan.

Things to do in Fes: 6 places that matter

The list of things to do in Fes is long, but six places carry the city, and most of them sit inside one walkable stretch of the old town.

• Fes el-Bali — the walled medina inscribed by UNESCO in 1981, a car-free maze of workshops, fountains and tall houses that has barely changed in six hundred years.
• Bab Boujloud — the blue-tiled gate at the western entrance of the old town, built in 1913 and the traditional place to start a walk.
• The Chouara tannery — the leather dyeing pits that have worked since the eleventh century, best seen in the morning from a terrace above the vats.
• Bou Inania Madrasa — a fourteenth-century Marinid college of carved cedar and zellij tile, one of the few religious buildings in Morocco that non-Muslims may enter.
• Al-Attarine Madrasa — a smaller and equally fine college beside the spice market, finished in the 1320s.
• The Marinid Tombs — ruined royal tombs on the hill north of the city, from where the whole medina spreads out below you at sunset.

Most things to do in Fes are close together but impossible to find twice by the same route, so a licensed guide for the first morning saves hours. After that you can wander alone, and you should.

Fes from Tangier: how to get there

Reaching Fes from Tangier means about 310 kilometres, four hours on the A1 and A2 motorways with one comfort stop. It is a longer day than most travellers expect, which is why how you make the journey matters more here than on almost any other route we run.

There are four realistic options for Fes tours from Tangier. The train takes roughly five hours and arrives at a station a taxi ride from the medina. The CTM bus is cheap and reliable but keeps to a fixed timetable. A shared grand taxi leaves when it is full. A private transfer takes you door to door at the hour you choose and stops where you like on the way.

For most travellers, Fes from Tangier works best as a transfer that ends at the right medina gate — Bab Boujloud, Bab Rcif or Bab Ftouh, depending on where your riad is — or as the Chefchaouen-and-Fes combination, which turns a long drive into a day with a purpose. Either way, tell us the name of your riad when you book and we confirm the exact drop-off point in advance.

Prices for Fes tours

Minivan and Sprinter prices for larger groups are listed on each tour page. All Fes tours include pickup and drop-off at your door; entrance fees, meals and gratuities are paid locally.

When to go to Fes and what to know

The best time for Fes tours is spring or autumn: warm days, cool evenings and quieter lanes. In July and August the city often reaches 38°C and the medina holds the heat, so plan a long lunch indoors and walk early or late. Winter is cold and wet by Moroccan standards, so bring a proper coat.

Friday is the quietest day, with many workshops closed around midday prayers; Saturday to Thursday gives you the souks at full pace. Dress modestly, carry dirhams in small notes, and agree the price with any guide before you start — or book a licensed one through us.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best Fes tours from Tangier?

For a straight arrival, the Tangier to Fes transfer. If you want the journey to be part of the trip, Tangier to Fes via Chefchaouen turns the drive into a day with three hours in the blue city.

What are the top things to do in Fes?

Walk Fes el-Bali with a guide, see the Chouara tannery, enter Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas, and climb to the Marinid Tombs at sunset.

How long does it take to reach Fes from Tangier?

Our Fes tours take about four hours by car on the motorway and roughly five by train or bus. The Chefchaouen version takes nine hours including three hours in the blue city.

Is Fes worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you want a medina that still works for its own residents. It is larger, older and less polished than Marrakech, and many travellers prefer it for exactly that reason.

How many days do you need in Fes?

Two nights is the sweet spot. One full day covers the main sights, but the medina rewards a second day with no plan at all.

Do I need a guide in the Fes medina?

For the first morning, yes. The lanes wind back on themselves and signs are few, and in Morocco only licensed guides may work at monuments.

Whichever you choose, our Fes tours are the easiest way to reach a city that sits a long way from everything. Start with the Tangier to Fes transfer, break the drive with Tangier to Fes via Chefchaouen, or read our guide to Chefchaouen before you go. The medina is listed by UNESCO, and the city is summarised on Wikipedia.

Photos: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Matt Dany / Unsplash