Fes
Morocco
The largest car-free urban area on earth, and it has been that way for 1,200 years
Photos by Vince Gx, Hamza Demnati, Kyriacos Georgiou and Nicolas Cool on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Morocco
March to May, September to November
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 66mm in Mar
Where it is
34.03°N, 5.00°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
Weeks of it- Get lost in Fes el-Bali on purpose, then hire a guide and see what you missed
- Look down on the Chouara tannery from a leather shop terrace
- See the courtyard of the Bou Inania madrasa
- Eat pastilla, which is pigeon, cinnamon and sugar and should not work
- Watch the brass beaters in Place Seffarine
- Take the train up to Tangier or across to Marrakech
Fes travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Morocco
Good valueThe dirham cannot be bought abroad, so change on arrival at a bank or licensed bureau and keep the receipt to change back. The medina runs on cash — the tanneries, the food stalls, the man who guides you out when you are lost — and small notes matter more here than anywhere.
ATMs & cards
Attijariwafa, Banque Populaire and BMCE machines sit at the medina gates rather than inside it, because there is no vehicle access. Every Moroccan machine charges about 25 dirhams a withdrawal. Take out enough at Bab Boujloud before you go in.
Avoid these
- machines inside the medina, of which there are essentially none anyway
Use these instead
- Attijariwafa Bank
- Banque Populaire
- BMCE — at the medina gates
Every Moroccan machine charges about 25 dirhams a withdrawal. Take out enough at Bab Boujloud before you walk in, because there are no cars and no banks inside.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Morocco
SafeCrime against visitors is rare and the medina is safer than it feels when you are lost in it. The hassle is the thing to prepare for: unofficial guides attach themselves at the gates, insist they are taking you to a viewpoint, and expect payment. A firm "la, shukran" and continuing to walk works. Do not follow anyone who says the road ahead is closed — it is not.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (5 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
- Ville Nouvelle, Fes
- Fes el-Bali — the main medina arteries, by day
Worth more attention
- Fes el-Bali — after dark — nine thousand alleys and no lighting
- Tannery "guides" who lead you to a shop and demand a fee
- Donkeys in the narrow lanes, which have right of way and take it
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Morocco visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Other passports
e-Visa required~€50
Morocco operates an e-visa for a growing list of nationalities.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Morocco
Good but costlyRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
- Rabies for longer stays — stray dogs and cats are everywhere
Getting treated
Private clinics in Marrakesh and Casablanca are reasonable and inexpensive, and expect cash or an insurance guarantee up front. Public hospitals are basic. Pharmacies are excellent, widespread and can dispense a lot without a prescription.
Do not drink the tap water. Stomach upsets are the most common complaint by a distance.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodFes is where Moroccan cooking is taken most seriously: pastilla, harira, and a tagine cooked slowly rather than assembled for a tour group. Eat where there is no menu in English. The street food around Bab Boujloud is safe and good, and the mint tea is poured from a height for a reason.
Nightlife
Almost none, and honestly so: the medina is alcohol-free and closes early, and the licensed bars are in the new town.
- Ville Nouvelle, Fes — the licensed bars and hotel terraces
- Bab Boujloud — the medina gate, and the evening cafés
Closing: 23:00 in the medina, 01:00 in the new town.
A beer in a bar: MAD 40–70
Getting around
Workable- CareemWorks here
- YangoWorks here
- HeetchWorks here
- UberNot here
- BoltNot here
Careem Casablanca and Rabat · Heetch Casablanca
- Against a taxi
- The petits taxis are metered by law and frequently are not in practice. Insist on the meter or agree the fare first.
Uber left Morocco in 2018. In the tourist cities the apps barely operate and the petit taxi is the system.
Time zone and your working day
Africa/Casablanca — 4 hours ahead of you
4 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–13:00 your time, 13:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 05:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 05:00–13:00 on yours.
Friday afternoon is quiet — offices close early for prayers and many reopen after.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
Internet speedall of Morocco
Why these are Morocco's numbers and not Fes's
Home broadband — Fair. Video calls and streaming for one or two people — fine for a holiday, thin for a household working. Broadband here runs at 44% of the global median of 130 Mbps.
Mobile data — Fair. Maps, calls and streaming; tethering a laptop works for an hour, not a day. Mobile runs at 64% of the global median of 109 Mbps.
Ookla publishes no separate figure for Fes, so these are medians for all of Morocco. Cities usually beat the national number and remote islands and national parks fall well below it — treat this as the country's shape, not as a measurement of the street you will be staying on.
A median is the middle of every connection tested there, old copper and new fibre together — so in a country part-way through laying fibre it sits well below what a fibre line actually delivers, and a rental on one can run several times this number. Half of the connections are slower; a fibre flat is rarely one of them. It says what a place can do, not what your rental does, so every listing on Holistay carries its own measured speed and the date it was tested.
Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for Morocco, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026
Must-see
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
Arabic
- Helloمرحبا — MarhabaMAR-ha-ba
- Pleaseمن فضلك — Min fadlakmin FAD-lak
- Thank youشكرا — ShukranSHOOK-ran
- Yes / Noنعم / لا — Na’am / LaNA-am / la
4 more phrases
- Excuse meعفوا — AfwanAF-wan
- How much is it?بكم — Bikam?bi-KAM
- The bill, pleaseالحساب — Al-hisabal-hi-SAB
- Welcomeأهلا وسهلا — Ahlan wa sahlanAH-lan wa SAH-lan
Inshallah, meaning God willing, follows nearly any statement about the future and is conversational rather than religious.
Religion
Sunni Muslim
Islam is the state religion and the king holds religious authority. Non-Muslims may not enter most mosques — the Hassan II in Casablanca is the main exception. Ramadan changes opening hours everywhere.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Haggle in the souks — the first price is an opening, and good humour is part of it
- Dress modestly, particularly women and particularly away from tourist areas
- Use the right hand for eating and giving
- Accept mint tea; it is the standard gesture of welcome
Don't
- Do not follow unofficial guides who offer to show you the way in the medina; the help ends in a demand
- Do not photograph people, market stalls or performers without asking — payment will be expected
- Do not enter mosques unless you are Muslim; almost all are closed to visitors
- Do not show public affection, and avoid discussing the monarchy critically
Where to stay in Fes
No Holistay rentals in Fes yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Fes on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Saïss FEZ
20 minfrom the airport· 12 km as the crow flies
20 min to the medina.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
