My 2025 Fes Day Tour Review: Honest Tips & Insights
Honestly, getting ready for a day spent wandering through Fes kind of gives you a feeling of real anticipation. I mean, you’ve seen the pictures, you know, the ones with the really detailed tilework and the skinny streets that look like they go on forever. You just know it’s a place with a huge amount of history. So, going on a day-long exploration in 2025 still holds that special kind of allure. Frankly, a good tour is about having someone show you the hidden spots, the places you would almost certainly miss on your own. My own visit was just like that, pretty much a full day of discovery that I really want to share with you. Basically, this isn’t just a list of places. As a matter of fact, it’s a look at the actual feeling of the city, a collection of moments and advice that I honestly believe will make your own trip just a little bit better. It’s often the small things, like knowing where to get the best mint tea, that make all the difference, right?
Morning in the Medina: Getting Lost is Part of the Fun
Alright, the first thing you feel when you step into the Fes medina is, like, a total shift in your senses. The main entrance, often the Blue Gate or Bab Bou Jeloud, is seriously just the start of it all. You know, you walk through that big archway, and the modern world kind of just melts away. So, the air gets filled with the smell of baking bread and a lot of different spices. You hear this constant, low hum of people talking, donkeys carrying goods, and artisans working away, you know? Actually, the alleyways are much more narrow than you can possibly imagine. Sometimes, you have to stand to the side to let people and their carts go by. Our guide was, frankly, a huge help right from the beginning. He seemed to know every single twist and turn by heart, which is really something. Basically, without him, we would have been walking in circles pretty much all morning. He pointed out these little details, for instance, a beautiful old door knocker or a hidden water fountain, things we would have just walked right past. Still, there’s a real charm to feeling just a little bit lost here. Anyway, you turn a corner and suddenly find a small square filled with kids playing or a shop selling things you’ve never seen before. In a way, every single turn is a new surprise waiting for you.
Honestly, the whole medina is an old, living city, not just a place for tourists to look at. You see, like, regular people going about their daily lives. We saw women on their way to the communal bakeries, you know, carrying their dough on wooden boards. We also passed men in workshops, banging metal into shape to make lamps. As a matter of fact, our guide explained that many of these old ways of doing things have been passed down for a very long time. For instance, he showed us a ‘foundouk’, which is basically an old inn where traders and their animals used to stay. A lot of them are now being fixed up and turned into shops or guesthouses. Seriously, it’s amazing to think about all the people who have walked these same stone paths over hundreds of years. So, you feel a connection to a really long story. It’s definitely a good idea to wear very comfortable shoes; I mean, you will be doing a huge amount of walking on uneven ground. Just try to absorb it all, because honestly, there’s nothing quite like it. It’s almost a good thing that cars can’t fit in here; it preserves a way of living that is really special.
A Deep Appreciation for Local Craftsmanship
Okay, one of the biggest parts of any Fes tour is, of course, seeing the artisans at their work. So, our guide took us to the Chouara Tannery, which is probably the most famous spot. Before you even go up to the viewing terraces, the people in the leather shops will, like, hand you a fresh bunch of mint leaves. To be honest, you should definitely take them. The smell from the pits where they treat the animal hides is incredibly strong; I mean, it is very powerful. But from the balconies above, you get this amazing view that has, frankly, been the same for a very long time. You see men standing in these big, stone vats filled with colorful liquids, working under the sun. It’s a really intense and sort of ancient scene. The guide pointed out the different vats, you know, some with pigeon droppings to soften the leather and others with natural dyes like poppy for red or indigo for blue. Basically, it’s a completely natural process from start to finish. You can then look through the shops selling all the finished goods, like bags, slippers, and jackets, and you can really see the quality of the work.
Anyway, beyond the tannery, we also got to see other types of local makers. As a matter of fact, we visited a pottery cooperative in an area just outside the main medina walls. Here, we saw how they make the famous blue and white Fassi ceramics, and all that super detailed tilework, you know, called ‘zellige’. Honestly, watching a craftsman chip away at tiny pieces of colored tile and then fit them perfectly into a pattern is just amazing. So, they make these huge, beautiful fountains and tables, and every single tiny piece is cut by hand. They don’t use any stencils; it’s all just done from memory and skill. We also passed by a weaver’s workshop, where a man was working on a huge loom, making a thick carpet. The sound of the wooden loom was, like, a steady rhythm in the room. In a way, these stops are not just about shopping. They are really about understanding the heart of Fes. Pretty much, you get a much bigger appreciation for the things you see in the shops after you’ve seen how much work goes into them. Our guide was good about not pressuring us to buy anything, which was honestly a relief.
A Midday Break and a Taste of True Fassi Food
By lunchtime, your feet will probably be a bit tired, and you will definitely be hungry. So, most day tours have a specific place they take you for the midday meal. Our guide led us down a quiet alley to this really unassuming door. I mean, we would have never, ever found it by ourselves. Once inside, it opened up into a beautiful, tiled courtyard of a traditional Moroccan house, or ‘riad’. This is, like, a pretty common experience on these tours, and it’s a very welcome break from the busy streets. We sat down at a low table with lots of cushions, and they immediately brought out a huge spread of Moroccan salads. You know, these are not like your typical green salads. Instead, they were little dishes of cooked vegetables with amazing spices—like carrots with cumin, and a delicious eggplant puree called ‘zaalouk’.
Then, of course, came the main event: the tagine. It was served in that famous clay pot with the cone-shaped lid, still bubbling away. We had one with chicken, preserved lemons, and olives, which is, honestly, a classic combination. The meat was so soft it just fell right off the bone, and the flavor was just incredible. To be honest, eating food that has been slow-cooked for hours in that pot is a completely different thing from trying to make it at home. It’s the kind of meal that really stays with you. And, naturally, you can’t have a meal in Morocco without mint tea. Watching them pour it from really high up to make it frothy is a little show in itself. So, this lunch break was more than just about getting food; it was a chance to relax and really enjoy Moroccan hospitality in a beautiful setting. Seriously, don’t eat a big breakfast, because you will want to save room for all this delicious food.
Uncovering Fes’s Rich History and Knowledge
So, the afternoon part of our tour was focused more on the historical and scholarly side of Fes. As a matter of fact, our guide took us to the Al-Attarine Madrasa, which is an old Islamic school from the 14th century. The second you step into its main courtyard, you just have to stop and look around. Frankly, the level of detail is just hard to believe. You see walls covered from top to bottom in carved plaster, incredibly detailed tilework, and dark cedar wood from the Atlas Mountains. The guide pointed out the different patterns and what they meant, and he showed us the small rooms where students used to live and study. It was actually a very calm and quiet place, a real contrast to the noisy streets just outside its walls. It’s pretty amazing to think that this was once a center of great learning.
By the way, right next door is the University of Al Quaraouiyine, which is, you know, often called the oldest working university in the whole world. While as non-Muslims we couldn’t go inside the prayer hall, you can kind of peek through the gates and get a sense of its incredible size and history. Honestly, just knowing you are standing next to a place of learning that has been around since the 9th century is a pretty special feeling. We also saw the outside of the Zaouia of Moulay Idriss II, which is a very important shrine for the people of Fes. The streets around it are filled with shops selling special white candles and other offerings. In short, this part of the tour really shows you that Fes was, and still is, a really important spiritual and intellectual center for the country. It gives the whole city another layer of meaning, you know?
My Honest Thoughts & Recommendations for Your 2025 Trip
Alright, so looking back at the whole day, I can definitely say that taking a guided tour of Fes for your first visit is a very good idea. Basically, the medina is so big and confusing that you could easily spend all day getting lost and, frankly, miss a lot of the best parts. A good guide, you know, adds so much context and helps you see things you would otherwise overlook. However, it is a very intense experience. So, be ready for a lot of walking and a lot of things happening all around you. Wear light, comfortable clothing that covers your shoulders and knees, both for modesty and to protect yourself from the sun. The sensory input is pretty high all day, from the smells of the tannery to the sounds of the market.
When it comes to shopping, you will almost certainly be taken to a few specific shops for carpets, leather, or argan oil. This is just part of how these tours usually work. Honestly, there’s no pressure to buy, and you can just say a polite “no, thank you.” At the same time, if you do want to buy something, feel free to haggle a little bit; it’s part of the culture, you know? Just be respectful about it. One of my biggest pieces of advice is to stay curious. Anyway, ask your guide lots of questions. As a matter of fact, the more you ask, the more you will learn about the local culture and way of life.
My single best tip, honestly, is to find a moment to just stand still. You know, lean against a wall in a quieter alleyway and just watch life go by for a few minutes. At the end of the day, it’s in those small, quiet moments that you really feel the unique spirit of Fes.
A Quick Look Back
Honestly, a day tour in Fes is a full-on, fascinating experience. You get to see ancient crafts, taste some amazing food, and walk through a city that feels like it’s from another time. It’s tiring, for sure, but also incredibly rewarding. You leave with a much deeper appreciation for the history and culture of this amazing Moroccan city.
- Hire a Guide: Seriously, for your first time in the medina, a guide is incredibly helpful for context and direction.
- Wear Comfortable Shoes: You’ll be on your feet walking on uneven stone streets for hours, so this is really important.
- Be Ready for Strong Smells: Especially at the tanneries. Just take the mint they offer you, and you’ll be fine.
- Stay Hydrated: Always carry a bottle of water with you; it gets quite warm walking around.
- Pace Yourself: You know, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Take breaks, have that mint tea, and just soak it all in.
- Be Open-Minded: Just go with the flow and be ready to have all your senses fully engaged.
Read our full review: [2025 Day Tour of Fes Full Review and Details]
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