Fes Medina Tour 2026: Tanneries, Medersas & Your Guided Morning

Booking choice: The 3-day small-group tour, from $309 per person. Check dates Tour details

The medina of Fes, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981, is a maze of lanes, souks, workshops and religious schools that has been lived in since the city was founded in the late 8th century.

On the 3-day tour you see it with a local guide on the morning of day two. On the private 4-day tour you get a full day. Either way, it helps to know what to expect.

The quick answer

On the 3-day tour, a local guide leads you through the Fes medina on day two; the operator lists about 5 hours in Fes. Expect the souks, the Chouara tannery from a terrace, al-Qarawiyyin from its doorways, a medersa such as Bou Inania (about 20 dirhams), and craft workshops where buying is optional. For a full day, the private 4-day tour ($664) spends two nights in Fes.

A narrow covered souk street in the Fes medina with wooden doors and shop signs — The lanes of the Fes medina are easier to follow with a guide.

What does the guided morning in Fes cover?

A walk through the souks, a view of the tanneries, the outside of al-Qarawiyyin, usually a medersa, and some craft workshops.

The exact route depends on your guide. Guests describe a thorough tour; one mentions his guide taking the group to a local tea salon. The stop is listed at about 5 hours, which includes getting in and out of the medina before the drive to Chefchaouen. The guide is included; entry fees are not.

Want Fes with a guide, without arranging one? The 3-day tour includes the medina morning.

Check dates for the 3-day small-group tour

Why is the Fes medina a UNESCO site?

UNESCO listed the Medina of Fez in 1981 for its historic city of lanes, souks, mosques and medersas, which is still lived in and worked in today.

Fes was founded between 789 and 808 by Idris I and Idris II and was the capital again under the Marinids. It is one of Morocco's four imperial cities; see the imperial cities explained.

The carved courtyard of a medersa in Fes with a marble fountain — Carved plaster, cedar and tile: the craftsmanship the medina is known for.

What is the Chouara tannery?

The oldest of the city's tanneries, where hides are still soaked and dyed in round stone vats.

You see it from the terraces of the leather shops around it, which is why the visit usually ends with a sales pitch. The smell is strong, so take a deep breath before you step onto the terrace.

Can you go inside al-Qarawiyyin?

Not as a non-Muslim: the mosque is closed to non-Muslims, but you can glimpse the courtyard through its doors.

Al-Qarawiyyin was founded in 857 to 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, and it is both a mosque and a university. Your guide will usually point it out on the way through the medina, and the doorways give a view of the courtyard.

Can you visit the Bou Inania medersa?

Yes: it is one of the few religious buildings in Morocco open to non-Muslims, and entry is about 20 dirhams.

Built in 1350 to 1356, it is a former religious school with carved cedar, plaster and tiles around a marble courtyard. Ask your guide whether it is on the route; if not, it is easy to add on your own on a longer stay in Fes.

Will you be pressured to buy?

Expect workshop stops for leather, rugs and crafts; buying is optional, and saying no politely is fine.

One guest felt the Fes visit was sometimes like a tourist trap. If you do want to buy, decide your budget before you go in, and do not feel obliged because the guide brought you there. Cash in dirhams helps for smaller purchases.

Round dye vats of the Chouara tannery seen from above — Leather shops around the tannery double as viewing terraces.

How do you get more time in Fes?

Book the private 4-day tour ($664): it spends two nights in Fes, with about 7 hours listed for the medina with a local guide.

It also stops briefly in Ifrane on the way in and adds a local guide in Chefchaouen. It is private, for a minimum of two adults, and has five reviews so far (4.6), so it has a much shorter track record than the group tour.

4-Day Private Imperial Cities & Chefchaouen

Want a full day in Fes? The private 4-day tour gives you two nights there and a local guide.

★ 4.6 · 4 days · from $664

Explore the 4-day private tour Tour details

Staying in Fes? Take the day trip to Chefchaouen

From Fes, a day trip to Chefchaouen costs from $21 and gives you about four hours in the Blue City.

It leaves at 8:00 AM from Hotel Bab Boujloud, takes up to 12 people, and lasts about 9 hours. Only the air-conditioned transport is included. One guest staying on the far side of the medina found the meeting point awkward to reach, so check the distance from your riad. More on what to see in Chefchaouen with one night.