Fez event weekends: what to do between sessions
Morocco's spiritual and craft capital: Fez el-Bali is the largest car-free medina in the world, with tanneries, madrasas and 9,000 lanes.
Events we cover in Fez
28 May 2027*Fes Festival of World Sacred Music
Fez, MoroccoFestival8 Jun 2030World Cup 2030 in Fez
Fez, MoroccoWorld Cup 2030
Fez, MoroccoFestival8 Jun 2030World Cup 2030 in Fez
Fez, MoroccoWorld Cup 2030
Arriving
Fès-Saïss (FEZ) is 15 km south of the city, 20 to 25 minutes by taxi for a fixed fare of about 150 to 200 dirhams. Bus 16 runs to the train station. Trains from Casablanca and Rabat take 2.5 to 4 hours.
Where to stay
| Budget | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Fez el-Bali riads near Bab Boujloud | Guesthouses inside the main gate, walkable to everything in the old town. |
| Mid-range | Ville Nouvelle | Modern hotels with parking and taxis to the stadium; 10 minutes to the Medina. |
| Splurge | Medina palace riads | Restored palaces with pools and terraces overlooking the old town. |
Three hotels we would book
- Budget: Dar Bensouda
- Mid-range: Fes Marriott Hotel Jnan Palace
- Splurge: Riad Fes
Tours
Half day · Family
Fez Medina guided tour
Al-Qarawiyyin, Bou Inania madrasa and the Chouara tannery with a licensed guide.
Full day · Family
Middle Atlas, Ifrane and cedar forest
Swiss-style mountain town and Barbary macaques.
Half day · Indoor · Family
Pottery and zellige workshop
See mosaic tiles cut by hand and try it yourself.
Full day
Merzouga desert 3-day trip
For a longer gap between matches: Sahara dunes and a night in a camp.
Where to eat
With kids
- Jnan Sbil gardens with a lake and shade.
- Pottery workshops where kids can paint a tile.
- Ifrane and its macaque forest an hour away.
Rainy-day backups
- Nejjarine Museum of wooden arts and crafts.
- Dar Batha museum (Moroccan arts).
- Al-Attarine and Bou Inania madrasas.
Free things to do
- Viewpoint over the tanneries from the leather shops above Chouara.
- Borj Nord and the Merenid tombs at sunset over the whole Medina.
- Walk Talaa Kebira, the main street of the old town, from Bab Boujloud.
Getting around
- The Medina is car-free: taxis stop at Bab Boujloud, Bab Guissa and R'cif.
- Petit taxis run inside each city on the meter: ask the driver to switch it on, or agree the fare before you get in. Grand taxis are shared and run fixed routes between towns.
- Careem and inDrive work in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Tangier and Agadir. Expect to pay in cash in dirhams in most places.
- Al Boraq high-speed trains link Tangier, Kenitra, Rabat and Casablanca. Classic ONCF trains continue to Marrakech and Fez. Book on the ONCF app; first class is cheap and worth it on busy days.
- Fridays around midday prayers and the evenings during Ramadan change opening hours and traffic.