Solo travel · Fes · Morocco
Solo travel in Fes
How to enjoy Fes at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jerzystrzelecki, CC BY 3.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Quick answer
Fes can be intense for solo travellers because of persistent touts and unofficial guides, but riads are welcoming, and a guided first day makes the rest of the stay much easier. Many solo travellers base themselves in Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud.
Key facts
- Base
- Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 19 police, 15 ambulance and fire (112 from mobiles)
- Language
- Moroccan Arabic, Amazigh and French
Solo travel tips
- Use only licensed guides with official badges, booked through your riad or the tourist office.
- A firm but friendly 'la, shukran' is the best response to touts; do not follow anyone offering directions.
- Riads with shared rooftop breakfasts are a good way to meet other travellers.
- Women travelling alone may receive comments; dressing modestly and walking purposefully helps.
- Take a petit taxi back to your riad's nearest gate after dark rather than walking long distances.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for first-timers, budget, families and solo travellers
Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud
The area around Bab Bou Jeloud and Place Batha sits at the top of the medina's two main streets, Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira, with cafés, food stalls and many riads. Taxis can reach Place Batha, which makes arrivals easier, and Jnan Sbil gardens are a few minutes away.
- Good
- Taxi access nearby; Easy orientation from the main gate; Plenty of cafés and budget riads
- Watch out
- Touts and unofficial guides gather at the gate; Busier and noisier
- Nearby
- Bab Bou Jeloud, Jnan Sbil, Bou Inania Madrasa, Place Batha
Great on your own
Historic site · Fes el-Bali
Fes el-Bali medina
Hire an official licensed guide for the first morning to get your bearings, then explore on your own using the main streets as reference lines.
- Time needed
- A full day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Shopping
- Photo spot
.jpg){kind=link}
Landmark · Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud
Bab Bou Jeloud (Blue Gate)
Photograph it early in the morning before the crowds, and ignore anyone offering to guide you here unless they show an official badge.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Photo spot
- Architecture
- Kids
Religious site · Fes el-Bali
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University
Look through the main doors from the lane outside without stepping in, and avoid prayer times.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
.jpg){kind=link}
Palace · Fes el-Jdid and the Mellah
Royal Palace gates (Dar al-Makhzen)
Visit in the morning light and combine it with the Mellah next door.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Iconic
Religious site · Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud
Bou Inania Madrasa
Visit in the morning when the courtyard is in sunlight; it closes to visitors at prayer times.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Art
- Photo spot
.jpg){kind=link}
Religious site · Fes el-Bali
Al-Attarine Madrasa
Combine it with the Qarawiyyin doorways next door and Place Seffarine a few minutes away.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Meeting people
- Cooking class in a riad — Many riads and cooking schools start with a trip to the souq to buy ingredients, then teach you to make tagine, salads and bread, followed by lunch on the roof terrace.
- Medina street-food walk — Guided food walks cover bissara, khlii, msemen, olives, nougat and sfenj around Talaa Kebira, with stops that are hard to find alone.
Sensible precautions
Check your own government's travel advice before travel. In the medina, the main issues are unofficial guides who steer visitors to shops or claim roads are closed, and pickpockets in crowded lanes; use licensed guides and keep valuables zipped away.
- Emergency number
- 19 police, 15 ambulance and fire (112 from mobiles)
- Staying connected
- Local SIM cards and eSIMs are inexpensive; riad Wi-Fi can be weak behind thick medina walls.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Fes good for solo travellers?
Fes can be intense for solo travellers because of persistent touts and unofficial guides, but riads are welcoming, and a guided first day makes the rest of the stay much easier.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Fes?
Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud: The medina's western edge, with taxi access and cafés by the Blue Gate.