Travel tips · Fes · Morocco
Fes travel tips: what to know before you go
The etiquette, money and practical details that make the first day easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves . Feel free to use my photos, but please ment, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Fes is often called Morocco's spiritual and cultural capital, home to the Qarawiyyin and many of its oldest craft guilds. The medina is a living city rather than a museum, with families, schools and workshops behind its walls, and traditions such as the neighbourhood bakery and hammam are still part of daily life.
Key facts
- Language
- Moroccan Arabic, Amazigh and French
- Currency
- MAD
- Plugs
- Type C and E sockets, 220 V, 50 Hz
- Tap water
- Most visitors drink bottled or filtered water; tap water is treated but can…
- Emergency
- 19 police, 15 ambulance and fire (112 from mobiles)
Things to know
- Non-Muslims may not enter mosques and shrines; madrasas such as Bou Inania and Al-Attarine are open to visitors.
- Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, especially in the medina.
- Step aside when you hear 'balak!' — it means a donkey or handcart is coming through.
- Ask before photographing people; many craftsmen and stallholders expect a tip or a purchase.
- Bargaining is expected in the souqs; start well below the first price and stay good-humoured.
- During Ramadan, whose dates move about 11 days earlier each year, avoid eating or drinking in public during daylight.
- Walking the medina, the Blue Gate, the tannery terraces, Jnan Sbil and the Marinid Tombs view cost nothing.
Tipping
Leave about 10% in restaurants, small coins for porters and handcart drivers who carry luggage, and a tip for licensed guides at the end of a tour.
Language
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Salam alaykum | Hello (peace be upon you) |
| Shukran | Thank you |
| La, shukran | No, thank you |
| Bshhal? | How much? |
| Balak! | Watch out! |
| Bslama | Goodbye |
What to wear
Loose clothing that covers shoulders and knees suits the medina; bring sturdy shoes with grip for steep, sometimes slippery lanes, and a warm layer for winter evenings.
Practical details
- Plugs and voltage
- Type C and E sockets, 220 V, 50 Hz
- Drinking water
- Most visitors drink bottled or filtered water; tap water is treated but can upset unaccustomed stomachs.
- Emergency number
- 19 police, 15 ambulance and fire (112 from mobiles)
- Phone and internet
- Local SIM cards and eSIMs are inexpensive; riad Wi-Fi can be weak behind thick medina walls.
- Time zone
- Africa/Casablanca
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.
Entry requirements
Visa and passport rules depend on your nationality and change often. Check Morocco's official government guidance and your own government's travel advice before booking.
Plan the trip
Questions travellers ask
+Do you tip in Fes?
Leave about 10% in restaurants, small coins for porters and handcart drivers who carry luggage, and a tip for licensed guides at the end of a tour.
+Can you drink the tap water in Fes?
Most visitors drink bottled or filtered water; tap water is treated but can upset unaccustomed stomachs.
+What plugs are used in Fes?
Type C and E sockets, 220 V, 50 Hz
+What language is spoken in Fes?
Moroccan Arabic, Amazigh and French.