With kids · Fes · Morocco
Fes with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Robert Prazeres, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Older children usually love Fes's sensory overload: donkeys in the lanes, the dye vats of the tannery and the hammering coppersmiths. The crowds, steep lanes and lack of open space are harder with toddlers, so build in breaks at Jnan Sbil and the riad roof terrace. Top picks: Chouara Tannery, Jnan Sbil Gardens and Bab Bou Jeloud (Blue Gate). Families usually base themselves in Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 4
- Best area for families
- Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud
- Rainy-day options
- 0
Best things to do with kids
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Historic site · Fes el-Bali
1.Chouara Tannery
The largest of the medina's tanneries is a honeycomb of stone vats where hides are soaked and dyed by hand, a process that has changed little in centuries. Visitors watch from the terraces of the surrounding leather shops, which give access in exchange for a look at their goods.
Come in the morning when the most work is happening and the colours are brightest; accept the sprig of mint offered against the smell.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Kids
- Shopping
Garden · Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud
2.Jnan Sbil Gardens
A historic royal garden between Fes el-Bali and Fes el-Jdid, restored in the 2010s, with palm and bamboo avenues, fountains, a lake and benches in the shade. It is a calm, free break from the medina lanes.
Walk through it between the Blue Gate and the Royal Palace, and let children run on the open paths.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Couples
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Landmark · Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud
3.Bab Bou Jeloud (Blue Gate)
Built in 1913 in traditional style, the main western gate to the medina is faced with blue zellij tiles on the outside and green on the inside, framing views of the Bou Inania minaret beyond. Cafés and food stalls cluster just inside.
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
Viewpoint · Bab Guissa and the northern hillside
4.Marinid Tombs viewpoint
The crumbling remains of 14th-century Marinid royal tombs stand on the hill north of the medina, the classic viewpoint over Fes el-Bali's rooftops, minarets and green-tiled roofs.
Go about an hour before sunset to hear the calls to prayer rise from the medina below; go with others or a guide and take a taxi back after dark.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Kids
Where families should 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
Family travel tips
- Use a baby carrier rather than a stroller; medina lanes have steps and slopes.
- Choose a riad with a plunge pool or roof terrace for afternoon downtime.
- Hire a guide for the first day; children tire quickly when lost in the lanes.
- Keep children close in busy lanes and step aside for handcarts and mules.
- Moroccans are very welcoming to families, and children are fussed over everywhere.
Day trips for families
- Volubilis (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — The UNESCO-listed ruins of a Roman city on the edge of the empire, with a triumphal arch, basilica and some of the finest floor mosaics in North Africa, set among olive groves.
- Ifrane and Azrou cedar forest (About 1 hour by car) — Ifrane is a Middle Atlas resort town with Alpine-style chalets and lakes, and the cedar forest near Azrou is home to Barbary macaques.
When to go with children
The best months overall are March–May and October–November. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Fes good for kids?
Older children usually love Fes's sensory overload: donkeys in the lanes, the dye vats of the tannery and the hammering coppersmiths. The crowds, steep lanes and lack of open space are harder with toddlers, so build in breaks at Jnan Sbil and the riad roof terrace.
+What can kids do in Fes?
Chouara Tannery, Jnan Sbil Gardens, Bab Bou Jeloud (Blue Gate) and Marinid Tombs viewpoint.
+Where should families stay in Fes?
Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud: The medina's western edge, with taxi access and cafés by the Blue Gate.