WHAT TO SEE IN FEZ IN ONE DAY

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Day 4: FEZ: Medina (Fez El-Bali), Bab Bou Jeloud, Madraza el-Attarine, Madrasa Bou-Inania, Tanneries, Place as-Seffarine ...

Yesterday we met with the staff of Riad Ibn Khandoun who would have breakfast at 8.30 in the morning. Already yesterday we saw that although life in the city begins at an early hour, the Medina and the environment do not start to wake up until 10 or so, so we decided to have breakfast a little later and thus also rest a little that is not bad after the full day we had yesterday after visiting Volubilis from Meknès.

We went down to breakfast at the lounge of the riad that we booked thanks to PSPTravel and after a breakfast of champions we review the planning of today, pointing all the points of the places we want to visit, writing them down in our CityMaps2Go and at 9 in the morning we are already in the streets of Fez ready to reconcile with her after the bad yesterday's experience

Having breakfast at the riad of Fez

The first thing we do is head towards Bab Bou Jeloud, which is the most important gateway of the Medina and from which the most famous streets depart: Talra Kbira and Tala Saguira.
A good option to have a good first contact with the Medina is to book a guided tour in Spanish or this one that includes a panoramic tour.

Bab Bou Jeloud

We take Talra Kbira and we do not need more than a few meters to return to that Morocco that we fell in love with the first day we met him.

Images of the Medina of Fez

Medina of Fez

Yes, it is true that on several occasions they ask us if we need a guide, claiming how difficult it is to orient ourselves in the Medina, but at the moment they let us go when we say that do not we need.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Fez
- 50 things to see and do in Fez
- The 5 best excursions from Fez
- 10 essential places to see in Morocco
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Morocco

A few meters from Bab Bou Jeloud we meet the Madrasa Bou Inania, the most spectacular theological school in Fez where we enter for 10 dirhams per person.

Madrasa Bou Inania

We have to say that in Fez there are several emblematic places to visit, but the best thing about Fez is wandering around, as in most Moroccan cities and get lost. For us this is a must to know the best of Morocco.

Medina of Fez

We continue Talra Kbira, although sometimes it is impossible for us not to enter the parallel streets, crossing with locals, donkeys, smells and colors that gradually reconcile us with Fez.

Streets of the Medina of Fez

We took the opportunity to buy 4 postcards with stamps for 54 dirhams and we arrived at the Madrasa el-Attarine where we also enter for 10 dirhams per person.

Madrasa el-Attarine

At this point in the street we are right next to the Kairaoine Mosque, which houses the oldest university in the world and is the spiritual center of Fez and even from all over Morocco. Here we approach despite not being able to access not being Muslims, although you can take a photo from outside.

Kairaouine Mosque and University

We are very attracted to the fact that after what we had read about Fez and his Medina and what happened to us last night, we hoped we would have to get rid of people and the truth is that nothing is further from reality. We can walk at our whim without anyone overwhelming us, maybe we have to see the time, since at the moment it is low season, but under our experience, we can say that the Medina of Fez is not at all overwhelming.
We arrive at the Seffarine Square, following the signs of different colors (they indicate according to the color monuments and souks, Andalusian palaces and gardens, Fez el-Jdid, the Andalusí District or the Craft Circuit) that the Fez authorities have put in the Medina for tourists to orient themselves. These help us a lot to get to this place where we totally change the environment by meeting more local people and the noise of the beaten metal.

Saffarine Square

Scenes from a corner of Saffarine Square

At this time we left a little planning we had for this morning and began to get lost in the streets adjacent to the Saffarine Square until we find a signal that indicates the tanneries.
We don't think about it and continue until a man tells us to enter his tent to go up to the terrace.
We do it and after a few steps, there we are, facing the Fez's famous tanneries.

Tanneries of Fez

Details of the tanneries of Fez

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Fez by travelers:
- 2 day excursion to the desert of Merzouga
- Guided tour of Fez and panoramic tour
- Excursion to Chefchaouen
- Excursion to Volubilis, Mulay Idrís and Meknes
- Guided tour of the Medina of Fez
- More excursions and tours here

After hundreds of photos and place ourselves well, we see what will be our next objective, a terrace just in front of where you have the best views of the tanneries of Fez.
The man who has accompanied us to the terrace shows us the store, no more than 5 minutes and without finding what we want, a portfolio to put documents, we leave without spending a dirham for access to the terrace.
We follow the street where we are, turn right and then left and between alleys we arrive at the other store where we repeat the operation with our mint sprig in the nose even if it is not really necessary. The smell is not at all unbearable or at least it does not seem to us, although surely being at 17 degrees also helps.
The views from here are impressive, surely the best of all the terraces that overlook the tanneries.

Tanneries behind bars

The famous tanneries of Fez

There are many hoaxes about Fez, such as the bad treatment they give to tourists, harassing them to sell, exhausting with the insistence to guide you through the Medina, charging you to guide you to the tanneries exaggerated prices. Yesterday we met one first hand, but that does not mean that we can generalize, the other way around. We had a bad experience, but today Fez has shown us that this was an isolated case and it is our obligation to tell it, but above all not to assume that because of this isolated fact, everyone is like that.

Views of the Tanneries from a terrace

Colors in tanneries

Dyeing with saffron

After 12:30 in the morning we return to the streets of the Medina of Fez to get lost again by its streets full of color.
While we stroll through the streets, we are struck by a place we see, the Sekaya Restaurant in which the cartel announces views of the Medina of Fez.
As soon as we reach the top floor, the terrace, we understand the announcement and we have to add that it may be the best views of the Medina of Fez that we can have

Views of Fez from the Sekaya Restaurant

We ordered a spectacular chicken tajine plus one of meat with prunes plus coke, water and coffees for 160 dirhams. Without a doubt the best food we have made on this trip to Casablanca, Meknès and Fez.

Lemon chicken tagine in Sekaya Restaurant

Spectacular views of the Medina of Fez and delicious food. No doubt if you can, do not miss it.
We leave the restaurant after two o'clock in the afternoon and say that it is time to walk again, this time getting lost in the less traveled streets of the Medina and go if we get it.

Colors in the Medina of Fez

This is the authentic Fez. We recommend that you leave the main streets, where there are more people and tourists and get lost in the adjacent streets, not only for what you can see, but also for the local contact.

Bridal Thrones in the Medina of Fez

Medina of Fez

Lost in the Medina of Fez

Without realizing it we arrived at Bab guissa, the northernmost gate of the Medina, very close to the Benimérines tombs or Merinides the place where we wanted to come to see how the sunset fell on Fez.
So as it is still 3.30 in the afternoon we choose to go to the Palais Royal to see its famous 7 doors.
We take a petit taxi that leaves us there for 13 dirhams and we take a good photo bath and a walk away from the intricate streets of the Medina.

Doors of the Palais Royal de Fez

At 16.30 in the afternoon we return to take another petit taxi to take us back to the Benimérines or Merinides tombs to enjoy the sunset over Fez.
It is worth getting here to enjoy the sunset with incredible views of the city.

Benimérines tombs or merinides tombs

Sunset over Fez

Without doubt the best farewell for a day that has shown us that not all impressions are good or all valid prejudices.
We had read somewhere that the sunset in this area of Fez was tearful and we are not going to lie to you, the views are very good, but we can also say that the person who wrote that surely did not have a very good day 😉 If you have a Free time, definitely come, but not as something essential.
When the sun goes down we start to descend and we come back to Bab guissa in 10 minutes to go back into the Medina, this time on the way to our riad where we rest a few minutes before going back to dinner.
Today we are exhausted, so we decided not to enter the Medina again and we chose to dine at the Café RSif Restaurant, with a panoramic terrace where we ordered a sandwich and a pizza plus water and orange juice for 130 dirhams.