Fes & Meknes: The Medina, Volubilis and the Imperial North

The medina of Fes has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Enter through Bab Boujloud, the blue gate, and a guide leads you down through the souks to the Al-Attarine and Bou Inania madrasas, the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, the dyers’ souk and the Chouara tannery, best seen from a leather-shop terrace. The Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, and the Aben Danan synagogue complete the picture. Read the Fes medina with a private guide.

Meknes (UNESCO, 1996) was Sultan Moulay Ismail’s capital — monumental gates such as Bab Mansour, royal granaries and stables. Half an hour away, Volubilis (UNESCO, 1997) is the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, its mosaics still in place, and Moulay Idriss Zerhoun watches over it from its hill. Most of our routes visit all three on the way into or out of Fes; see the four imperial cities.

Inside the medina, Palais Faraj Suites & Spa looks over the whole old city from beside Bab Ziat, and Riad Fès – Relais & Châteaux is a classic of restored riad luxury. For a pool, gardens and space just outside the walls, the Fes Marriott Hotel Jnan Palace is our choice.

April, May, late September and October are ideal. Fes is hotter than people expect in July and August (about 35 °C) and it is the wettest of the imperial cities in November and December, with cold nights — riads with heating matter in winter.