Travel Guide > Africa > Morocco > Fez
Fez is home to the oldest university of the country and is the leading cultural and religious centre. Fez is also the home of the oldest and largest medieval city in the world, a city that is almost unchanged through the modern ages and still most definately alive. Fez was founded in 789. History has provided the city with long periods of hardship, but Fez has never died.
Fes el-Bali - the medina in the East
Fes el-Jdid - the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) and the Royal Palace in the centre
Ville Nouvelle - the administrative area built by the French in the Southwest
Fez is known for its crafts. Pottery, tiles, cloths, leather and silver products are all made and sold here in exactly the same way they were made a thousand years ago. If you wander through the Medina, you could be fooled into thinking you have moved backwards in time. The narrow maze of streets have row after row of vendors selling everything and anything you can imagine. The traffic is pedestrian except for an occasional donkey cart. On the upper levels above the shops, wrought iron balconies remind you of the French influence that is left from the time when Morocco was owned by France.
Fez International Airport (international code: FEZ) serves a growing number of destinations. Royal Air Marco flies to Casblanca and Paris, Atlast Blue flies to Marseille and London, Jet4You to Paris and Ryanair to Alicante, Sevilla, Brussels, Frankfurt, Gerona, Marseille and Milan.
ONCF has trains to Tangier, Marrakech, Casablanca, Meknes, Tangier, Rabat and Oujda, mostly multiple times a day.
CTM has regular buses to Casablanca, Meknes, Tangier, Tetouan, Oujda, Al Hoceima, Rabat and Marrakech, amongst other places. Eurlines has international services, mainly to Spain and France.
Like everywhere else in Morocco, the imperial city of Fes has plenty of small restaurants where you can get a delicious tajine for less than £3. A tajine is a clay pot filled with chicken, beef, goat’s meat and vegetables, stewed over a charcoal fire for about an hour. For dessert, order a pot of mint tea at one of the outdoor cafes. Sipping on your glass of hot tea you can watch the locals on their evening stroll along the boulevard. Your cosy hotel is just a couple of minutes of walk away. Bear in mind that everything in Fes closes early. The restaurants and food stalls start packing up at 9.30pm, so if you want to enjoy a slow, relaxed dinner go around 6pm.
| Property | Address | Type | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dar Al Andalous | 14, Derb Bennani, Douh. Batha, Fès-Medina | Guesthouse | 100 |
| Dar El Hana | 22 Ferrane Couicha | Guesthouse | 83 |
| Dar El Ma | 27 Zqaq El Ma Fes El Bali | Guesthouse | 93 |
| Menzah Zalagh | Lot Oued Fes Route De Meknes | Hotel | - |
| Riad Al Pacha | 7, Derb El Miter, Talâa Kbira | Guesthouse | 78 |
| Riad Arabesque | 20, Quartier zenjfour Derb El Miter BP 722 Fes Med Quartier Zenjfour, Derb El Miter N 20 B.P. 722 Fes | Hotel | 80 |
| Riad Damia | 10 rue Sornas - Ziat Fez | Guesthouse | 82 |
| Riad Dar Cordoba | 15 Derb el Guebbuss. Batha | Guesthouse | 100 |
| Riad Dar Dmana | 20 Rue Salaj Douh Batha | Guesthouse | 84 |
| Riad El Ghalia | Société touristique 13/15 Ras Jnane, Ross Rhi | Guesthouse | - |
| Riad Fez Yamanda | 1/3 Derb Ben Daoud Zerbtana - Batha FEZ | Guesthouse | 82 |
| Riad Maison Bleue & Spa | 33 Derb El Mitter - Tallaa El Kbira | Hotel | - |
| Riad Myra | 13, rue salaj Batha | Guesthouse | 100 |
| Riad Sara | 17. Derb El Guabbas Douh, Batha, Fes | Guesthouse | 86 |
| Riad Shéhérazade | 23, Arssat Bennis Douh Medina Fes | Guesthouse | - |
| Riad Tafilalet | Derb mitter Zenjfor,17 | Guesthouse | 80 |
| Zahrat Al Jabal Fes | Avenue Des F.a.r, Fes | Hotel | - |
| Zalagh Parc Palace | Lotissement Oued Fes Route de Meknes | Hotel | - |
This is version 11. Last edited at 11:58 on Nov 17, 09 by emilymaroc (-2). 11 articles link to this page.

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