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Where to stay in Fes: a medina guide

Where to sleep in Fes el Bali, Fes el Jdid or the Ville Nouvelle, how to arrive by train, bus or plane, and when to go. A practical guide with sources.

By Sahla Trip4 min read

Rooftops of the medina of FesPhoto: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fes is not one city but three, laid side by side. Fes el Bali is the walled medina, founded under the Idrisids in the 9th century. Fes el Jdid, the “new” city, dates to 1276 — new only by comparison. The Ville Nouvelle is the French-era town of wide avenues [1][3]. Where you sleep decides which Fes you wake up in, so this guide takes the three areas in turn.

Short answer. Stay inside Fes el Bali, in a riad or a family-run dar, for a first visit and for the Fes most people come for. The practical end of the medina is around Bab Bou Jeloud, the western gate: easier to reach with luggage, and the medina's two main lanes run down from it into the centre [1][2]. If you have a car, an early train, or you want modern hotel comfort, sleep in the Ville Nouvelle and taxi in [1].

Inside Fes el Bali

The medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site, inscribed in 1981, and one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world, with some 9,400 lanes [2][3]. No car reaches your door: arrange for the riad to meet you at a gate, or hire a porter for your bags [1]. Around you are al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri and recognised by UNESCO and Guinness as the oldest continuously operating educational institution in the world [3]; Chouara, the largest of the city's three tanneries [2]; and the Bou Inania and al-Attarine madrasas, which are open to all visitors [2]. Orientation trick: the two Talaa lanes, Kebira and Sghira, run downhill from Bab Bou Jeloud toward the Qarawiyyin quarter — downhill takes you into the centre, uphill takes you back out [2]. Best for: first visits, short stays, atmosphere.

Fes el Jdid and the Batha edge

Fes el Jdid was founded in 1276 as the royal city [3]. It holds the Royal Palace at Place des Alaouites, whose seven brass doors are an exterior stop, and the Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter [2]. The Jnan Sbil gardens sit between the two medinas and give you shade and quiet in the middle of the day [2]; the Al Batha Museum, in a former palace, is on this side too [2]. Streets here can be reached by car, so arrivals and departures are easier than deep inside el Bali, while Bab Bou Jeloud and the old medina are a short walk away. Best for: medina access with calmer logistics, longer stays.

The Ville Nouvelle

The French-built new town is a different world: wide avenues, cafés, parking, lifts, and modern hotels [1]. The train station is here [1], and a short taxi ride takes you to the medina gates [1]. You trade atmosphere for ease, and for many travellers that trade is worth it. Best for: drivers, families, business stops, very early or late trains.

Getting there

  • By train: Fes has a mainline station in the Ville Nouvelle, on the ONCF network toward Tangier, Rabat–Casablanca and Marrakech. Journey times are roughly 3.5 to 4 hours to Casablanca, 3.5 to 4.5 hours to Tangier (the fastest route changes onto the Al Boraq high-speed line at Kenitra) and about 6.5 hours direct to Marrakech; check current timetables on oncf.ma before you travel.
  • By bus: coaches link Fes with the north. The Fes to Chefchaouen CTM run covered in our Chefchaouen guide takes 4 to 4.5 hours at about 110 to 140 MAD per person; book at least two days ahead, especially the 11:00 departure [5].
  • By plane: Fes-Saïss airport (FEZ) lies about 15 km south of the old town, 25 to 30 minutes by road. Taxis from the airport run on a fixed fare agreed with the driver rather than a meter: expect roughly 120 to 200 MAD into town, and agree the price before you get in. Whichever way you arrive, set up your data before you land with our Morocco eSIM guide.

When to go

Spring and autumn are mild and are the comfortable default for most visitors. Summer is hot; the lowest room prices tend to come in July and August, because of the heat, and again in the cooler, rainier weeks of January and February [4]. Winter days are quiet in the medina and the light is beautiful, but pack for rain.

Good to know

You will get pleasantly lost in Fes el Bali; everyone does. Use the Talaa rule above, and agree your riad's meeting gate before you arrive, because cars stop at the gates [1][2]. For sunset, climb to the Marinid tombs on the northern hill: the whole bowl of the medina lies below you [2]. Working mosques in Morocco are generally not open to non-Muslim visitors, so plan to admire al-Qarawiyyin from its gateways; the madrasas beside it welcome everyone [2]. One last thing, because Fes does this to people: if a medina stroll turns into browsing riads for sale, our kawnium guide to Morocco's land-title (ANCFCC) fees explains what registration actually costs before you dream too far.

Sources

  1. Morocco Guide – Where to Stay in Fes: Medina Riads vs Ville Nouvelle (read 1 November 2026)
  2. Quartz Mountain – Fes, Morocco Travel Guide (read 1 November 2026)
  3. Slow Morocco – Fes, The Living Medina (read 1 November 2026)
  4. MileHacker – Where to Stay in Fes: Hotels, Neighborhoods, Accommodation (read 1 November 2026)
  5. Sahla Trip – Where to stay in Chefchaouen: a medina guide (our own guide, for the Fes to Chefchaouen bus figures; published 25 October 2026)

Sahla Trip guide, written from the public sources listed above and checked on the date shown. It contains affiliate links, grouped in the “Plan your trip” box: the partner may pay us a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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