Once Upon a Time Travel to…Fès

Travel to Fès in Morocco and take a step back in time into one of the oldest medieval towns in the world.  We went to Fès at the end of December and rang in the New Year there.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The city of Fès is one of the oldest imperial cities of Morocco.

Named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981, the city of Fès is a cultural and spiritual locus. The city not only has eye-pleasing sites but also teaches the secrets of well-preserved ancient architecture and labor skills that date back to medieval times.

Founded by Idris I in 789, the city of Fès was the capital of Morocco until 1912. It has now become the spiritual city with its ville nouvelle (new city) extension and is Morocco’s second largest city.

But the old Medina with its labyrinth of 10,000 alleys that are too narrow for cars and where the only means of transporting goods inside the Medina are mules or small chariots remains the vibrant heart of the city.

HOW TO GET THERE & AROUND

We arrived in Fès by train from Casablanca. It is roughly a 4-hour train ride with a few stops.

Our first-class tickets had been bought the day before our planned departure. We were lucky enough to have a compartment all to ourselves, which was awesome by the way. The older Macchu Picchu kids had individual seats somewhere else but didn’t seem to mind.

Please note that we are not first-class people, but as Jacky is getting older and her health is not getting any better, we wanted to make sure that she was as comfortable as possible. Besides, the cost of the ticket was about $23 CAD per person, for 1st class! A bargain.

In first-class, the food comes to you on a cart, so you don’t need to leave your compartment. Even if you are not hungry, and unless you brought food with you, buy the sandwiches as soon as they appear as they run out fast.  You might not get another chance.

Fès train station

Upon our arrival in Fès, we were greeted once again by a gorgeous train station with beautiful orange trees on the platform.

Like we did in Casablanca, we got our tickets for our next stop after Fès: Tangiers as soon as we arrived, and luckily we did.

Not only did we save time that way but also realized that there was no night train for Tangiers, at least not on January 1^st. So that messed up our plans a little as we had planned on sleeping on the train that night. Therefore, we had no hotel reservation for the night of January 1st. We decided to deal with that pimple later.

Getting around

Our Riad’s host had told us that the cost of a taxi from the train station was 20dh, 10dh according to Lonely Planet. The red taxis wanted to charge us 60dh per taxi…arghhh. We tried to argue and negotiate but they just had their mind set on ripping us off, never thinking that we would actually walk away. So, we walked.

I had the brilliant idea that we could find a taxi elsewhere but that never happened. Instead, we walked 3km with all of our luggage. It’s no wonder that they thought they could get away with their pricing…it is a long walk! No one in their right mind would want to do that with all the luggage, except our family. We are crazy and adventurous enough to just do it and we are proud.

The walk from the train station to the Medina is not that difficult.  When you exit the train station, turn left, then left again at the first intersection, and then first right.  It will lead you straight to the Medina. However, it is a long walk and when you realize those old walls you have been walking alongside is actually the Royal Palace compound, you ask you yourself, how big is this place?

Finally, passing by Bab Boub Jeloud*or the Blue door like tourists like to call it, walking through the Medina to get to our Riad was a piece of cake.

* Bab = Door

Our little adventure

It took us 1h30 on foot to get from the train station to our Riad in the medina. We didn’t know exactly where we were going, but we didn’t take a detour. As there were 8 of us, not everyone was walking at the same pace as our age range was between 10 and 75.

We ended up being escorted by the police as some hoodlums, who I actually wanted to help but Big Boss dissuaded me, started spitting on Jacky and Ioio from the top of a bridge. I thought one of them was stuck and needed help, that was not the case, he was getting in position. The policemen were nice and friendly though.

Taxis & Walking

When you travel to Fès you have to be aware that inside the Medina, no cars are permitted. Therefore, to get around it will have to be on foot. Strollers might not be very practical inside, so I suggest you use a baby carrier if your child can’t walk.

The Medina of Fès is located at the bottom of a valley, so everything that goes down must come up. For someone elderly, that could get exhausting.  So, take your time and plan on making a lot of stops. As far as accessibility, some alleys can be very narrow, the restaurants with roof top terraces don’t have elevators and the stairs can be very steep.

You can use taxis outside of the Medina but have a local call one up for you and discuss the price beforehand.

WHERE WE STAYED

When we arrived at Riad Eleganza we were blown away by its beauty and what a relief for me it was. My first reaction when I saw the Riad was like whoosh what an awesome place….what a switch from hotel Rio in Casablanca! I did good!

The place is huge, clean and beautiful and comes with your own personal Maître D! (That was so awkward for me as I am so not used to this!)

I booked this Riad through Airbnb at a cost of approximately $600CAD for 2 nights for all 8 of us. We had the whole place to ourselves. It is in a great location with great hospitality.

So, after arriving at our Riad and exploring all the nooks and crannies and picking our bedroom (6), our Maître D took our boys out to go buy olives and whatnot at the local market while we settled down. No, I was not scared they would get kidnapped.  

While we were exploring the Riad, I thought to myself: what a great place to play hide and seek! So, I suggested that the next day before our New Year’s Eve dinner or afterward that we could play it with the kids. They ended up playing without me, the little rascals, while I was napping. More on that later.

There is a small pool, like in most Riads, but as it was late December the water was freezing. Nonetheless, two brave souls (Blondie Bear and Loulou) tested out the waters while the adults (Big Boss and Zazou) just watched and Jacky and I took pictures.

The rooftop terrace is wonderful and is a great place to watch the sun set or rise above Fès.

WHERE WE ATE

There are plenty of places to eat at in Fès.  If you have a car, you could go to the Ville Nouvelle to the grocery store Carrefour and buy your own food there if the outdoor market stalls scare you.  There isn’t much of a street food scene in Fès.  You can’t really eat on the go there.  As like everywhere else in Morocco, when you travel to Fès, you’ll need to plan your schedule around sit down meals that, depending on what you order, could last over an hour.

Palais Laraichi

For our first night during our travel to Fès, we went to dinner at Palais Laraichi near our Riad that our Maître D referred to us. The interior was awesome, very traditional. Not too touristy but not one of our best meals. We had great service and a huge table to accommodate all of us. The banquettes there are so comfortable that we all wanted to lay down on them after our very fulfilling meal.

Restaurant Assala

While exploring the alleys of Fès’s Medina, we stopped for lunch at Restaurant Assala.  The food was absolutely delicious and decently priced. We had mint tea as well which was included in the price, and it was wonderful.

We ate on the rooftop and had it to ourselves. It was warm out and it was cool to catch some sun rays.  Since walking through the alleys of Fès you are mostly in the shade as they have built these wooden beams above them, you don’t get too much sunlight. I am guessing this is to help keep the alleys cool during their really warm days. Bring a light jacket if you travel to Fès during wintertime.

While we were waiting for our meal it was prayer time. Here we thought there were set times for it, like 5 times a day. Apparently not, it is so random and not all at once.  Our rooftop was right next to the Koutoubia of the mosque, so it was very loud as they use speakers to chant and say the prayer. The sounds just echoed.  You can catch a glimpse of that experience on our youtube channel.

After our very filling meal and wonderful mint tea, we digested by strolling once again through the alleys and open markets of Fès.

New Year’s Eve Meal in our Riad

Our last supper of the year was in our own Riad and cost us 110dh per person.  It was prepared by our Maître D and his wife directly in our Riad’s kitchen.  The meal consisted of couscous and a hell of a lot of pastries. It was a wonderful meal where we provided our own drinks.

Afterward, we had arranged for the older Macchu Pichu kids to try out some Sisha. We do not encourage smoking with our kids, but they had requested it. I would rather them try out something new in our presence and in a safe environment than on their own. Shisha is part of the popular culture here and is very common. Part of being a kid is by experiencing things. It is my belief that by making everything taboo that your child will want to try it out more. What are your thoughts on that?

So Junior, Ioio and even Jacky tried the Shisha experience. It was very funny to watch. I was too chicken to try it out for some reason. It went well, they had fun and they never asked for it again.

La Kasbah Restaurant

During our last day of travel to Fès, before hopping on our train to Tangiers, we had lunch by the Blue Door.  We needed to feed the hungry wolves, and this was the closest place from our Riad. It was a place I had noticed as we had passed by it quite a few times. Even though this restaurant is very touristy, we all enjoyed our food with a great view, good service and at a very decent price. The restaurant has different floors, I suggest that you go all the way up top for the view and the peacefulness.

Alcohol

As alcohol is hard to come by in Morocco, we asked our Maître D where we could get some.   Even though we had bought a champagne bottle at the airport, we wanted extra in order to be ready for New Year’s Eve.

I knew there was a Carrefour in Fès which is located in the Ville Nouvelle. Of course, you will not find any in the Medina. Just remember: alcohol can only be found in fancy restaurants, trendy hotels or big supermarkets like Carrefour.  That’s it. There are a bunch of Carrefours’ throughout Morocco (love that chain and wish there was one in Montreal). You can’t buy any alcohol in the Medinas as there are only open-air markets there and that is where people get most of their food.

So when we asked our Maître D about it, he was like ‘ooh I know a place and it is 30dh roundtrip for the both of you in a cab’. I was like, geez, at the train station they wanted us to pay 60dh one way!

Prohibition

However, he didn’t take us to Carrefour.  He took us to this hole in the wall of a store. This tiny random place, smaller than my bedroom. We had to stand next to each other in line in front of a counter to pick out our drinks of choice. The place was really really small.

So, we got some beer and some rosé and that was it. An interesting experience in a hush-hush little place. I felt like I was buying drugs but, in a store, if that makes any sense. Of course, I did not take any pictures of that. I don’t know if the alcohol was cheaper there than going to Carrefour. But we enjoyed the experience.  We were probably better off going there rather than Carrefour because I probably would have ended spending more. I can’t resist French cookies and candy.

It is quite a walk to get to the Ville Nouvelle from the Medina. It is doable on foot if you have time to spare and it does make for a pleasant walk. However, as we just had done enough walking for the day and didn’t have enough time to spare the taxi option worked out great for us.

EXPLORING THE CITY OF FÈS

Our first full day in Fès was spent exploring the Medina and then the outskirts. Spending New Year’s Eve abroad has become a tradition of mine. It started in 2012 and hasn’t stopped ever since. Maybe this year we will be in Montreal, who knows right?

Tanneries

Our first mission in Fès was to visit Les tanneries de Chouara. We did not get lost as I have an awesome sense of direction. You can’t travel to Fès or Marrakech without checking out the tanneries.

I wanted to visit the Tanneries in the morning as it was the furthest away from our Riad. Also, I wanted to make sure that we actually saw the workers there as I didn’t know if they were closing early since it was December 31^st.  I had a general idea where the tanneurs were from our Riad. However, my brother (he is so smart) was like oh, all you have to do is just go down as the Medina isn’t flat and sits at the bottom of a valley. So, we did.

Getting there

As some of my friends had just come back from Fès, they had given me some pointers. Hence, I knew as to not to ask for direction.  If you do, the people there will start walking with you to guide you and then end up asking you for some money and in most cases they are men. 

So, if you absolutely need to ask for some direction ask a woman.  It’s safer that way and even our Maître D confirmed that with me. Sometimes, they will tell you to go in the wrong direction just so that you can really get lost.  Then, you’ll have to ask and pay them to get back on the right track.  None of that happened. 

There are no indications in the alleys, but I had my Lonely Planet book (my bible) so it sort of helped me.  I could have used this one app my friend recommended but I forgot to download it; maybe that would have helped more (unfortunately neither of us remember the name of the app, but one exists!). 

In any case, we got there thanks to my great sense of direction (lol…I can just picture Big Boss rolling his eyes while reading this) and listening to the would-be guides.  At one point this guy was yelling this way, this way, so I went the other way and sure enough, I landed exactly at where I wanted to be: #10, supposedly the best place for the view.

Tip for the tannery: just walk down the Medina and follow the tourists.  Use your street smarts. When it starts to smell, you know you are getting close.

Access

You will have to pay 20DH per person to access the rooftop (do not pay more than that).  The Tanneries can only be seen from above ground. You get a great view, and also a brief explanation of the process and some mint leaves for the smell.  Fès has nothing on Marrakech in terms of the smell.  It really wasn’t bad as we were above it. 

The Tannery

#10 is, according to Lonely Planet, the place with the best view of the tannery area from a store rooftop. However, I just found out from an Instagrammer that if you ask nicely and show up at the ground entrance of the tannery, they will let you walk it in exchange for some dirhams.  Listen, I don’t know if it was sheer luck, but nowhere did I read that you could do that, and we did not see any tourists walking the grounds.  Maybe if you get there really early it is possible.  I don’t know.  However, in Marrakech, you can walk the grounds and it is quite a different experience.

The facts

The Medina in Fès is home to many leather tanneries producing the best quality of leather, which is more durable and less susceptible to decomposition. Although the largest and most famous tannery is in Bab Ghissa, Chouara Tannery is said to be the oldest leather tannery in the world. The complete process of preparing leather is done manually in small ditches by skilled workers.

In order to make leather, they use pigeon poop and even cow poop but not as much as before.  They work nonstop. I wasn’t sure if they would be open on New Year’s day so that is why we went the 31^st. The whole process is very interesting. Walking the grounds there with such a horrible stench, I guess you get used to it when you work there.  I could never do that job.

The produced leather is traditionally sold in the Leather Souq, and in souks all over Morocco. Do not buy at the stores around the tannery as the leather there is way TOO EXPENSIVE. If you want to bring back a Moroccan pouf, the best places to buy them are in Fès, Marrakech and Rabat.

The alleys of the Medina of Fès

In December, the shops start closing around 8-9ish pm. During our first night in Fès, the adults and the almost adults (Junior and Ioio) decided to go and explore the small alleys of the Medina. We didn’t get lost, but I did see a chicken getting his throat slit by the butcher. Eurk. I know it is part of the way of doing things, I just wasn’t prepared on seeing it right at that moment.  I usually jump at the sight of a mouse as they always catch me off guard those little buggers, so imagine a chicken being killed, may he R.I.P.

Since the stores and alleys were shutting down, we just went down and then back up. We did stumble upon the entrance of the arts and craft museum Nejjarin. It is quite beautiful, but I couldn’t take a picture as it was closed and dark. We never stumbled upon it again. This was a cool first night even though most of our first day of travel to Fès was spent on the train or walking our buts off.

Since the names of the alleys aren’t indicated, it’s a little hard to navigate around the Medina.  However, just start walking and you are bound to stumble upon something of interest.

The market stalls are really colourful and always an eye pleaser. Also, the stores are bound to grab your attention.

 Al Karaouin University

We did pass by the old University of Al Karaouin University built by Al-Fihri, daughter of a merchant who came from Tunisia to settle in Fès. This institution is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest university in the world and predates England’s more widely known Oxford University by two centuries. Al Karawiyyin was initially set up as a mosque, before becoming a key center for learning in diverse fields: Islamic law, chemistry, music to name a few. Currently, some 8,100 students are studying in this venerable institution.

Mosques         

Like in all the villages, towns and cities in Morocco, “Fès has more than 400 mosques,” according to Abdesalam Gharmini, a regional delegate of the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, adding that more than half of these mosques exist in the Medina.

We passed a big mosque which we couldn’t go inside as we are not Muslims, but we were allowed to catch a glimpse of the interior court which was unsurprisingly beautiful.

Water Clocks

We stumbled upon the old clocks. When we were intentionally looking for them, we didn’t find them. It was a hit and miss as nothing is written to direct you in the streets.

Water clocks are the oldest form of time keeping in the world. Fès is home to one of these old devices well preserved in Dar al-Magana, meaning “clock-house”. Built by the “muwaqqit” (time keeper) Abou al-Hassan Ibn Ali Ahmed Tlemsani, the clock was finished on May 6, 1357, and kept inside Dar al-Magana, a house built by the Marinid Sultan Abu Inan Faris.

Bou Inania Madrasa

We did pay 160dh to visit Bou Inania Madrasa but only Big Boss, Zazou and I. The Macchu Pichu kids and Jacky got in for free. All you see is theinterior courtyard. The madrasa functioned both as an educational institute and as a congregational mosque. The madrasa is one of the few religious places in Morocco that is accessible for non-Islamic visitors. It has some beautiful intricate wood and tile details. This makes for a nice place to take pictures and fair warning, it gets crowded.

Just so you know, we stumbled upon these places just by sheer luck. Going down one of the main alleys from the Blue door and wandering around staying on the main ‘streets’. We didn’t get lost so that was good. However, we did stop a lot as Zazou wanted to buy presents for Anna Banana and Nina. 

The Royal Palace

Jacky, Big Boss and I decided to go and check out the golden palace doors which we had driven passed on our way back from the alcohol run.

We got a little bit lost on our way there. I guess the rosé we had on the rooftop of our Riad had messed up my acute sense of direction. We ended up going to the wrong door, yes there is more than one entrance! The palace grounds are huge, covering around 80 hectares, and are not open to the public. You are not allowed to take pictures of the guards there but in Rabat, you can, from far away.

The 7 golden gates that mark the entrance to the palace can only leave you imagining how grand it is inside. These famous, beautiful brass doors with matching knockers are covered with intricate patterns and grace the covers of many Morocco travel books.

The current King of Morocco uses the palace when he visits Fès. It has stunning gardens, mosques, beautifully painted ceilings, and an ancient school for Koranic studies, or Madrassa, dating back to the 14th century. Maybe one day they’ll open it to the public. So, for now, we just have to let our imagination run wild.

Fun Fact: they use lemon juice to clean the brass doors from the lemon trees near the palace doors.

We made our way back down to our Riad through the Jewish quarter and even spotted some storks.

The ruins of Fès

We decided to go and check out the ruins on the hill that we could see from our Riad’s rooftop.  Since we didn’t know if it was walkable, we spoke to our Maître D about it.

He ended up arranging a tour for us on the spot. Now that is what I call great service! It cost us 220dh for all 8 of us in a private van for 3 hours.

The ruins are actually Merenid Tombs dating back to the 14th century. Although they are just ruins, and all you do is just walk around them (FREE), you get an absolutely gorgeous view of the Medina of Fès. This is where you realize how big it really is. You can spot the complex of the old university and the mosque from afar.

Ceramics

As part of our guided tour, we visited a handmade pottery factory just outside the Medina. Women and men draw and paint all the designs by hand that you see on the ceramics you find in the Medina. If you see blue and white ceramics, they are most likely to have been made in Fès as it is the city’s color. They do their hand painting while listening to their iPhones or Ipods.

It was a unique thing to see and interesting enough for the kids to see the process from A to Z and how much work it entails. Of course, this was a cooperative for tourists, so prices were more expensive.

Nearby, some leather was laid out to dry supervised by yet another random cat. If you are a cat lover, maybe you shouldn’t visit Morocco. They are literally everywhere. So, you just might have to add on extra days to your vacation to compensate for all the times you will stop to pet them and take pictures.

I don’t know if there are more cats to take pictures of that there are of doors. I know what you are thinking, doors? Believe me when I say, that there are so many beautiful entryways that you are bound to take a picture of at least one of them during your trip to Morocco.

FAMILY ACTIVITY IN A RIAD

While I was napping, Zazou and the Macchu Pichu kids decided to play hide and seek! I was bummed when I woke up as I would have liked to participate. Anyways, the part I caught was hilarious.

I chilled by the pool with Jacky, Big Boss, and Zazou while I watched and listened to them running around to hide and look for each other. Then Jacky left to rest.

Zazou had the idea, as he was also playing hide and seek, to dress up like Jacky, coat and beret and all. He sat at our table in her same spot, hunched over the table, and pretended to read. The kids just bypassed him thinking he was Jacky, it was simply hilarious. It took them quite a while to realize he was hiding in plain sight (Loulou was the first to notice).

Then, Blondie Bear who had already ventured into the pool the day before decided that it would make for a great hiding spot. So off he went once again into the freezing pool this time to hide. Bless his soul.

While we were waiting for our dinner in the Riad, somehow some of the boys decided to do a push-up competition. As usual with us, it ended in tears. For once it wasn’t due to being a bad sport but because they gave it their all. I had a good time just watching them while drinking a beer.

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR IN FÈS

After dinner and the shisha experience in our Riad, we played card games. We lost Ioio at that point as either the dinner and/or the shisha didn’t agree with him. Poor kid. We rang in the New Year at midnight on the rooftop. It was very cold and aside from us celebrating, there was nothing else happening. It was so silent; so weird man.

What happens on New Year’s Eve in Fès? Absolutely nothing, zilch, nada, it is dead. No fireworks, no people cheering.

Afterward, we lost Jacky and the rest of us hung out quite a bit by the pool playing a few rounds of “asshole”. We had brought this box game from Lonely Planet, which had been a gift from Zazou actually, on our trip. Therefore, we had quite a few game options to pick from. This is great to have while traveling with and without kids, and it doesn’t take up much space.

However, apparently, there is a hostel inside the Medina which we got invited to that could have been a happening place. We didn’t go as we had young ones with us and Jacky. We didn’t feel comfortable sending the older boys alone there risking them getting lost on their way back from the Medina. They might be street smart, but we were in a foreign country where we didn’t speak the language and the Medina is a maze. So, we all stayed at the Riad.

In the Ville Nouvelle, it was probably more happening, but we didn’t come to Morocco for that. We had young and old ones with us, and you got to respect the customs.  I can’t believe I’m actually writing that.

TRAVEL SOUVENIRS FROM FÈS

There are plenty of things you can bring back from Fès.  However, don’t kill time inside the Medina, you don’t know how much it will cost you.

Truth be told that when I went to Marrakech 12 years ago, there were so many handmade things to pick from. I don’t know how it is today, but a lot of the cities during our trip didn’t have many options. Perhaps the reason was because it was winter (December) or things have just changed. Not all the shops were opened. In all the Medinas we went, we saw mostly a lot of sweaters and regular shoes on sale.

Poufs and Lanterns

I had been told not to buy anything in Fès as it is more expensive than in other cities.  Therefore, we initially set out to see how a leather pouf went for. Also, initially, I wanted to bring lanterns back which I had bought in Marrakech on a previous trip, but they were stolen on my terrace in Montreal. Blondie Bear kept telling everyone ‘oh she only wants to go to Morocco to buy lanterns’…so not true.

Don’t buy the leather poufs in Fès, they are more expensive. Instead, you can buy lanterns, Fès has more options.

Sinks

We had the brilliant idea to look at sinks. You know, who the hell looks at sinks while traveling? Well apparently, we do! and that was not the only one we got. We actually ended up buying 2 on our trip! I’m actually glad that we bought our sink there, as we didn’t see too many other options in other cities and nothing that looked like ours. Please note that we bought sinks because our intention is to redo our bathroom, otherwise these purchases would have never happened.

Small souvenirs

In Fès, aside from the sinks, we saw a lot of these things that look like soap but aren’t. You break them into pieces and put them in your clothes drawers to smell good or you can rub them against your neck to smell good. They do have a great smell to them. I have yet to test them in my drawers.  You can use reusable cotton bags to put the pieces in them so that they don’t touch your clothes. They make for cute gifts without breaking the bank and we got incent as Junior wanted some. You can buy all of this in Fès, it is the same price as everywhere else.

OUR TAKE ON FÈS

We absolutely loved our family travel experience to Fès. If it had been warmer when we were there (end of December), we could have enjoyed the pool and the terrace more. There are plenty of day trips you can take from the city, so it makes for a great home base. I would love to go back to explore and enjoy the city more. It is a wonderful place to visit with kids. If you do have small kids, bring a baby carrier, as a stroller might be a little too cumbersome.

Originally, I had thought of spending the day in Meknes which is about 1hr away by train and then Volubilis which seemed more complicated to access on your own.  As we were already doing quite a lot on our Moroccan trip, I decided to just let it go and skip Meknes and Volubilis.  I am glad we did because we got to enjoy Fès and our Riad more.