Two or three nights to wander nine thousand medieval alleys, discover millennia-old crafts and climb to a viewpoint to watch the last call to prayer fall.
Founded in 789 by Idris I, Fez is the holiest and most cultural of Morocco's four Imperial Cities. Its medina — UNESCO World Heritage since 1981 — hosts the world's oldest continuously running university and nine thousand alleys unchanged since the 9th century.
This short escape is designed to get lost on foot among souks, mosques, tanneries and palaces with an expert local guide. UNESCO banned motor traffic decades ago: only carts, mules and feet to discover one of the best-preserved medieval urban fabrics in the Arab world.
A narration to picture every stage before you set off.
A narration to picture every stage before you set off.
Every stop connected — the full route, day by day, in a single image.
Handwritten notes from those who already did this route — what to pack to enjoy it surprise-free.
Tap a stage to read the details
Late afternoon or evening arrival at Fez airport (time difference depending on the season). After passport control and baggage collection, meeting with our transfer and check-in at a 4★ hotel or a Medina riad. Dinner and overnight. For seasoned travellers, we recommend a first stroll along the Medina gates at nightfall, when the last call to prayer mingles with the aroma of cumin, saffron and freshly-baked bread.
Cultural highlights
Fez · spiritual capital of Morocco
Founded in 789 by Idris I, Fez hosts the world's oldest continuously running university — Al-Qaraouiyine (859 AD) — and nine thousand alleys unchanged since the 9th century.
Xaluca Tours · SpecialistsHave any questions about this trip?
Book a call with one of our specialists and we'll help you plan your trip in a personalised way, with no obligation.
Book an appointmentThe Fez medina is a fascinating maze. Seeing the Chouara tanneries from a terrace was breathtaking.
Daniel & Laura
Barcelona, Spain1 landmark
Fez
Today we enter Fez-el Bali, regarded as one of the most authentic and best-preserved medinas in the Arab world. With a local guide we walk its labyrinthine medieval alleys — the only way to visit it, since UNESCO bans motor traffic inside. Amid the bustle we discover artisan workshops, ancient mosques and palaces. In the afternoon we dig deeper into the traditional fabric of the neighbourhoods, organised around the mosque, the fountain, the communal oven, the hammam and the Qur'anic school. We visit the famous traditional tanneries — the world's oldest still in operation — and climb a panoramic viewpoint to watch the city lit by the last call to prayer. Dinner and overnight in a Medina riad or 4★ hotel.
Cultural highlights
UNESCO World Heritage since 1981
9,000 alleys, 60,000 doors and an urban fabric unchanged since the 9th century — the only major Arab-Muslim medieval city never razed nor rebuilt.
Chouara · the world's oldest tannery
Chouara's multicoloured vats have been running uninterruptedly since the 11th century — same techniques, same natural dyes (indigo, henna, saffron and poppy).
Bou Inania Madrasa · Marinid jewel
Commissioned in 1351 by Sultan Abu Inan Faris, it is one of the only historic Qur'anic schools open to non-Muslims — a marvel of stucco, zellige and carved cedar.
Neighbourhood layout · the Berber micro-city
Every neighbourhood revolves around five pillars: mosque, fountain, communal oven, hammam and Qur'anic school — a unique urban model preserved for a thousand years.
The Fez medina is a fascinating maze. Seeing the Chouara tanneries from a terrace was breathtaking.
Inés & Pablo
Palma, Spain2 landmarks
Fez
Morning departure to Meknès, one of Morocco's four Imperial Cities. Guided walking tour of its Medina with a local guide — smaller and quieter than Fez but historically immense: founded by a Berber tribe in the 10th century, it was the country's capital under Sultan Moulay Ismaïl in the 17th century and is UNESCO listed. The city is wrapped in over 40 km of ramparts; the monumental Bab el-Mansour gate stands out as one of the most beautiful and best preserved in Morocco. Meknès is known as «the city of a hundred minarets». After the visit, we head to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the largest Roman site in Morocco, where we admire the Triumphal Arch of Caracalla, the Capitol and the spectacular mosaics of the House of Bacchus. Continuation to Moulay Idriss, holy city founded by Idris I — the same who would later found Fez — where he converted the local Berber population to Islam. Its white houses cascading around the mausoleum make this one of the most spiritual sites in the country. Return to Fez. Dinner and overnight in a Medina riad or 4★ hotel.
Cultural highlights
Bab el-Mansour · imperial gate
Built in 1732 with columns looted from Volubilis, its zellige and bas-reliefs make it Morocco's most beautiful monumental gate.
Volubilis · Rome in Africa
Capital of Mauretania Tingitana from the 1st to the 3rd century. UNESCO World Heritage since 1997 — its in-situ mosaics are among the best preserved in the Empire.
Moulay Idriss · sacred cradle
Idris I fled Baghdad in 788 and took refuge in this whitewashed town — from where he founded the Idrisid dynasty and, a year later, the city of Fez.
Xaluca Tours · SpecialistsHave any questions about this trip?
Book a call with one of our specialists and we'll help you plan your trip in a personalised way, with no obligation.
Book an appointmentThe Dades valley switchbacks are hypnotic. We stopped at the viewpoints for photos and the scenery didn't disappoint.
Alberto C.
Vigo, Spain5 landmarks
Meknes
Morning departure south, crossing the Middle Atlas. First stop at Ifrane — known as «little Switzerland» for its Alpine architecture and pitched roofs — and continuation through the famous Giant Cedar Forests, home to a colony of Barbary macaques we may be lucky enough to feed in the wild. The route crosses mountainous areas to reach Aguelmame Sidi Ali, set at 2,200 m altitude beside the country's deepest natural lake, formed in the crater of an extinct volcano. Lunch at the hotel. In the afternoon, time to enjoy the surroundings and facilities: walk around the lake, optional climb to the nearby volcanic crater, visit to an Aït Atta nomadic family, heated pool, spa and hammam. Dinner and overnight at Xaluca Spa Aguelmame Sidi Ali, a 1935 hunting lodge recently restored as a mountain boutique hotel.
Hotel wellness
Cultural highlights
Ifrane · little Moroccan Switzerland
At 1,665 m, designed by French architects in the 1930s with pitched roofs — an Alpine village in the heart of Morocco.
Atlas cedars and Barbary macaques
The Middle Atlas forests are one of the last sanctuaries of the Barbary macaque, the only primate species living wild north of the Sahara.
Aguelmame Sidi Ali lake
Morocco's deepest natural lake (≈ 60 m), formed in an extinct volcanic crater. Winter refuge for flamingos and migratory birds.
Xaluca Tours · SpecialistsHave any questions about this trip?
Book a call with one of our specialists and we'll help you plan your trip in a personalised way, with no obligation.
Book an appointmentThe Fez medina is a fascinating maze. Seeing the Chouara tanneries from a terrace was breathtaking.
Marta & Javier
Oviedo, Spain2 landmarks
Ifrane
After breakfast at the hotel — we recommend an early start to enjoy the sunrise over the lake and, weather permitting, a peek at the nearby volcanic crater —, transfer through the Middle Atlas to Fez airport for the return flight. Note: this day includes a 2 h 30 min road transfer.
The Fez medina is a fascinating maze. Seeing the Chouara tanneries from a terrace was breathtaking.
Raquel S.
Cáceres, Spain1 landmark
Fez
What travellers like you wrote to us after this route.
Hello from Fez,
Fez has stolen our hearts in just a few days: views of the medina from the hills, the monumental gates and, nearby, the Roman ruins of Volubilis among green fields. An escape full of history.
Travelling through time,
Elena
Bab Bou Jeloud · Fez
My love,
Today we wandered the tanneries and the blue ceramics workshops of Fez, and ate pastilla and couscous in a beautiful house in the medina. They treated us like family. The oldest medina in the world is a labyrinth you fall for.
With my heart in Fez,
Nuria
Tanneries of Fez
For anyone seeking the real thing,
At dusk, from the riad's terrace, we heard the call to prayer echoing across the whole medina as the sky turned orange. It was one of those moments that don't fit in a photo. Only in a postcard.
With goosebumps,
Diego
Sunset in Fez
Flip through our digital brochure to see the day-by-day itinerary, accommodations and every trip detail.
Every landmark and the trip's timeline — so you have the big picture before requesting a quote.
Average indicative temperatures in °C, day and night.
August · Real data · Open-Meteo
34°C
21°C
40°C
27°C
Accommodation & excursions package by chauffeured 4x4. Two seasons, per-person rate based on the number of travellers.
* Prices per person based on double and triple room occupancy. Please consult us for alternative room configurations and children's discounts.
Provisional indicative prices — subject to confirmation.
All dates not included in high season.
€840 / per person
If your short escape left you wanting more, these longer journeys take the experience much further.
Four historic capitals, a thousand years of Arab, Berber and Andalusian legacy.
From the oldest medina in the Arab world to the red city — southern Morocco in one crossing.
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