How Fez spoilt our Morocco experience

The last leg of our Morocco trip was Fez. In short words – we didn’t enjoy traveling to Fez. Absolutely hated most of the time we spent there. Thankfully our stay was very short and we were soon on our way back to Marrakech. But, if we are being honest, Fez spoilt our Morocco Experience.

There were small things, that absolutely irritated us, and left a very lasting impression of Fez and Morocco in general. We wanted a relaxing peaceful vacation and Fez was far from it. However, just because our experience of Fez wasn’t good, doesn’t mean that city is not great. We met a guy on the way who said that he liked Fez better than Marrakech as it looked more ancient.

Irksome boys

It all started with us not getting a bus ticket out of Chefchouen as planned. We reached Fez a bit late (around 8.30 pm) after it was dark. When we entered Medina, we couldn’t find our Riad. The Medina is kind of difficult to navigate as all streets look the same and Google maps don’t work that well in there. A few young boys started coming and asking if we needed help with the direction. We very well knew that they would ask for money, so we said – no thank you, we will figure it out. But one of the fellows was so persistent that he just didn’t leave us. I even shouted at him to leave us alone, but it didn’t budge him. We ignored him and went our way but he smartly kept leading us and behaving as if he was showing us the way. Finally, when we reached Medina he started asking for money. We just didn’t pay and why should we?

One of the things to keep in mind, while traveling to Fez and Morocco in general, is to avoid interacting with such people if possible.

Riad issue

After this, the Riad caretaker said that our room had some hot water issue and he would transfer us to a different place. I had lost it by then and started getting very frustrated. We had put so much effort into searching for a perfect Riad and room which would look good in photos and there we were going through so much! Having left with no option we went to this other Riad, but the owner there was nice and he let us chose a room of our choice, gave us free food and made us feel comfortable. That kind of calmed me down.

Guide trouble

For the next day, we requested a guide. We were hoping that the guide would take us around Medina and show us different places. Again I don’t think that was a good decision. The guide was just taking us to places where we had to spend money instead of telling us the history of the city. We felt he was more of a shopping guide instead of a tourist guide and we ended up spending a couple of hundred euros which we wouldn’t have done had we gone out on our own. On top of it, he kept touching me every few minutes as if he was my closest friend. I really didn’t like that but since it wasn’t in inappropriate places and just my arms, I let it go.

Our advice is to explore Fez on your own, as the guide will add zero value.

What we liked about Fez

But to be fair, even though Fez spoilt our Morocco experience, there were a few moments that I thoroughly enjoyed. After our ‘touristy guided trip’, we walked out of the Medina to the ruins called Merenid Tombs. The view of the whole city especially during sunset was breathtaking. Even though there were a few hawkers who were persistently asking us to buy things, it was just calmer and nicer. We sat there for a good few minutes watching the sunset and eating dried fruits bought from the Medina.

The next day we ventured out on our own and explored some hidden alleyways. The doors and alleys of Fez look antique. We managed to click some nice photos since it was a Friday and most of the Souks were closed. It was a lot more calmer and we loved it.

A peaceful Friday when all the Souks were closed

Reaching Fez

It’s pretty easy to reach Fez as there is a direct train from Marrakech. We took the train out of Fez to Marrakech and the journey was long but comfortable. Bring a book as you will easily get bored. I made the mistake of letting Raga borrow my book for a bit and he kind of got hooked. The next thing I know was – we were taking turns to read and fighting over 5 extra minutes.

I was the happiest to say goodbye to Fez

Where to stay in Fez

Even after all the weird experiences, our stay at Haj Palace Riad was comfortable. The owner let us stay there for the next day as well, which kind of helped us, as we didn’t have to pack again and change places. The decor was a bit funkier and not like traditional mosaic tiles that you would see all around but good.

Moroccan tea — A relaxing cup of mint tea the Riad.

Things to do in Fez

Definitely visit the tanneries. Raga bought a leather jacket from their shop and it looks so fancy on him. Fez has the largest and oldest tanneries in Morocco
The old Madrassa is beautiful. The one in Marrakech is much bigger but architecture wise both are similar in style.
Visit Merenid Tombs during sunset
Again the souks in Fez el-Bali are great and you would go mad with the options available. We had some really great dried fruits, bought a nice scarf and some more stuff.

That’s about it really! I will leave you with some more photos.