Tours from Fes: Private Journeys from the Imperial Medina

The medina rewards travellers who treat it as their primary destination rather than a stop. Two licensed-guide mornings cover the Al-Qarawiyyin quarter, the Chouara tanneries, the Bou Inania and Attarine madrasas. A third day allows for the Mellah (Jewish quarter, 14th century), the Nejjarine fondouk (now a wood-craft museum), and time to revisit the tanneries at a different hour. Authentic riads in the medina, courtyard houses with rooftop terraces, are themselves part of the experience.

The direct route to Merzouga from Fes is genuinely different from the Marrakech approach. Heading south through Ifrane and Azrou's cedar forests, the road climbs over 2,000m before descending through Midelt and the spectacular Ziz Valley, a dramatic gorge that follows the route for nearly 40km, with palm groves visible at the bottom and fortified villages on the cliffs. Fewer tour operators run this route than the Ouarzazate approach, which means a quieter journey and fewer vehicles on the road.

Heading north-west from Fes reveals Morocco's imperial and ancient heritage before ascending into the Rif Mountains. The route features Meknes (Bab el-Mansour, the largest gate in Morocco; the UNESCO-listed imperial city) and Volubilis, the largest Roman site in North Africa, with its Orpheus mosaic still in situ, before continuing to Chefchaouen, famous for its blue-washed medina founded in 1471 by Andalusian refugees. From the Rif Mountains, Tetouan's UNESCO-listed Andalusian medina and Tangier are within easy reach for travellers continuing north.

An hour south of Fes, the landscape and architecture both change abruptly. Ifrane, built during the French Protectorate in a charming Alpine style complete with pitched roofs unusual anywhere else in Morocco, sits at 1,650m and is cold enough for occasional snow in winter. Azrou, 20km further, features an ancient cedar forest with wild Barbary macaques visible from the road, and a souk specialising in carved cedar woodwork. This is an easy half-day excursion from Fes, or the first stage of the route toward the Sahara.

The medina rewards travellers who treat it as their primary destination rather than a stop. Two licensed-guide mornings cover the Al-Qarawiyyin quarter, the Chouara tanneries, the Bou Inania and Attarine madrasas. A third day allows for the Mellah (Jewish quarter, 14th century), the Nejjarine fondouk (now a wood-craft museum), and time to revisit the tanneries at a different hour. Authentic riads in the medina, courtyard houses with rooftop terraces, are themselves part of the experience.

The direct route to Merzouga from Fes is genuinely different from the Marrakech approach. Heading south through Ifrane and Azrou's cedar forests, the road climbs over 2,000m before descending through Midelt and the spectacular Ziz Valley, a dramatic gorge that follows the route for nearly 40km, with palm groves visible at the bottom and fortified villages on the cliffs. Fewer tour operators run this route than the Ouarzazate approach, which means a quieter journey and fewer vehicles on the road.

Heading north-west from Fes reveals Morocco's imperial and ancient heritage before ascending into the Rif Mountains. The route features Meknes (Bab el-Mansour, the largest gate in Morocco; the UNESCO-listed imperial city) and Volubilis, the largest Roman site in North Africa, with its Orpheus mosaic still in situ, before continuing to Chefchaouen, famous for its blue-washed medina founded in 1471 by Andalusian refugees. From the Rif Mountains, Tetouan's UNESCO-listed Andalusian medina and Tangier are within easy reach for travellers continuing north.

An hour south of Fes, the landscape and architecture both change abruptly. Ifrane, built during the French Protectorate in a charming Alpine style complete with pitched roofs unusual anywhere else in Morocco, sits at 1,650m and is cold enough for occasional snow in winter. Azrou, 20km further, features an ancient cedar forest with wild Barbary macaques visible from the road, and a souk specialising in carved cedar woodwork. This is an easy half-day excursion from Fes, or the first stage of the route toward the Sahara.