Fes With Kids

Visiting Fes With Kids

Fes with kids is one of the most rewarding family stops in Morocco, and it turned out to be our favorite city of the entire trip. The old medina is almost completely car free, the food was the best we ate anywhere in the country, and the history kept even our girls curious. Here is what visiting Fes with kids was really like for our family.

Fes is the oldest of the imperial cities in Morocco and has served as the capital three times throughout history.  It lived up to all my expectations and romantic notions I had formed leading up to our visit!  I had read so much about Fes prior to our travels.  So many travelers and bloggers consistently wrote that Fes was their favorite city in Morocco.  After traveling the country and visiting many destinations, Fes was also my favorite.  Of course there are many places we did not get to visit,  as we only had three weeks to see as much as we could while still being able to enjoy each place.

Something about the history of Fes and the infrastructure of Fes el-Bali (the medina), felt so good.  It is on a hill and surrounded by rolling hills which felt so natural as apposed to the flat lands and dust bowl that Marrakech finds itself in.  The streets and alleyways within the medina appeared better cared for than Marrakech.  And while the people were not as funny as those in Marrakech, they were very warm and kind natured.

The food was incredible, in fact, the best food of our trip was eaten here!  Check out out Eats link above to see where you too can enjoy these mouth watering experiences.  The architecture and attention to detail was just as exquisite as anywhere we had seen in Morocco.  The shopping was amazing, although Marrakech may be the winner in the shopping department…it’s a close call!  Check out several great things to buy on our Where to Shop in Fes page.

There was no shortage of things to see and do. The medina of Fes is listed as a world heritage site and is said to be home to the largest metropolitan car free area in the world.  It is also claimed to have the oldest university in the world which has more recently been converted into a mosque (University of Al-Qarawiyyin) and it is home to the second largest leather tannery in the world!  Check out our See & Do link above to read about all of these things and more!  I believe it may also be the location for the most cats in the world…just kidding.  No joke though, there are a lot of cats; house cats, street cats, kittens wondering the alleyways everywhere you look.  This was pretty par for the course most places we visited in Morocco.

From Fes we took a day trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Volubilis, the ancient ruins from the Roman empire.  The drive is only about an hour and a half and is chalk full of beautiful countryside that made us feel as though we were in Tuscany.  You can read more about that day trip on our Volubilis and Moulay Idriss page.

To sum things up, Fes is not to be missed.  If you are anywhere in the region, it is absolutely worth spending a few days time here.  We spent five nights, four days in Fes.  While we certainly could have seen a few more things, I felt like we experienced some of the best of what Fes had to offer.  If you are traveling without littles, I am sure you could do it in less time.  Please check out our pages to read more about Where to Stay, What to Eat, Where to Shop, and What to See & Do while visiting the historical city of Fes!

Is Fes Good for Kids?

Fes is a wonderful city for families, and a few things about it make travel with kids easier than you would think. Fes el-Bali, the old medina, is one of the largest car free urban areas in the world, so once you step inside there is no traffic to dodge. Little legs still tire on the hills and cobblestones, so we planned slower mornings and let the girls rest at the riad through the hottest part of the afternoon.

The medina is a maze, and that is half the fun for kids. We turned wrong turns into a game and always kept our riad business card in a pocket. The tanneries are a highlight, though the smell is strong, so we took the sprig of mint they hand you at the door and let the girls decide how close they wanted to get. Cats are everywhere too, which delighted our two more than any monument did.

Food is where Fes really won us over. Portions are generous and gentle on kid palates, from fluffy couscous to warm bread and fresh orange juice. A riad with a central courtyard gives kids room to breathe between outings, and most families we met found five nights and four days a comfortable pace.

Ready to plan your own visit? See where we ate on our where to eat in Fes with kids guide, map out your days with our things to do in Fes with kids page, and follow our full Fes family itinerary for a day by day plan.