Destination Fes – Reaching And Touring The City

The Moroccan city of Fes is an easily accessible destination, by air, rail or by roads. There are taxis and even intercity buses to serve the tourists. While the public mode of commuting here are buses, for tourists, a guided walking tour is advisable.

Flights to Fes

Fes is at 3 hours journey from London and Paris by flight and makes for an overnight journey from New York.

The Saiss International Airport as the Fes Airport is called is at 15 kilometers to the south of city center.

It is well-connected to domestic as well as international destinations. From Casablanca, it’s takes about 45 minutes to reach Fes.

The Airport is equipped with basic facilities like a bureau for currency exchange, ATMs, eating joints etc.

To get to the city from the airport, you could get in a Taxi or a bus. There are regular buses for the city from the bus stop here.

Railway

The Fes railway station is in the Ville Nouvelle, rue Imarate Arabia. You could opt for a train journey even from international destinations like London, though you would have to switch trains in between.

Trains connect Fes to the other northwest cities of Morocco such as Meknes, Tangier, Marrakech, Morocco’s Capital Rabat and Casablanca.

However, no trains connect the city to the east of the Atlas Mountain and south of Marrakech. There are buses to these regions from the nearest stations and you can buy combined tickets.

Reaching Fes by road

The main bus station here is Gare Routiere, where most of the inter-city buses stop. If you like going for long drives, cars could be a good option for you. Casablanca, for instance is four hours drive from Fes and the Moroccan Capital City, Rabat, is close to 3 hours drive from Fes.

Means of Public Transport

There are public buses that connect the railway station of the city with other parts of the old city. However, they are crowded.

Medina is a car-free zone and even other wise, getting around foot on the streets of Medina makes more sense. You could get taxis from the gates of Medina for other places.

There are two types of taxis operating here. You could choose between small metered taxis which are expensive or the Grand taxis with fixed routes. Both the taxis can be shared though you could hire the small ones for a private tour. You could also rent a car from one of the many car rental companies in Fes. You would need to know the taxi fares from the tourist board to be safe of paying exorbitant fares to the drivers.

Touring in the city

Walking through the streets is the best and the most practical way of getting to know Fes. You might need a guide though there are road maps. You should check the license of the guide you hire. Official guides have photo ID card issued by the Ministry of tourism. They can be hired either through tourist offices or through your hotels. They have fixed rates and it is advisable to confirm the same.

There are organized trains to areas that are at a little distance from the city such as the must visit Roman site of Volubilis.