For the first time in our lives, we stepped foot in Africa.
Welcome to Morocco.
We’re Justin and Alina, a mixed couple from Hong Kong and Russia who have been traveling full-time for over two and a half years, documenting our lifestyle on the road. Morocco was one of those dream destinations we’d talked about for ages—and in this episode of our journey, we finally made it to Fes, the country’s ancient, maze-like city that everyone seems to rave about.
We’d already been in Morocco for about two weeks, but we started our trip in the least glamorous way possible: both of us down with a nasty virus, hospital visit included. Once we were finally strong enough to explore, we took a first-class train from Casablanca to Fes, checked into a traditional guesthouse… and fell head over heels for the city.
This is what Fes really felt like, through our own eyes, noses, stomachs, and slightly overwhelmed brains.
Rooftop Mornings in a Fes Riad
We woke up in Fes in one of our favorite types of Moroccan accommodation: a riad. Many guesthouses here have a rooftop terrace, and honestly, that alone is a reason to come.
Our first proper morning in Fes was spent on the rooftop, having a classic Moroccan breakfast with a view over the tight, winding streets below. The table was covered with:
- Fresh bread (the kind of crusty, hearty bread we’d missed so much after months in Asia)
- Jams, honey, cheese, oil
- Coffee and mint tea
- Fresh juice
Breakfast was included in our stay, and we almost finished everything before we even thought about filming—always a good sign. Mint tea quickly became our morning ritual. It’s sweet, refreshing, and feels like the unofficial welcome drink of Morocco.
From the rooftop, Fes looked exactly how we’d imagined: old walls, dense rooftops, minarets, and the hint of chaos waiting below.
Entering the Medina Through the Blue Gate
Stepping out of the guesthouse, we were immediately greeted by a donkey wandering past us—our first reminder that life here moves differently.
We headed toward the famous Blue Gate, the symbolic entrance to Fes el Bali, the oldest part of the city, said to be more than 1,200 years old. Passing through the gate felt like crossing into another time. Inside the medina, there are no cars—just people, motorbikes, donkeys, and endless alleys.
The city is a sensory overload in the best way:
- Stalls piled with traditional Moroccan desserts soaking in syrup
- Men carefully re-coating pastries with honey in the morning light
- Shops selling magnets, lamps, pottery, and colorful paintings
What struck us most was how art is everywhere. The city is an explosion of color—reds, greens, blues, intricate tiles and textiles. It’s the opposite of minimalist aesthetics; it’s a joyful splash of life right in your face. That’s our lasting first impression of Morocco: vibrant, bold, unapologetically colorful.
Coffee, Sand, and Staying Connected
Wandering deeper into the medina, we found a tiny “Moroccan Coffee Street”—a stand serving Arabic coffee brewed with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and cooked in hot sand. The smell hit us before we even saw it: warm spices, herbs and roasted coffee all blending together.
The coffee itself? Strong. Very strong.
The taste was unlike any coffee we’d had before—more like an intense herbal potion than your usual espresso. If you’re a caffeine lover, this is a must-try experience.
On the less romantic side of travel: staying connected.
Getting a local SIM card in Morocco turned into a small nightmare for us. The data packages felt expensive, top-ups had to be done in random neighborhood shops or even restaurants, and most staff spoke only Arabic or French, which made the process even more confusing.
In the end, we gave up and got an eSIM with unlimited data instead. Being able to land and instantly have internet—without hunting for a store—was a huge relief, especially since we work online. If you rely on connectivity for work or navigation, consider an eSIM before you arrive. It kept us sane in the maze of Fes.
Silver Shops and the Art of the Bargain
At some point, we got “trapped” in a silver shop—the classic medina experience.
A charismatic seller named Mustafa invited us in “just for a look” and then proceeded to give us a full demonstration of how he tests silver with acid. Real silver stays blue; fake metal disappears under the liquid. He even tested one of Alina’s rings from Bali, proudly confirming it was real.
The whole interaction was pure theater:
- “If you don’t like my price, you tell me bye-bye!”
- “You must always trust me, I am honest man!”
After some friendly back-and-forth, there was the usual negotiation dance. He dropped from 180 to 120 dirhams, and Alina walked away with a beautiful ring as a special souvenir from Morocco.
Tip from our experience:
If you step into a shop in Fes, be prepared to stay a while and negotiate. Sellers are incredibly persuasive and very good at their job—but also proud of their craft.
Inside the Chouara Tannery: Pigeon Poop and Natural Dyes
Next, we headed to one of Fes’s most famous (and intense) sights: the tannery.
Before going up to the viewpoint, staff handed us sprigs of fresh mint and told us to keep them near our noses. We laughed… until the smell hit.
The tannery is a huge open courtyard filled with stone vats of liquids in different colors. The process of transforming animal skins into soft leather involves:
- Soaking hides in a mixture that includes pigeon droppings and lime
- Using natural dyes like saffron (yellow), indigo (blue), poppy (red), cedarwood (brown), jasmine (white)
The smell is powerful—a mix of something earthy, sour, and unmistakably organic. Workers stand in the vats all day, turning and treating the hides by hand. It’s impressive, but also confronting.
A guide appeared spontaneously, walked us through the tannery, explained everything… and then, at the end, asked for a tip. Technically the tannery is “free” to view, but you should absolutely expect to tip anyone who explains things or brings you up to their terrace.
We left with mixed feelings: deep respect for the hard work that goes into Moroccan leather, and an almost total loss of appetite—for a few hours, at least.
A Simple Moroccan Feast and Our First Hammam
Hunger eventually won. We found a tiny local restaurant inside the medina with very affordable prices—dishes around 40–50 dirhams (about $4–5). Before we even ordered, they brought:
- A warm lentil soup
- Fresh bread
- A bowl of olives (which seems to be a standard in many Moroccan restaurants)
Then came the stars of the show:
- Tajine – a bubbling hot clay pot of slow-cooked meat and vegetables
- Couscous – fluffy grains topped with meat and veggies, like comforting home food
The meat was unbelievably soft and flavorful. We’d heard people say Moroccan food is among the best in the world; that was the moment we really started to believe it.
Later that day, we tried something I’d been dreaming about: a traditional hammam at a beautiful riad called Riad Laroussa.
Inside the hammam:
- You sit in a steaming hot room where your pores open
- An attendant scrubs you with a rough glove, peeling off layers of dead skin
- Buckets of water are poured over you between each stage
When we saw the amount of skin coming off, it looked like we hadn’t showered in a year—even though we had showered the day before. We came out with baby-soft skin and that floating, relaxed feeling only a deep cleanse can give you.
If you come to Fes, a hammam is not just a spa treatment—it’s a cultural experience.
A Family-Run Restaurant, Pastilla, and Mint Tea
After the hammam, we went to a small family-run restaurant that instantly became one of our favorite spots in Fes. Everyone was smiling, the atmosphere felt like eating in someone’s home, and the grandma in the back kept watching us with this sweet, approving expression.
We tried:
- Fresh beetroot and apple juices
- A tomato and eggplant dish—salty and slightly sour, perfect with bread
- Pastilla (or bastilla) – a flaky pastry filled with savory chicken but topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon
Pastilla completely blew our minds. It’s sweet and savory at the same time—crispy pastry, spiced meat, sugar, cinnamon… we couldn’t even decide if it was a main or a dessert. We just knew it was delicious.
Of course, the meal ended with mint tea, poured with that signature high pour. The total bill was around 165 dirhams (roughly $17 at the time) for a full table of food and drinks. For the quality and warmth, it felt like a gift.
Madrasa, Languages, and a Cemetery Viewpoint
The next morning, we set out to learn a bit more about the culture behind all this beauty.
On the way to the medina gates, we noticed inscriptions in a script that looked totally different from Arabic. It was Tifinagh, the writing system for the Berber (Amazigh) language. Alongside Arabic, Berber is an official language in Morocco, and many people also speak French. You really feel that mix in Fes—signs, conversations, and jokes jumping between languages.
We visited an old madrasa (religious school), paying about 15 dirhams per person to enter. Inside, the building was stunning: carved wood, intricate plasterwork, colorful tiles. Upstairs were tiny rooms that used to house students. The doors locked from the outside for safety back when the city wasn’t as secure, and students spent their nights praying, studying, and sleeping inside.
Later, we climbed a hill outside the medina to catch a sunset view. Locals told us to walk through a cemetery to reach the viewpoint, which felt a bit eerie—donkeys wandering between graves, old bones scattered around, people digging. It honestly reminded us of a scene from a horror movie.
But at the top, we finally saw Fes from above: a vast maze of roofs and alleyways stretching to the mountains. No drone needed to appreciate just how complex and ancient this city is.
Final Thoughts: What Fes Taught Us
Fes is not a “smooth” destination. It’s intense, messy, colorful, and full of contrasts: friendly smiles and hard bargaining, exquisite food and pungent smells, ancient traditions and modern eSIMs.
For us, it was exactly the kind of place we want to remember telling our future kids about—how we wandered through thousand-year-old streets, watched leather being made with pigeon poop, scrubbed our skin off in a hammam, and ate one of the most confusingly delicious dishes of our lives (pastilla!).
If you want a destination that challenges your senses and shows you a very real slice of Moroccan life, Fes is worth every step through its maze.
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FAQs
Is Fes overwhelming for a first-time visitor to Morocco?
It can be, yes—but in a good way if you know what to expect. The medina is a real maze with narrow alleys, lots of noise, and many shopkeepers calling out to you. We sometimes felt tired after a few hours of exploring, so we planned breaks: a rooftop tea, a slow lunch, or a quick rest back at the riad. If you embrace the chaos instead of fighting it, Fes becomes magical rather than stressful.
How much does food cost in Fes based on your experience?
In local spots inside the medina, we paid around 40–50 dirhams (about $4–5) per main dish. One big lunch with tajine, couscous, soup, bread, olives, and juice cost us about 130 dirhams (~$13). A later dinner in a cozy family-run restaurant with multiple dishes and fresh juices was around 165 dirhams (~$17). You can definitely eat well on a reasonable budget if you choose small, local places.
Do I need a guide to visit the tannery or the medina?
We explored the medina on our own using offline maps, and it was doable, though we did get lost more than once. At the tannery, a “guide” attached himself to us without us asking, explained the process, and then requested a tip at the end. This is common. If you prefer clarity, you can agree on a price before following someone, or politely say no. But expect that explanations and viewpoints often come with an unspoken tip expectation.
How bad is the smell at the tannery really?
Honestly? It’s very strong. Enough that they hand you mint to sniff the entire time. The mix of natural dyes, pigeon droppings and soaking hides creates a powerful smell that many people find hard to handle at first. We even lost our appetite for a while afterwards. That said, it’s one of the most unique and authentic experiences in Fes, and seeing the traditional process up close is fascinating.
What’s your advice for staying connected in Morocco?
Our personal experience with local SIM cards in Morocco was confusing: limited data, higher prices than expected, and recharge processes that involved small shops or restaurants where English wasn’t widely spoken. As full-time digital nomads, that stressed us out. Switching to an eSIM with unlimited data made things much easier. If you rely heavily on internet for navigation, work, or staying in touch, consider setting up an eSIM before you arrive.
Is a hammam worth trying if I’m a bit shy?
We were a bit shy the first time we tried a hammam (in another country), but now it’s one of our favorite rituals. In Fes, the hammam experience left our skin incredibly soft and our bodies totally relaxed. You’ll be partially or fully undressed depending on the setup, but staff are professional and used to tourists. If you’re okay with a bit of vulnerability, it’s absolutely worth it—for both the cultural insight and the feeling afterward.
Crédit: Justin and Alina vlog.