A guided tour of Fez (Fès)? Or go it alone?

 It was a debate we'd had all week, whether to get an official guide to help us navigate the huge and unending maze of Fez’s medina, or go ahead and get lost on our own.  In Marrakech we had no trouble, and even if you do get lost in the souks, all roads eventually lead back to the main plaza Djemma El Fna anyway.  However, we had read online that Fez was a different story, more challenging to figure out and more likelihood of becoming irreparably lost. 

The night of our arrival in fact, two lost tourists knocked on the door of our Riad to ask for directions, because they were staying with a family but could not remember where to find the house.  It was after nightfall and sadly the Riad staff could not give them much help.

So, given the complexity, the lost backpackers, and the recommendation of our hostess here in Fez to get a guide, we decided to try it.  Why not.  It’s a bit expensive, but it wouldn’t be a waste to see the city and hopefully get a more local perspective of the town.  This was for the most part the case, but after trying it would I recommend you get a guide?  It depends on a few things. 

Our Experience

First, a quick description of our experience with a guided tour of Fez:


Inside the Attarine Medersa, Fez



We made our decision at breakfast, and our hostess arranged for her preferred guide to come meet us at the Riad about an hour later.  There are licensed guides for tourists, though you may be hassled on the street by unlicensed ones (called “faux guides”) that are illegal and reportedly unreliable.  The price we had seen online for official city guides was about 200 Dirhams for the day, but our hostess told us it would be 250 for four hours—inflation, inclusion of tip, finder's fee?  We weren’t sure.   

Our Riad was close to the “golden triangle” of monuments, and we headed through the crazy streets towards the first one, the Qarawiyyin- a Mosque and university established in the 9^th century.  From there we passed through busy markets and shops with stops in the Andalous neighborhood, the beautiful Attarine Medersa, the mausoleum of Fez’s founder Moulay Idriss, and of course the tanneries, for a chance to see the laboring leather makers and peruse their extensive selection of products (mint sprig in hand for relief from the smell).  This all took us just around three hours, and though we saw quite a bit we hardly left a one-kilometer square area of the enormous medina.   Our guide was happy to answer any questions we had about the food stalls and buildings we saw and careful to point out the streets near our riad that would lead us home after going out on our own later.

So, should you get a guide?

Well, here are the positives and negatives in our experience:

A donkey passes under one of the red
 tourist circuit signs in the medina.

For a short visit to Fez, a guide will basically show you everything you wanted to check off the list and give you a good taste of the medina.  If this is your first trip to Morocco (as it was ours) and especially if it’s your first visit to a medina, a compacted urban center that has been built in layers over thousands of years, it is definitely helpful for acclimating to what may otherwise be an overwhelming and disorienting experience.  It’s also nice to get to speak with someone who is from the city—our guide was born and raised in Fez.  And they probably will take you places and subtle details you might overlook on your own.  We felt like we saw a few unusual corners thanks to our guide.   The downside is primarily the expense, along with the limits to where you go and the possible pressure to buy from the sellers your guide introduces you to.

If you have experience travelling in non-Western countries, you can probably do your own tour without any issues.  You will of course know to be wary of unsolicited helpers, careful with your possessions, and respectful with the people you encounter.   It is also easier than I expected to find your way on the main streets, thanks to some helpful “tourist circuit” markers that indicate self-guided walking tours and what monuments are nearby.  Fez is definitely less touristy than Marrakech; you feel much more like you are immersed in the normal life of the city’s inhabitants.  Yet unlike the Berber souk in Marrakech where you will have lots of shops on either side to entertain you while you are lost, in Fez there are more intimidating dark passages through quiet residential neighborhoods and fewer guiding landmarks.

A few things to keep in mind with a guide

First, the price of the guide does not include admission fees for monuments and museums.  You can’t actually go into the most famous monuments because they are functioning religious sites restricted to Muslims only, but you can peek through the door to see the interiors.  Also, your guide will take you inside the tannery shops and stop at workshops and such where you can see people working and purchase items.  You won’t necessarily be expected to buy, but it’s thoughtful to tip people a few Dirhams, especially if you’ve taken their photo (having asked their permission) or sampled their food.   There’s also the option of taking a drive to vista points where there are good views of the town, but again you’ll be paying for the transportation.  In other words: the complete tour will cost you more than the price of a guide, depending on how much you want to do.

So, if you are an experienced traveler and have more time than money, do it on your own.  Maybe buy a guidebook for maps and historical details.  If you are unsure or pressed for time, the official guide will help you get your footing and provide context and interpretations of what you see.