Fes, The Heartbeat of Morocco
We left Chefchaouen early enough to have the town nearly to ourselves, just a few residents out and a handful of shop owners beginning to arrange their displays for the day. There is something about a tourist destination before the tourists arrive that feels like a small gift. We took it in quietly before loading up for the 3.5 hour drive to Fes.
The drive completely dismantled whatever image of Morocco we had carried with us. Rolling green hills thick with trees, fields of wild poppies, family farms tucked into valleys, life happening slowly and beautifully in every direction. The roads were largely in good shape, with a few sections where landslides had carved out chunks of pavement, but nothing that slowed us down significantly. Rest stops were sparse and the facilities were what they were, but we travel prepared. Travel toilet paper and hand wipes are non-negotiables at this point and have earned permanent spots in the bag.
We added a detour to the route that turned out to be one of the better decisions of the trip: Volubilis, a partly excavated Berber-Roman city dating back to the 3rd century BC. It grew substantially under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onward and eventually spread across roughly 1.6 miles. What remains today was far more vast and impressive than anything we had seen in photos, and the stop was absolutely worth the extra time.
The Riad and the City
Riad Laaroussa (link to Instagram Reel I did) is everything a riad should be. Open interior courtyard, a rooftop terrace, turtles wandering the grounds as if they own the place, and a staff so genuinely kind and helpful that you find yourself looking for reasons to linger. Fes is widely considered the cultural heart of Morocco and it earns that reputation. The Medina here is not performing for visitors. Life is simply happening inside it: residents shopping, working, eating, moving through their day. The souks and food stalls cater to the people who live here, and you feel that difference the moment you step inside.
We did another food tour, this time through one of the residential souks, and it delivered some of the most distinctly Moroccan food we tried on the entire trip. The standout was Msemen, a square flatbread filled with onions and spices, folded and fried until the layers are perfectly crisp and the inside is soft and savory. It is apparently a beloved after-work snack for locals and after one bite we understood completely why.
Navigating Fes is its own adventure. The Medina has over 9,400 streets and Google Maps is genuinely useless inside it. Getting turned around is not a matter of if but when, and the moment you pull out your phone to get your bearings you become a magnet for every well-meaning local who wants to help point you in the right direction, tip expected. We got lost more than once. We did not always mind.
The Tanneries
Leather production has been central to Fes for centuries and the tanneries are unlike anything we have encountered anywhere in the world. They are ancient, open-air workshops filled with stone vats of natural dyes: poppy red, indigo blue, henna orange, turmeric yellow. The cleaning process involves a mixture of cow urine, pigeon feces, and salt, and the smell announces itself long before you arrive and settles into your sinuses in a way that is difficult to describe and even harder to forget. Both Matt and I did one of those specific kind of coughs upon first inhale that you hope doesn’t follow with another and more “stuff” with it…
Workers treat cow, sheep, goat, and camel hides using techniques that have not changed in centuries. This means climbing into the vats and using their feet and legs to work the leather by hand, then softening the hides with blades and stones that are hundreds of years old. Dyeing is done entirely by hand, and the finished hides are laid out across rooftops to dry in the sun before becoming any one of the thousands of leather goods for sale throughout the Medina.
We were fortunate to get a personal tour from a young Berber man whose family has been part of this trade for generations. Rather than visiting the larger main tannery that caters to the typical tourist viewing experience, we were brought to where the actual daily work was happening. At every stop our guide asked each worker individually whether they were comfortable being photographed. That small gesture of respect made the whole experience feel entirely different. We are glad we took the time.
Matt's Birthday
We started the morning of Matt's birthday the best possible way: out in the Medina as it was just waking up. This is our favorite version of any city. Quiet streets, soft early light working its way into the alleyways, the smell of bread frying somewhere nearby, workers pushing carts and setting up for the day ahead. Unhurried and completely alive in its own quiet way.
Back at the riad we had booked a couples massage, which was a first for Matt. He took to it immediately, with the hand and foot portion earning particular enthusiasm. He followed that with a proper shave at a traditional barber, and we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering without any real plan, stopping for snacks and mint tea wherever something caught our attention.
Dinner was at Ishq, one of the more celebrated restaurants in Fes right now, and it was a wonderful way to close out the day and our time in the city. From the food to the setting to the evening itself, it delivered exactly what a 50th birthday dinner should.
Fes had come to an end. Marrakech and the final stretch of the trip waited for us in the morning.
Instagram Reel:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXugQdGjlqN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==