Fes day trip from Rabat: Private tour with local guide

Royal Palace, tannery floors, and two centuries of carved cedar in one day from Rabat

A private full-day guided tour departing from your Rabat hotel to explore Fes, visiting the Royal Palace, Kairaouine Mosque, Chouara Tannery, Bou Inania Medersa, and Al-Attarine Medersa with a local guide in English or French. The tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Rabat, private air-conditioned transport, bottled water, and entry tickets. Lunch is your choice. The day runs 8 to 9 hours with flexible departure between 8:30 and 9:30 AM.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Royal Palace of Fez30m · entry included
2. Kairaouine Mosque30m · entry included
3. Bou Inania Madrasa30m · entry included
4. Al-Attarine Madrasa30m · entry included

Full-day tour from Rabat to Fes

• Depart from Rabat accommodation
• Travel to Fes by highway
• Visit Royal Palace of Fez exterior
• Explore Borj Nord fortress and views
• Visit historic Jewish Quarter and cemetery
• See Kairaouine Mosque exterior
• Observe artisans at Chouara Tannery
• Tour Bou Inania Medersa
• Tour Attarine Madrasa
• Return to Rabat by vehicle

The experience

Fes sits about 2 hours north of Rabat by highway, and this tour handles the drive as part of the experience. You leave your hotel on your schedule between 8:30 and 9:30 AM, settle into a private air-conditioned vehicle, and arrive in the old city ready to move through its layers. The route itself is smooth. The guide meets you in Fes and walks you through the landmarks that define the city's character across centuries.

The Royal Palace of Fez opens the day: built in 1276 when Fes El-Jdid was founded, its golden bronze doors and zellij tilework are visible from the street and worth the photographs. From there you climb to Borj Nord, a 16th-century fortress that overlooks the entire old Medina and gives you the city's geography at a glance. The Jewish Quarter and its Old Cemetery follow: a quieter stop that anchors Fes's multicultural history. Then comes the Kairaouine Mosque, founded between 857 and 859 AD as both a place of worship and a university. Non-Muslim visitors see the courtyards and exterior architecture, which alone convey the scale of what stood here. The Chouara Tannery is the day's most tactile moment: from the terraces you watch leather workers use natural dyes and techniques unchanged for centuries, the vats of color spread across the stone floor below you.

Two medersas close the loop: Bou Inania, built in the 1350s and the only madrasa in Morocco that also functioned as a mosque, with its marble courtyard and carved cedar intact; and Al-Attarine, which housed students of the Kairaouine University and holds the same intricate tilework and peaceful layout. Free time in the medina lets you eat where you choose or wander the souks. The return to Rabat takes roughly three hours. You arrive back at your hotel in the late afternoon.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned transport from Rabat to Fes and back.
• hotel or riad pickup and drop-off in Rabat.
• local guide in English or French.
• entry tickets to the Royal Palace, Kairaouine Mosque, Chouara Tannery, Bou Inania Medersa, and Al-Attarine Medersa.
• bottled water.
• free time in the medina for lunch and photos.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30, 09:00 and 09:30

Book up to12h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by AIRPORT RABAT TAXI

Is this one for you?Book this if you're based in Rabat without a car: private pickup and drop-off mean you skip navigating Fes's medina alone, and your driver handles all transport between sites.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and French.

What is the Chouara Tannery and what will I see there?

The Chouara Tannery is the largest and oldest of Fes's three leather-working sites, located in the heart of the old Medina along the Oued Fes river. From the terraces overlooking it, you watch artisans dye and work leather using natural methods and techniques that have remained unchanged for centuries: the vats of colored dye spread across the stone floor below are the iconic sight.

Can I enter the Kairaouine Mosque as a non-Muslim visitor?

Non-Muslim visitors cannot enter the prayer hall of the Kairaouine Mosque, but you can admire its beautiful courtyards, traditional architecture, and historic surroundings from the outside. The mosque was founded between 857 and 859 AD and evolved into one of the Islamic world's major centers of learning and spirituality.

What time does the tour depart and how long does it take?

The tour departs between 8:30 and 9:30 AM from your hotel or riad in Rabat, according to your preference. The full day runs 8 to 9 hours, including roughly 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours of travel time to and from Fes, depending on traffic.

Is lunch included, and what are my options?

Lunch is not included in the tour price, but you have free time in the medina to eat at a restaurant of your choice or explore the souks. The guide can recommend places, and you eat on your own schedule.

What is the Bou Inania Medersa and why is it special?

The Bou Inania Medersa, built between 1350 and 1355, is considered one of the finest examples of Marinid architecture and is unique as the only madrasa in Morocco that also functioned as a mosque. Its marble courtyard, zellij tilework, and carved cedar details remain beautifully preserved.