Fez Medina Half-Day Tour: Artisan Workshops & Ancient Mosques

Four-hour medina tour: mosques, tanneries, artisan workshops, and brass workers hammering by hand

A half-day guided walking tour of Fez's medina with a professional local guide in English, Italian or French, starting from your hotel or riad. You walk past the Kairaouine Mosque (founded 859), through the Chouara Tannery, visit the Al-Attarine Madrasa and Nejjarine Museum, watch metalworkers at Place Seffarine, and see the green-and-blue gate of Bab Boujloud. Moroccan tea or coffee is included. The Al-Attarine Madrasa and Nejjarine Museum each charge a small separate admission.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Medina of Fez1h
2. Kairaouine Mosque15m
3. Al-Attarine Madrasa25m
4. Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts25m
5. Zaouia Moulay Idriss II15m
6. Bab Bou Jeloud10m

Explore Fez Medina and Craftsmanship

• Start tour from hotel or riad
• Walk through Medina's narrow streets
• Visit Kairaouiyine Mosque exterior
• See Al-Attarine Madrasa
• Explore artisan workshops in Medina
• Visit Chouara Tannery
• Discover Place Seffarine metalwork
• Tour Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts
• View Zaouia Moulay Idriss II exterior
• Stop at R'cif Square
• Explore Bab Boujloud and surroundings
• Return to hotel or riad

The experience

The guide meets you at your hotel or riad in the medina and walks you into the heart of Fez's walled old city. The route moves through narrow streets lined with fruit stalls, spice vendors and Berber carpets, passing the Kairaouine Mosque (one of the world's oldest universities, founded by Fatima el Fihri in 859), and the Andalusian Mosque (viewable from outside, entry is for Muslims only). Along the way you stop at workshops where artisans are actively working: potters at their wheels, weavers at their looms, brass workers etching metal, tile makers forming mosaics. Each stop is a working space, not a museum display.

The Chouara Tannery is one of Fez's oldest and largest, a labyrinth where hides are dyed in stone vats using techniques centuries old. You move through Place Seffarine, a square where the sound of hammering brass and copper fills the air: metalworkers shaping intricate pieces by hand. The Al-Attarine Madrasa, built in 1325 near the spice souk, was a school for scholars who later studied at the Kairaouine. A 20 DH fee opens the door to its quiet courtyard. The Nejjarine Museum sits inside a restored riad and displays the architecture and craftsmanship of traditional Moroccan homes. Admission is 20 DH and not included in the tour price.

The walk ends at Bab Boujloud, the medina's famous gate covered in green and blue ceramic tiles, and you return to your hotel or riad. The guide speaks English, Italian or French and carries knowledge of the city's history, the artisans' techniques, and the stories behind each site. Moroccan tea, coffee or water comes with the tour. The full outing runs 3 to 4 hours, with about 30 minutes spent moving between stops and the rest in the attractions themselves.

What’s included

• Pickup from your hotel or riad in the medina.
• a professional local guide in English, Italian or French.
• Moroccan tea, coffee or water.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish, French and Italian

Audio guideEnglish, French and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.You can choose from 4 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Discovering The Medina Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to walk the medina with someone who knows the artisans and the history. The guide's knowledge is what turns a walk through crowded streets into an understanding of how the city actually works. The small group format and the route through working workshops (not tourist shops) mean you see the craft as it happens, not as a performance staged for visitors.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French and Italian.

What is the Kairaouine Mosque and why does the guide show it from outside?

The Kairaouine Mosque is one of the world's oldest universities, founded in 859 by Fatima el Fihri. It remains an active place of worship, so entry is reserved for Muslims. Your guide will explain its historical significance and point out its architecture from the street.

Can I actually go inside the tannery, or do I just look at it from a distance?

You walk through the Chouara Tannery itself. It is an active working space where leather is still dyed and treated using centuries-old methods. You move through the labyrinth of vats and workshops where artisans are at work.

Do I need to pay extra for the museums and madrasas we visit?

The Al-Attarine Madrasa and Nejjarine Museum each charge a separate 20 DH admission fee, not included in the tour price. Moroccan tea, coffee or water is included.

How much walking is involved, and is the medina's terrain difficult?

The tour is a half-day walk through narrow, winding medina streets with uneven surfaces typical of the old city. It is suitable for all physical fitness levels. The tour is wheelchair accessible and public transportation options are available nearby.

Where does the tour start and end?

Pickup is included from your hotel or riad in the medina, and you return to the same location at the end of the tour.