I’m no expert on the two most-visited Imperial Cities in Morocco, but here are some recommendations from my whirlwind weekends in both*. (Both highly recommended).
Fes:
- Lodging: We stayed in Funky Fes, recommended. It’s not far from Place R’cif, located in a beautiful riad. Plus, they made spooky cakes for us to celebrate Halloween!
- The Medina: Even if this is the only thing you see in Fes, your visit will be pretty awesome. It’s crazy and twisting, with ornate doorways, random donkey carts, and lots of pottery and leather shops. A lot of people will tell you that you need a guide, but that’s not necessarily true. There are signs throughout the medina, and the route from Place R’cif to Bab Boujloud is fairly well-marked and passes by many of the cool sites and shops, if you only have a day. I wouldn’t recommend walking around the medina without a guide at night, though; not sure if the signs are lit. Also, shopping is good here—prices were comparable to Rabat’s, and selection better than anywhere else I’ve been in Morocco.
- Jardin J’nan Sbil: Right near Bab Boujloud, this is a beautiful (and free!) garden. (Pictured above). There were lots of cacti, so I liked it.
Marrakech:
- Lodging: We stayed in Riad Dia, highly recommended, especially for its proximity to Jemaa el-Fna Square. They aren’t kidding when they say it’s a minute’s walk away. Also right by the Koutoubia Mosque, so very easy to get back to in the day or night.
- Jemaa el-Fna: If you go to Marrakech, you can’t miss this, especially at night! Food! Lights! People! SO MANY PEOPLE! It can be a bit overwhelming—avoid the people playing music who try to put hats with you, or people who try to put monkeys on you, as they’ll try to make you pay for the privilege of taking a picture with them.
- Badi Palace: This reminded me of castles in Scotland—there’s a large courtyard, a terrace, semi-underground tunnels, a museum, and wandering cats and ducks that act like cats. The coolest thing about this is probably the amount of storks (or perhaps egrets) that have made their giant nests on the top of the ruins.
- Menara Gardens: We didn’t want to visit the more well-known Majorelle Gardens, which charge an entrance fee, so we took the long walk past lots of camels to this spot. My review is mixed: it’s an olive grove rather than a garden, and there’s a giant pool-thing that features (probably radioactive) fish. On the plus side, this garden is free, and mostly full of locals, not tourists. It’s definitely a great way to escape the bustle of the city, and the view of the pool, the pool house, and the mountains in the background is one of the iconic Marrakech images.
- Shopping: There’s a really cool cooperative complex a few blocks away from the square, in the general direction of the train station. As for shopping in the souks, the variety of goods is amazing—more than I’ve seen in any other city here—but the prices are also really, really high compared to elsewhere in Morocco. This is the first place I was able to consistently get things for less than half of the original asking price, so start very low. And never pay more than 50 dirhams for a pashmina scarf.
*Keeping in mind my friends and I don’t generally do typical tourist things, preferring to just walk around the cities and see what’s up (so glad that I found traveling companions who like to do this too!). I’m still sore from the 10+ miles I walked two days ago in Marrakech, which probably says more about how in shape I’m in than anything else.