Whirlwind weekend in Fez

Ryanair’s launch of new direct flights from Italy means that with just two cheap flights, you could be in Fez, Morocco’s second biggest city. Let Helen Raine guide you around its twisting Medina and beautiful riads.

Friday

Getting into the city

The airport is about 15 kilometres from central Fez and bus 16 will take you straight there in 25 minutes for around €2 (DH20). It runs every 30 minutes. A taxi, on the other hand, is (supposedly) fixed at €10 (DH120). You can also ask your hotel to send a taxi which is particularly advisable if you are coming in late.

Stay

The owners of Riad Idrissys spent six years restoring it, and their attention to detail really paid off. The 400-year-old courtyard is surrounded by a building three tiers high and covered with mosaics, gorgeous traditional tiles and stucco.

There are four suites of understated, romantic magnificence. Ornate, high, wooden doors open onto a detailed Islamic-style arch, behind which lies a sumptuously made-up bed lit with antique lamps.

Each suite has all the mod cons, including environment-friendly rain showers. There are no TVs or phones, but Wi-Fi throughout.

The riad is right next door to the Ruined Garden restaurant and guests have exclusive access to its fountains and flowers until it opens to diners at midday.

Rooms start at €140 per night, including breakfast and sundowners; the website still has an opening offer of €91 per room, so it’s worth asking for this. Visit www.riadidrissy.com, tel: +212 6491 9141 0.

The Riad Jardin Chrifa is also the genuine article, just at a more modest price. It’s decorated with Moroccan handicrafts and staffed with old-fashioned hospitality. Guests are greeted with mint tea, biscuits and cordial advice on how to navigate the city.

The location near the Medina is great too. Rooms start at €60. Visit www.riadjardinchrifa.com, tel: +212 5356 3892 5.

Dinner

If you’re adventurous, you could head straight for the souk. If you’re tired and disorientated already, then leave that experience for tomorrow and treat yourself to the Fassia restaurant at the Sofitel Hotel Palais Jamai. It has a lovely dining room and terrace overlooking Fes el Bali (the oldest, walled part of Fez).

This is classical Moroccan cooking at its best; tajine, roast lamb (mechoui) and couscous. Reservations are recommended, as is a large wallet. You can also pay an unholy price of DH30 for a mint tea on the roof terrace to admire the amazing view.

Time your visit with the call to prayer if you can to experience the intense sound from the multiple minarets around the terrace. Visit www.sofitel.com, tel: +212 5356 3433 1

Saturday

Morning: the Medina

The Medina (old city) was founded in 789 and has grown organically until today it comprises of over 9,000 streets and alleyways.

The only way to get around this World Heritage Site is on foot. Even heavy goods are transported in by mule, and the same animals take the rubbish back out again.

The widest streets only allow two mules to pass; get out of the way quickly because they take no prisoners.

Street food is ubiquitous here with everything from camel heads, pigeon pie, chicken of every variety and spleen sandwiches on sale (apparently they are very good). There are also specialist zones for leather, tiling, weaving and gold, and the craftsmen use methods which are aeons old. The vendors are, of course, master salesmen, so go prepared to have fun bargaining.

As with Marrakesh, you can dive in, get lost and hope for the best. You will emerge eventually. Or, you can hire a guide.

If you decide to do the latter, be aware that guides are likely to have commissions with certain shops; it’s just a slightly tedious fact of life in Fez.

However, one huge advantage of having a guide (especially an official one supplied by a hotel) is that it stops 10,000 wannabe guides from pestering you all day; they are persistent and if you give in, they will stick like glue.

To help you bargain, it’s good to know a ballpark figure for items. So a leather satchel should cost DH200-400 (€17 to €35), drums can be anything from DH30-150 (€2.50 to €13.50), depending on their size, and a full-size tagine dish would be DH10-20 (€1 to €2), although it can be more if the item is varnished and decorated.

The vendor will start with an insanely high price. You need to begin with one about a quarter of that and stay low. If you pay in euros, you might get a better deal.

If you are planning to buy leather and have a strong stomach, you might want to see how it’s dyed. In the tanneries, leather is soaked in dozens of rainbow-coloured pits, in the same method that’s been in use since the Middle Ages.

The smell is one you won’t shake off for a while (go in the morning before it gets too hot). If you are without a guide and can’t get into the tanneries alone, try the leather shop left of the entrance which has a view over the pits. Naturally, they will expect you to buy something afterwards.

Once you’re shopped out, men should hit one of the barbers for a cutthroat shave to die for.

Lunch: The Ruined Garden

It’s usually impossible to resist snacking in the souk itself, but if none of the street food caught your eye and you need a little rest, head back to The Ruined Garden next door to Riad Idrissys.

Lunch is fresh salad from the souk and they even whip up some street food right there and then, like sardines marinated in garlic, cumin, olive oil and lemon juice and makuda (spicy potato cakes). Set lunch starts from DH150 (€13.50). Visit www.ruinedgarden.com, tel: +212 6491 9141 0.

Afternoon: Architecture and Islamic Gardens Tours

Website www.plan-it-fez.com offers this lovely afternoon tour which costs around €75.

Learn about the decorative techniques of Islamic art, from floral motifs and geometry to ceramics and calligraphy, in gardens laden with orange blossoms. They aim to help you “discover earthly paradise revisited”.

The company can also set you up with a Moroccan family for the day to immerse you in Moroccan life, from shopping to cooking to rituals.

Dinner: Mount Zalagh

The same company has a novel option for a dinner. They’ll bus you to Mount Zalagh, 45 minutes from Fez, for a sumptuous picnic dinner. You’ll visit a local farmstead and dine among the forgotten splendour of an ancient mausoleum and caravanserai (a roadside inn).

Sunday

Morning: Merenid Tombs and the Kairaouine Mosque

Having spent so long in the souk yesterday, you need to pack it all in before your departure. A morning to be proud of would start early at the Merenid Tombs (adjacent to the Merenid Hotel).

From here, you can look down on Fez el-Bali and the minarets of the 365 mosques, or out to the olive fields beyond.

Dawn or dusk is a great time to go, when thousands of swifts return to their nests in the walls of the city, filling the sky with their acrobatics.

Next, try to catch a glimpse of the Kairaouine Mosque; this landmark is all the more attractive because you’re not allowed in (not, at least, unless you are a Muslim).

Occasionally, you can see a sliver of courtyard through a door left ajar, but the best bet is to find a shopkeeper who will let you view it from his roof for a fee (or a purchase).

Lunch: The Cafe Clock at the Blue Gate (Bab Boujloud)

Brilliant blue is the colour of Fez and the Blue Gate doesn’t disappoint. The Cafe Clock is close by. This townhouse offers relaxed dining such as camel burgers, couscous and salads from around DH40 (€4). Visit www.cafeclock.com.

Afternoon: Dar Batha Palace

Don’t tarry too long over your mint tea because this crumbling summer palace shouldn’t be missed. For just DH10 (€1), you can access the wild garden and museum.

There’s little interpretation and even the labelling is a little slapdash, but the exhibits are fascinating, especially the Berber tribal carpets.

If you still have time and you want to find out more about the blue ceramic that Fez is famous for, head to the potteries (taxi drivers will know where they are). These consist of two factories which will walk you through the whole process or just let you look at the exhibition and, of course, the shop.

Don’t believe the price tags; you still need to bargain. Then cram your bargains into your bag and head for the airport. Your whirlwind tour of Fez is over.