Getting around Fes

Public transport

Local buses, which tend to be crowded but run regularly, connect the Ville Nouvelle with various parts of the old city. Route numbers are marked on the side of the buses. Some useful ones include bus 9 (Place Atlas in Ville Nouvelle to near the Dar Batha Museum), bus 16 (airport to the railway station), and bus 19 (railway station to Place er-Rsif, central Fès el-Bali).

The only practical way of getting around the medina is on foot (you can get taxis from all the gates of the Medina if you prefer). All hotels/riads should provide essential medina maps locating their property and thus assisting you. Do not underestimate the importance of this map; the medina is extraordinarily difficult to negotiate. You may wish to hire an official guide. Do this through your hotel/riad and not on the street.

Taxis

There are two types of taxis: the small, red petits taxis operate within the city limits, tend to be metered, and are inexpensive, only carrying three passengers. Grands taxis are bigger and travel fixed routes from Fès to outlying areas mostly from the main bus station (gare routière).

Both types of taxis are often shared and drivers may wait until the taxi is full before departing. You can ask to have a petit taxi to yourself.

Driving

Driving to Fès by car involves a long journey across Europe to Algeciras, from where frequent ferries depart for Tangier or Ceuta.

Parking is widely available throughout the Ville Nouvelle. If you stay in car-less Fès el-Bali, you can leave your vehicle in the small car park south of Bab Boujeloud, just a few minutes walk from the old medina.

Car hire

Fès has many car rental companies, including Avis (tel: +212 5 2 562 6969; www.avis.com), Budget (tel: +212 520 150 880; www.budget.com) and Hertz (tel: +212 535 622 812; www.hertz.com).

Bicycle hire

Rabat-based bike hire company Maroc Bike (tel: +212 602 325 838; www.marocbike.com) rents out town and mountain bikes across Morocco.