Fes is travelled in two very different ways: on foot inside the medina, where cars do not enter, and by taxi, bus or train in the new town and around the walls. Choosing how to travel starts with knowing which side of the walls you are on.
1. Getting around the city
**On foot in the medina.** Fes el-Bali, the old medina, is a car-free area. Its lanes are narrow, sometimes stepped, and goods still move by donkey or cart. Taxis drop passengers at a gate, or bab, and the rest of the journey is on foot. A map helps, but the lanes do not follow a regular grid: you find your way by gates, fountains and souks.
**Petit taxis.** The red petit taxis run in the new town and around the medina. They have meters and carry only three passengers, as in other Moroccan cities. Inside the medina itself they cannot enter: they stop at the nearest gate.
**Grand taxis.** The larger white grand taxis mainly serve trips between towns and day trips out of Fes. They leave from fixed ranks and are not hailed in the street like a petit taxi. For a day trip, it is better to book one through your accommodation.
**City buses.** Urban buses link the new town with the districts just outside the medina walls. They do not run inside the medina. The main bus hub is in the new town, near the train station.
**What Fes does not have.** Fes has no tramway and no metro. Getting around the city rests on walking, taxis and buses. Parking inside the medina is impossible: cars park outside the walls, in car parks near the gates, for example near Bab Bou Jeloud.
2. Getting to and from the city
**The airport.** Fes-Sais Airport, south of the city, is the main airport serving Fes. It has a single terminal. Outside it you find taxis and car hire. A bus service links the airport with the city and the train station, according to several guides, but its number and operator have not been confirmed by an official source.
**The train.** The main Fes station is in the new town. It is run by ONCF, the national railway office. Trains link Fes with Meknes, Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier, with connections to other cities. Timetables and fares change: check them on the ONCF site or at the station before travelling, as no timetable or fare is given here.
**Intercity coaches.** The main coach station sits outside Bab el-Mahrouk, near the walls. Companies such as CTM and Supratours, linked to ONCF, serve towns the train does not reach directly. Tickets are bought at the coach station or online, depending on the company.
**The road.** Fes is linked by road with Meknes to the west, Tangier to the north, and Casablanca and Rabat to the west. For a stay in the medina, a car is more of a burden than a help: it stays parked outside the walls.
3. Commuting in general terms
The usual pattern is simple. Inside the medina, you walk. Between the medina and the new town, you take a petit taxi or a bus to a gate, then continue on foot. For the outer districts and the new town, bus and petit taxi complement each other.
People who live in the medina and work in the new town make the trip in two parts: walk to a gate, then taxi or bus. In the other direction, the logic is the same. At busy hours, traffic slows taxis and buses on the main roads, while walking inside the medina is untouched by traffic jams.
No journey time is given here: it depends on the starting gate, on traffic and on the hour, and the sources consulted do not agree on durations.
4. What a newcomer needs to know first
This page gives general information. It sells nothing and verifies no carrier, no driver and no timetable.
- **Walk in the medina, ride outside it.** Wear walking shoes and accept that the last stretch is always on foot.
- **Ask for the meter.** In a petit taxi in town, the meter should be running. For a ride from the airport, where posted tariffs and guides do not agree, agree the price before getting in.
- **Name the exact gate.** Say "Bab Bou Jeloud" or "Bab Rcif" rather than "the medina": the driver will know where to stop.
- **Check before you leave.** Train times on the ONCF site, coach times with the company, the airport bus line on the spot: no timetable or fare is guaranteed by this page.
- **Allow time.** Leaving the medina on foot takes time, especially with luggage. Setting off early for the station or the airport avoids rushing.