Lonely Planet Morocco

by Lonely Planet

  Beware the touts who board trains to Fez, often at Meknès. They can be very friendly, approaching you claiming to be students or teachers returning to Fez – they’ll often have ‘brothers’ who have hotels, carpet shops or similar.

  Internet Access

  Wi-fi is common across most midrange accommodation and above, as well as at most cafes and restaurants.

  Cyber Batha ( GOOGLE MAP ; Rue Al Bard; per hr Dh10; h10am-midnight) Has English as well as French keyboards.

  Cyber Net ( GOOGLE MAP ; 42 Blvd Mohammed V; per hr Dh6; h9am-10pm)

  Teleboutique Cyber Club ( GOOGLE MAP ; Blvd Mohammed V; per hr Dh5; h9am-11pm) Above téléboutique (telephone office) in the ville nouvelle.

  Medical Services

  Clinique al-Kawtar (%0535 61 19 00; Ave Mohamed el-Fassi, Route d'Immouzzer) Large modern hospital in the ville nouvelle, just off the main road to the airport.

  Pharmacie Du Maroc ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pl Batha; h8.30am-12.30pm & 3-7.30pm Nov-Apr, 9am-1pm & 3.30-8pm May-Oct) An easily accessible modern pharmacy in the medina.

  Money

  There are plenty of banks (with ATMs) in the ville nouvelle along Blvd Mohammed V. In the medina there is an ATM at the Batha Post Office and at banks around Place R'cif, as well as these useful spots:

  Banque Populaire ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Talaa Seghira; h8.15am-3.45pm Mon-Fri)

  Société Générale ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Bab Bou Jeloud; h9.15am-5.15pm Mon-Thu, 8.15-11.45am Fri, 9.15-12.45pm Sat)

  Post

  Main Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Ave Hassan II & Blvd Mohammed V; h8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri & 8.30-noon Sat)

  Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; Pl Batha; h8am-4.15pm Mon-Fri) Located in the medina; also has an ATM.

  Tourist Information

  There is no tourist office in the medina.

  Délégation Régionale de Tourisme (Tourist Information Office; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 94 24 92; Ave Mohammed es Slaoui; h9am-1pm & 2-4pm Mon-Thu, 9am-1pm Sat & Sun) You can pick up a good-quality free map of Fez here and book official guides. Staff speak English.

  Travel Agencies

  Carlson Wagonlit ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 62 29 58; h8.30am-12.30pm & 3-7pm Mon-Fri) Behind Central Market; useful for flights and ferries.

  RAM ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 94 85 51; 54 Ave Hassan II) There's a Royal Air Maroc office in the ville nouvelle for ticketing and flight enquiries.

  Useful Websites

  ACulture Vultures (www.culturevulturesfez.org) For arty Fez happenings including artisanal projects, tours, workshops, residencies, arts and culture.

  AView From Fez (www.theviewfromfez.com) News and views blog for keeping up to date with what’s happening in Fez.

  8Getting There & Away

  Air

  Fes-Saïss Airport (%0535 67 47 12) is 15km south of the city and has recently been expanded with a swanky new hall, though at the time of writing it had yet to open. RAM operates daily flights to Casablanca, as well as connections to Europe.

  Bus

  The main bus station for CTM buses ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0800 09 00 30; www.ctm.ma) is in the southern ville nouvelle. Buy tickets for Chefchaouen in advance because the lack of other transport options means seats always get booked up quickly. Services can be reduced out of season.

  CTM runs 16 buses a day to Casablanca (Dh90, 4½ hours) via Rabat (Dh75, three hours) between 1.30am and 7.15pm, plus one other premium bus to Rabat only at 9.30pm (Dh100). Buses to Meknès (Dh25, one hour) run 24 hours a day but departure times are irregular. There are seven buses a day to Marrakesh (Dh165 to Dh175, 9½ hours) between 6.30am and 8pm, plus a quicker premium bus departing at 9.30pm (Dh225).

  Heading north and east, there are six buses for Tangier (Dh110, six to seven hours), three for Chefchaouen (Dh75, four hours), four for Tetouan (Dh100, five hours) and two for Al-Hoceima (Dh110, five hours), one of which is a night bus. Four go to Nador (Dh110 to Dh115, five hours), and six to Oujda (Dh115, 4½ to five hours).

  International services to Spain with Eurolines (www.eurolines.com) also depart from the CTM bus station.

  Non-CTM buses depart from the Gare Routière ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 63 60 32) outside Bab el-Mahrouk on the edge of the medina, or from the streets immediately surrounding the bus station. Fares are slightly lower than CTM, and reservations can be made for popular routes. The Gare Routière has a left-luggage facility.

  Long-distance buses run to Casablanca via Rabat (hourly), Midelt and Er-Rachidia, Rissani and Ouarzazate (six daily), Marrakesh (five daily), Taza (hourly), Oujda (10 daily), Tangier (13 daily), and Tetouan and Ouezzane (12 daily).

  Locally, there are frequent departures to Azrou (Dh25, 1½ hours), Ifrane (Dh25, 1½ hours), Moulay Yacoub (Dh10, 30 minutes), Sefrou (Dh10, 45 minutes) and Meknès (frequently).

  Car

  There are several guarded car parks around the medina: on Pl Bou Jeloud close to Bab Bou Jeloud, in Batha, north of Talaa Kebira at Ain Azleten and in the south at R'cif. In the ville nouvelle there's a guarded car park in front of the central market. Chriftrans (%0615 45 01 28; www.chriftrans.com) is a reliable transport and vehicle-hire company, offering services from airport pick-ups to day trips from Fez and longer hires.

  Taxi

  There are several grand taxi ranks dotted around town. Taxis for Moulay Yacoub ( GOOGLE MAP ) (Dh10, 20 minutes) and taxis for Meknès ( GOOGLE MAP ) (Dh25, one hour) and Rabat (Dh80, 2½ hours) leave from in front of the main bus station (outside Bab el-Mahrouk). The rank for Sefrou and Bhalil ( GOOGLE MAP ) (Dh12, 45 minutes) is located at Slaiki, southeast of Pl de la Résistance in the ville nouvelle. Azrou ( GOOGLE MAP ) (Dh35, one hour) and Ifrane (Dh30, 45 minutes) taxis wait at a parking lot to the west of the CTM bus station in the south of the ville nouvelle.

  Grands taxis outside the train station don't have specific destinations so cannot be shared.

  Train

  Fez' shiny new train station ( GOOGLE MAP ) is in the ville nouvelle, a 10-minute walk northwest of Pl Florence. There's no longer any left luggage at the station, but there's an ATM, some snack shops and decent cafes with wi-fi.

  Trains depart almost hourly between 1.30am and 8.40pm to Casablanca (Dh116, four hours), via Rabat (Dh127, three hours) and Meknès (Dh30, 30 minutes). Eight trains go to Marrakesh (Dh206, eight hours) and four go direct to Tangier (Dh164, five hours) – two more go via Sidi Kacem. Some of the trains to Taza (Dh59, two hours, six daily) go on to Oujda (Dh169, 5½ hours, three daily).

  8Getting Around

  To/From The Airport & Transport Stations

  AFes-Saïss Airport Bus 6 service runs hourly between the airport and train station in the ville nouvelle. The set fare for a grand taxi from the airport to the medina is Dh120 (up to four people); transfers organised through your hotel vary in price, but expect to pay at least Dh100 per person. Heading back to the airport, you won’t be able to hail a grand taxi from the medina; you’ll have to get one from the train station or pay a higher rate by organising one through your hotel. Petits taxis don't run to the airport.

  ATrain Station It's a 10-minute walk to Pl Florence, or a Dh12 petit-taxi ride to Bab Bou Jeloud in the medina.

  ACTM Station A taxi to Bab Bou Jeloud will cost around Dh12.

  Bus

  Fez' bus service can be unreliable, packed like sardine cans at certain times of day, and are notorious for pickpockets. The standard fare is Dh3.50. Some useful routes:

  Bus 9 ( GOOGLE MAP ) Bouramana and Pl Atlas via Blvd Chefchaouni (both in the ville nouvelle) to Pl Batha (Fès el-Bali); the bus returns via Ave Hassan II ( GOOGLE MAP ) and Ave des FAR.

  ABus 10 Train station via Bab Guissa (northern Fès el-Bali) to Bab Sidi Bou Jida (northeastern Fès el-Bali).

  ABus 19 Train station via Ave Hassan II (in ville nouvelle) and Bab el-Jdid (southern Fès el-Bali) to Pl R’cif (central Fès el-Bali)

  Taxi

  Drivers of the red petits taxis generally use their meters without any fuss, but tourists are often hassled by touts at the train station. Insist on the meter, or walk
further to hail a taxi. Expect to pay about Dh12 from the train or CTM station to Bab Bou Jeloud. There is a 50% surcharge after 8pm. You’ll find taxi ranks outside all the gates of the medina, as well as at Pl Batha ( GOOGLE MAP ). Only grands taxis go out to the airport.

  There is a convenient petits taxis rank ( GOOGLE MAP ) near the giant Borj Fes shopping centre at Pl de la Résistance on the northern edge of the ville nouvelle.

  Sefrou

  Pop 79,887

  The small Berber town of Sefrou, just 30km southeast of Fez, is a picturesque place situated on the edge of the Middle Atlas. It has a small but interesting medina that was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 2013. As such, the medina walls have been restored and some funduqs (hotels) are being rebuilt. Sefrou once hosted one of Morocco’s largest Jewish communities (as many as 8000 people, according to some accounts), and it was here that Moulay Idriss II lived while overseeing the building of Fez.

  It’s an easy day trip from Fez. Time your visit with the Thursday souq, just south of the town centre, if you want to see a real local market without the tourist trappings.

  Sefrou

  1Sights

  1Jardin Al Kanatir Al KhairiaA2

  2Jewish SchoolC2

  3MedinaC1

  4MellahB2

  4Sleeping

  5La Maison des LallasD2

  5Eating

  6Restaurant Al FarahC1

  6Drinking & Nightlife

  7Café Zahra el-JebalA2

  7Shopping

  8Ensemble ArtisanalB1

  1Sights

  MedinaMEDINA

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP )

  The Oued Aggaï flows through the centre of Sefrou's medina, opening the place up and giving it more of an airy feel than many old medinas. Although it's still a maze, there's not much to it so navigation is manageable; the best point of entry is the northerly Bab el-Maqam. From here the flow of people will take you downhill past pastel-hued souq shops and a lively local produce market.

  MellahAREA

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP )

  Although Sefrou's Jewish population has gone, this district still retains a few distinctive wooden-galleried houses and lanes so narrow two people can only just pass. In its heyday, the mellah was so dark and crowded that street lamps had to be lit even in the middle of the day. Today it has an edgy feel and the area's dereliction has become a breeding ground for drugs and prostitution; sadly it's not considered safe to visit.

  Jardin Al Kanatir Al KhairiaPARK

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP )

  Skirting the western walls of the medina, Sefrou's public gardens are wedged into a small depressed valley and feel a little like the lost world. Towering tangles of trees tripping down, down, down to the river create a cool retreat beloved by locals. There are peaceful paths and a couple of cafes. Enter off Ave Moulay Hassan or Blvd Mohammed V.

  Jewish SchoolJEWISH SITE

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP )

  Just south of Bab Merba, this former Jewish school with its own synagogue is now closed, but you can still peak through the doors – it's pretty rundown. If you're interested to see more, try to find the guardians as they will usually let you in for a small donation of Dh10 to Dh20.

  Cascades de SefrouWATERFALL

  A 1.5km walk west of town are the Cascades, a modest waterfall. Follow the signs from Ave Moulay Hassan around Al-Qala’ (a semifortified village) and along the river’s lush valley.

  TTours

  Sefrou Artisanal TourCRAFTS

  (%0535 68 33 75; www.culturevulturesfez.org; 1-2 people incl lunch Dh1200, 3 people Dh1400)

  Along the same lines as its sister tour in Fez, this educational half-day excursion around Sefrou's medina provides a window into the lives of artisans working in Sefrou – giving you the chance to interact with, and visit the workshops of, local blanket weavers, ironmongers, button makers and wood carvers. A particular focus is the town's disappearing Jewish heritage.

  zFestivals & Events

  Cherry FestivalFOOD & DRINK

  (Festival des Cerises; hmid-Jun)

  This annual four-day festival celebrates the local cherry harvest. There’s plenty of folk music, along with displays by local artists, parades, fantasias (musket-firing cavalry charges) and the crowning of the Cherry Queen. Sefrou lays claim to the longest-running town festival in Morocco – it will celebrate 100 years in 2020 and it was inscribed on the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2012.

  4Sleeping

  La Maison des LallasGUESTHOUSE€

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 66 11 16; www.lamaisondeslallas.com; 304 Derb El Miter; d/ste incl breakfast from Dh396/400; W)

  This homely house in a quiet street has five bedrooms, each with a bathroom, centred on a lovely courtyard that's traditionally decorated. Welcoming Jamila can provide dinner (Dh132) and even a picnic basket (Dh44) if you're heading into the hills.

  5Eating & Drinking

  Restaurant Al FarahMOROCCAN€

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pl Haddadine; meals about Dh25; h10am-9pm)

  The best of the bunch in Sefrou's medina is the Restaurant Al Farah. It's easy to find, opposite the knife-grinders and blacksmith with his fiery anvil (Haddadine means ironmongers), and with simple tables under a shady tree in this slim square. There's no menu: go for the spit-roast chicken with harissa for dipping, chips, bread and salad.

  Café Zahra el-JebalCAFE

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jardin Al Kanatir Al Khairia; h8am-7.30pm)

  Women will feel comfortable at this lovely cafe spread along the south side of the shady riverbank in Sefrou's popular park.

  7Shopping

  Ensemble ArtisanalARTS & CRAFTS

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Rte de Fès; h9.30am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Sat-Thu)

  Small shops selling a selection of mostly wood and jewellery, plus some rugs, at fixed prices.

  8Information

  BMCE ( GOOGLE MAP ; Blvd Mohammed V; h8.15am-5.45pm Mon-Fri) Has an ATM.

  Main Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; Blvd Mohammed V; h8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat)

  Pharmacie La Province ( GOOGLE MAP ; Blvd Mohammed V; h8am-1pm & 3pm-9pm)

  8Getting There & Away

  Regular buses ( GOOGLE MAP ) (Dh8, 40 minutes) and grands taxis ( GOOGLE MAP ) (Dh11, 30 minutes) run between Sefrou and Slaiki in Fez, just north of the CTM bus station in the ville nouvelle. If you'd prefer to get a private grand-taxi transfer from your hotel in Fez, expect to pay Dh250 to Dh300.

  Grands taxis to Azrou (Dh28) go via Immouzzer (Dh14) and depart from the same walled grand-taxi lot just north of Pl Moulay Hassan. Grands taxis to Bhalil ( GOOGLE MAP ; Pl Moulay Hassan) (Dh3.50) depart from across the road, at the top of Pl Moulay Hassan.

  Bhalil بھاليل

  Pop 12,997

  This curious village, 5km from Sefrou, is worth a trip for its troglodyte houses built into the picturesque mountainside and picked out in pastel hues of pink, yellow and blue. The cave dwellings date back to the 4th century and for hundreds of years have been inhabited by shepherds to protect against the elements. Some villagers go so far as to utilise caves for the primary room of the house. The result is a cool, spacious room, usually used as a salon, while bedrooms and private areas are built above.

  The hassle often experienced in larger towns is entirely absent here: people are incredibly friendly and local women are often found sitting out on the streets making woven buttons for jellabas (Morocco's long traditional hooded capes) – one of the village's main industries. Bhalil has an excellent local guesthouse and can make a refreshing break from the big-city hustle of Fez.

  4Sleeping

  oDar Kamal ChaouiGUESTHOUSE€€

  (%06 43 03 24 44, 0678 83 83 10; www.kamalchaoui.com; 6 Kaf Rhouni, Bhalil; d incl breakfast Dh605-715; W)

  Kamal Chaoui offers very comfortable accommodation in a traditional village house, and Naima cooks delicious dinners (Dh180). Decorated in local Berber style, it has a relaxing roof terrace with sweeping views. Kamal strives for a home-away-from-home
atmosphere, and he and Naima join guests at mealtimes. In winter, the house is heated via an ingenious wood-fire system to keep things toasty.

  Kamal, who speaks excellent English, French and German, is a pillar of the local community and a mine of information on the area. He can arrange mountain excursions – sometimes including lunch with Naima's Berber family – or a village tour with a visit to Bhalil's troglodyte caves for tea with the inhabitants (Dh275 per person). Naima also runs cooking classes (Dh330 per person). Money from the tours is funnelled back into the community, helping to clean up the streets and improve conditions for villagers.

  8Getting There & Away

  To get here from Fez you'll need to head to Sefrou, from where a shared grand taxi to Bhalil costs Dh3.50.

  Meknès مكناس

  Pop 835,695

  Quieter and smaller than its grand neighbour Fez, Meknès feels rather overshadowed and receives fewer visitors than it should. It’s more laid-back with less hassle, yet still has all the winding narrow medina streets and grand buildings that it warrants as an imperial city and one-time home of the Moroccan sultanate.

  Sultan Moulay Ismail, the architect of Meknès’ glory days, might be a little disgruntled at the city’s current modesty, but visitors will find much to be enchanted by. Remnants of no less than three sets of fortifications, ingeniously incorporated into the city's road networks, make it clear how important this city once was. The king's tomb sits at the heart of what remains of the original imperial city, flanked by an almighty royal granary, the magnificent Bab el-Mansour – the likes of which even Fez can't compete with – and Pl el-Hedim, a local mini-me of Marrakesh's popular Djemaa el-Fna.