Where to Stay in Fes — Best Areas & Hotels
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated September 2026
Fes is really two cities. The magic is inside Fes el-Bali, the vast medieval medina, where restored riads hide behind studded doors on lanes too narrow for cars — atmospheric, but you’ll walk (and porters will carry your bags). The Ville Nouvelle, the French-built new town, offers larger hotels with pools, parking and easy taxis. We’ve grouped the best-run places to stay by style and budget, each with an honest note and a Book Me link that opens that exact property on Trip.com.
Luxury
Fes’s finest stays are lavishly restored palaces and riads inside the medina, where centuries-old craftsmanship — carved cedar, zellij tile, stucco — meets modern comfort. Book here when you want the medina at your door and a courtyard of your own to retreat to.
Palais Faraj Suites & Spa
A restored 19th-century palace on the upper edge of Fes el-Bali, blending grand Moorish craftsmanship with contemporary design, and rare among medina hotels for its sweeping views over the old city. There is a spa, a panoramic rooftop restaurant and a pool, plus the convenience of vehicle access to the door. A spectacular, characterful luxury base for exploring the medina.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Riad Fes — Relais & Châteaux
The medina’s grande dame, a Relais & Châteaux riad woven from several historic houses, with jaw-dropping Andalusian courtyards, an inky infinity pool, a fine restaurant and a rooftop bar overlooking the old city. Service is gracious and the craftsmanship extraordinary. The definitive Fes splurge for travellers who want the medina’s beauty distilled into one address.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Boutique
The restored riad is Fes’s signature stay: a handful of rooms around a tiled courtyard, a rooftop for mint tea, and hosts who know the medina inside out. Intimate and full of character, these are the places that turn a visit into a memory.
Palais Amani
A beautifully restored 1920s Art Deco riad set around a large courtyard garden of orange and banana trees, with a hammam, a rooftop bar and a well-regarded cooking school. Rooms are elegant and calm, and the family owners are warm and knowledgeable. A polished yet personal medina boutique, ideal for a first, immersive taste of old Fes.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Riad Laaroussa
A lovingly converted 17th-century mansion with a serene, fountain-cooled courtyard, jewel-coloured suites, a garden hammam and one of the medina’s nicest terrace restaurants. The hosting is heartfelt and the atmosphere hushed and romantic, a true escape from the lanes just outside. A favourite for couples seeking character, calm and genuine Fassi hospitality.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Budget & Value
Fes is generous to careful budgets: a simple riad inside the medina or a small guesthouse costs a fraction of the palaces and puts you among the lanes. You trade grand courtyards for character and a warm welcome — and save for guides, crafts and day trips.
Hotel & Spa Dar Bensouda
A handsome restored riad deep in the medina, built around an unusually large columned courtyard with a plunge pool, plus a hammam and a rooftop for breakfast. Rooms are comfortable and traditionally styled, and the value for such a grand setting is excellent. A characterful, well-priced base for travellers who want authentic medina atmosphere without a luxury bill.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Riad Verus
A friendly, sociable guesthouse near Bab Rcif in the heart of the medina, popular with independent travellers for its tidy rooms, lively rooftop terrace and helpful staff who arrange guides and tours. It mixes private rooms with more budget options and a genuinely warm atmosphere. A great-value, well-located pick for first-timers who want company and local know-how.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Family-friendly
Families often do best in the Ville Nouvelle or on the medina’s edge, where larger hotels offer pools, parking and connecting rooms, and taxis are easy. Little legs tire quickly on the medina’s steep, crowded lanes, so a pool for downtime is worth its weight.
Palais Medina Riad Resort
A large resort-style hotel just outside the medina walls, with indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, several restaurants and generous family rooms — unusual comforts for Fes. Its scale, parking and pool make it an easy, low-stress base for families combining sightseeing with downtime. Comfortable and practical rather than boutique, and well placed for exploring the old city.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Barceló Fès Medina
A modern, well-run chain hotel a short walk from the medina gates, with bright rooms, a rooftop pool and terrace, and a good breakfast — the kind of predictable comfort families appreciate after a long day in the lanes. Air conditioning, lifts and easy taxis make it a practical, fuss-free choice. Contemporary and convenient, with the old city close at hand.
Browse Fes hotels on Trip.com ›Adults-only
Fes has few hotels with a formal adults-only policy, but the medina’s small, quiet luxury riads deliver much the same calm — hushed courtyards, spa treatments and grown-up dinners on the roof, ideal for couples.
We found no verified dedicated adults-only hotel in Fes at the time of writing, so rather than invent one we point you to the live selection — and suggest the intimate riads above for a peaceful, adult-focused stay. Browse adults-only & quiet riads in Fes ›
Pet-friendly
A pet is easier to manage from a Ville Nouvelle hotel or a riad with vehicle access than deep in the car-free medina, where you would carry both bags and dog through the crowds. Always confirm the pet policy, size limit and any fee directly before booking.
Pet policies in Fes vary by property and are decided case by case, so rather than name a hotel we cannot currently verify for pets, we point you to the live, filterable selection. Browse pet-friendly hotels in Fes ›
Common questions about where to stay in Fes
Should I stay in a riad inside the medina or a hotel in the Ville Nouvelle?
A riad in Fes el-Bali is the experience most visitors come for: a courtyard house behind a plain door, with a fountain, a roof terrace and breakfast under the sky. The trade-off is that cars cannot reach most riad doors, so you will be met at a gate and your bags carried the last stretch on foot or by handcart. The Ville Nouvelle has larger conventional hotels with parking and pools, and works better if you are driving or want a straightforward base.
Will I get lost in the Fes medina?
Almost certainly, and that is part of it. Fes el-Bali is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world and its lanes were never laid out on a grid. Riads are used to this and will send someone to meet you on arrival. For your first proper walk, an official guide is genuinely worth it, and after a day or two the main arteries start to make sense.
Fes or Marrakech, if I only have time for one?
Fes is the older and more scholarly city, home to the Qarawiyyin and the tanneries, with a medina that feels lived-in rather than staged and fewer concessions to visitors. Marrakech is livelier, sunnier in winter, better supplied with hotels and easier to reach. Travellers who want atmosphere and history most often prefer Fes; those who want comfort, nightlife and easy day trips usually prefer Marrakech.
How many nights should I give Fes?
Two nights is the minimum that lets you see the medina properly, and three is better if you want to add the Merenid tombs above the city, the Jewish quarter and the Ville Nouvelle, or take a day out to Volubilis and Meknes. A single night here is nearly always regretted.
Don’t see your perfect fit?
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