...FES. This is the oldest of the imperial cities in Morocco and its Medina is on of the highlights of a visit to this country. A bit like Casablanca, Fes is a city of contrasts, between the modern “nouvelle city”, and the poor shantytowns and slums. The old monuments are also under threat of falling apart, due to the lack of funds to preserve them. Fes El-bali is the old medina, with its winding small alleys. You will find the usual amount of touts at any of the entrances trying to act as guides. Although when I was there we hired one, I do not really think you need it. The only valid reason for hiring one, is probably to diminish the hassle from the others, and, still, not even this, since we were hassled anyway!...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Not as "touristy" as other parts of Morocco, steeped in history, a beautiful city Disadvantages: Beware small children and Moroccan men
...As those who have read my travel reviews in the past may guess, I'm not really one for beach holidays - my idea of a perfect holiday is to spend a decent amount of time exploring places that are culturally very different from the UK. Friends of mine had been to Marrakesh towards the beginning of last year and had returned with photos and stories galore of haggling in local markets, watching street performers and sampling authentic Moroccan cuisine.
This all appealed...but I wanted somewhere more authentic, less "touristified". I still ended up going to Marrakesh as part of my Morocco trip (review coming soon) but further research convinced me that the city of Fès was a must-visit.
A BRIEF BACKGROUND
Fès is Morocco's third largest city, and the oldest of the Moroccan imperial cities (the others being Marrakesh, Rabat and Meknes...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful