Is Fes good with kids?

I'll be honest with families: Fes is a richer, more demanding city for children than easy-going coastal towns or even Marrakech. The medina is a steep, narrow, crowded labyrinth with very few squares or parks to let off steam, no cars but plenty of laden mules and mopeds squeezing past, and a sensory intensity that can tip younger children from "fascinated" to "overwhelmed." None of that makes it off-limits with kids — it just means Fes rewards a bit more planning and works best with children old enough to walk a fair distance and be genuinely curious.

The single best thing you can do is hire a good local guide for your medina days. With thousands of unmarked lanes, navigating Fes with tired children while map-reading is a recipe for stress; a guide does the wayfinding, keeps the pace child-friendly, knows where the toilets and rest stops are, and can pitch the history at a kid's level. They'll also steer you smoothly to the things children actually love, which brings me to the highlights that land well with young travellers.

Kids tend to be captivated by the working, hands-on side of Fes. The Chouara tanneries are a genuine wow — a giant honeycomb of brightly coloured dye pits with workers wading between them, viewed (with a sprig of mint for the smell) from a shop terrace; older children find it fascinatingly gross in the best way. The artisan workshops are brilliant for little hands and eyes: watching a potter throw a bowl or paint zellige, a coppersmith hammer a tray, or a weaver work a loom turns the medina into a living "how it's made." Many riads and workshops will let a child have a go. And there are mules and donkeys everywhere doing the city's heavy lifting, which younger ones adore spotting and counting.

Practical tactics make all the difference. Keep medina sessions short — a focused two or three hours, then back to base — rather than marching small legs up and down hills all day. Forget strollers in the old city; the lanes, steps and crowds defeat them, so a baby carrier is far better for the smallest ones. Base yourselves in a riad with a courtyard or, ideally, a plunge pool, so afternoons can be lazy and cool. Build in non-medina time: the Jardin Jnan Sbil is a lovely green park to run around in, and a trip up to the Borj viewpoints or a day out to nearby Meknes, the Roman ruins of Volubilis or the cedar forests and Barbary macaque monkeys near Ifrane and Azrou gives kids fresh air, animals and space.

My balanced verdict: yes, Fes is good with kids — particularly inquisitive school-age children and teens — provided you go in with realistic expectations and a plan. Use a guide, keep days short and punctuated with rest, lean into the tanneries, crafts and animals that delight young travellers, and choose a comfortable riad as your refuge. Our family team specifically tunes Fes itineraries to children's stamina, which is what turns this intense, magnificent city into a trip the whole family loves.