What is Fes like in April?

April is, for many travellers, the perfect month in Fes — and the booking calendar reflects that. Days settle into a warm 23 to 25°C with long hours of sunshine, the nights are soft, and rain becomes occasional rather than expected. The medina is at its most rewarding: warm enough for rooftop dinners and unhurried souk-wandering, but not yet hot enough to sap your energy on the steep, shaded alleys. If someone asks me for a first trip to Fes with the best odds of beautiful weather, April is near the top of the list.

The landscape around the city is spectacular this month. The Saiss plain and the Middle Atlas foothills are green and flower-strewn, the storks are nesting on the old walls and minarets, and the light has that clear spring quality photographers love. Day trips are at their best — Volubilis and Meknes under blue skies, the cedar forests near Azrou, the cherry country around Sefrou. Even the drive itself is a pleasure, with wildflowers along the verges and snow still capping the higher Atlas peaks in the distance.

The trade-off is popularity. April is high season, so the famous madrasas, the tannery viewpoints and the main souk arteries get busy, especially around Easter and European school holidays. Riad rates climb and the best places sell out weeks ahead. None of this should put you off — it simply means you book early, start your medina days before the tour groups arrive, and let a good local guide steer you onto the quieter lanes that most visitors never find.

Pack lighter than for the winter months — breathable layers for warm days, a light jacket for evenings, a sun hat and good walking shoes. April suits a fuller itinerary: two or three days in the medina, a cooking class or hammam, and at least one excursion into the green countryside. It is the classic, postcard version of Fes, and worth the slightly higher cost and the crowds.