What is Fes like in August?

August in Fes is, with July, the hottest stretch of the year, and the heat is the defining feature of any visit. Highs of 36 to 38°C are common, the sun is relentless, and the medina — that maze of high walls and narrow, sunless-then-suddenly-blazing alleys — becomes an oven by midday. There is no rain to speak of. I never discourage an August trip, but I do insist on planning it honestly, because the difference between a miserable August and a magical one is entirely about timing and shade.

Structure your days around the cool hours. Early mornings are wonderful: the souks stirring, the bakers firing their ovens, the famous landmarks quiet and beautifully lit before the heat clamps down. By late morning you want to be off your feet — in a shaded courtyard, a museum, a hammam, or floating in a riad pool. Then the city revives in the evening, when families and travellers spill onto the rooftops and into the squares, and dinner under the stars on a Fes terrace is one of the year’s great experiences.

August is Morocco’s domestic holiday season, so while Western tour groups thin out, the city is full of Moroccan families enjoying long, warm evenings — the medina has a festive, local energy after dark. Riad prices are generally lower than spring. The Middle Atlas is once again your friend: a day among the cedars and lakes around Azrou and Ifrane, where the air is fresh and the temperatures far gentler, makes a perfect counterpoint to the city heat.

Pack as you would for any desert-edge summer: ultra-light clothing, a serious sun hat, high-factor sunscreen, sunglasses and constant water. A pool or first-rate shade in your riad is essential, not a luxury. If you and your travel companions handle heat well and love an early start, August can be a vivid, atmospheric and affordable time in Fes — but heat-sensitive travellers and families with little ones should strongly consider spring or autumn instead.