What is Fes like in October?

October is, for my money, one of the two or three finest months to visit Fes. The summer heat has fully released — days settle into a perfect 25 to 27°C — while the nights are cool and refreshing without yet being cold. The light is glorious, soft and golden, and the medina is comfortable to explore from morning to night. If a traveller asks me for the ideal balance of weather, atmosphere and manageable crowds, October sits right at the top alongside April.

This is weather built for doing things. You can spend full, unhurried days deep in the medina — the tanneries, the Attarine and Bou Inania madrasas, the Seffarine coppersmiths, the spice and textile souks — and still have energy for a rooftop dinner under a clear evening sky. Day trips shine in October: Volubilis and Meknes, the cherry country around Sefrou, and the Middle Atlas cedar forests near Azrou, where the first autumn colours begin to show and Barbary macaques move through the trees.

October is autumn high season, so the medina is lively and the better riads fill up, but it rarely feels as pressured as the April peak. Booking a few weeks ahead secures the rooms you want. Toward the very end of the month the first proper autumn showers can arrive, a gentle reminder that winter is on its way, but for most of October you can count on warm, dry, brilliant days.

Pack versatile layers: light, breathable clothing for the warm days, a jacket or sweater for the cooler evenings, comfortable walking shoes and sun protection that still matters under the autumn sun. October flatters a full itinerary — a few days in the medina, a cooking class or hammam, and one or two excursions into the countryside. For comfort, beauty and a city in full, unhurried swing, it is an outstanding month to be in Fes.