What is the best month to visit Fes?

If you want the simple answer: aim for the shoulder seasons — spring (April and May) or autumn (September and October). In those windows Fes gives you everything that makes it special, with weather that flatters a full, active itinerary. Days run a comfortable 23 to 27°C, the nights are mild, rain is occasional rather than constant, and the medina, the rooftops and the surrounding countryside all look their best. These are the months I book most often, and the booking calendar shows it.

Each of the four has its own character. April brings lush, flower-strewn landscapes and the freshest spring feel, though it is busy around Easter. May is warm and golden and usually hosts the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music — an extraordinary reason to time a trip, if you do not mind a fuller city. September eases out of the summer heat with beautiful light and lighter early-month crowds. October offers near-perfect 25 to 27°C days and a city in unhurried full swing. Spring tends to be greener; autumn tends to be a touch quieter early on.

It helps to know what to avoid, or at least plan around. July and August are genuinely hot — 35 to 38°C, with the medina baking by midday — so they only suit travellers who love an early start, a midday rest and a riad pool, though prices are lower and local evenings are lively. December and January are cold and often wet, with chilly nights and a damp medina; they are wonderfully quiet and cheap, and the snowy Atlas is close, but they are for slow, cultural trips rather than sunshine. November and February are cool, changeable shoulder months — calm and affordable, with some rain.

So choose by priority. Want the best all-round weather and a lively city? April or October. Want warmth plus world-class music? May, booked early. Want quiet and value, and do not mind the cold or heat? Winter or high summer respectively. Whichever month you pick, build in a couple of unhurried medina days, a cooking class or hammam, and a day trip into the countryside — Fes rewards a relaxed pace in every season.