Fes in February

February is January with a little more light. Daytime highs nudge toward 18°C, the bright spells grow longer between wet days, and nights, while still cold, lose the worst of the bite. The medina stays quiet — this is well before the spring and festival crowds — so the tanneries, the Nejjarine fountain and the great madrasas can be explored at an easy pace, with the deep, photogenic winter light filtering down into the lanes along Talaa Kebira.

It remains a month for the slow pleasures of Fes. A morning tracing the medina downhill toward Place R'cif, a long lunch out of any drizzle, an afternoon in a hammam, and mint tea on a covered rooftop as the city smokes gently below all suit late winter. The surrounding country is greening up, so a clear-day trip out to Meknes and Volubilis — Roman columns against fresh green plains — is especially rewarding when the weather cooperates.

February rewards travellers who want winter prices and a crowd-free medina with a touch more comfort than midwinter. Rain is still a real feature, so keep waterproof layers and grippy shoes to hand, and build in flexible indoor time. But the trend is toward longer, brighter, milder days, making late February a quiet, good-value window before Fes's busy spring arrives.