Meet your local guide and enter Fez el-Bali, the UNESCO-listed historic Medina known for its maze of narrow lanes, traditional souks and artisan neighbourhoods. As you walk, your guide will help you navigate the Medina and explain how religion, trade and craftsmanship have shaped life in Fez for centuries.

Continue to Cherratine Madrasa, a lesser-visited historic Quranic school founded by Sultan Moulay Rashid in 1670. Step inside its central courtyard and discover the former student quarters while learning about the scholars who once lived here and studied near Al-Qarawiyyin. Unlike the city’s more richly decorated Marinid madrasas, Cherratine reveals a more functional side of student life and Islamic education in Fez.

Venture deeper into the Medina and explore neighbourhoods traditionally associated with local crafts. Depending on artisan activity during your visit, see craftspeople working with materials such as copper, wood, textiles, plaster or leather. Your guide will explain the tools, techniques and skills passed down through generations, helping you distinguish genuine local craftsmanship from mass-produced souvenirs.

Make your way to the famous Chouara Tannery, one of the most recognizable landmarks in Fez. From a panoramic terrace, look across the colourful stone vats and observe the different stages of traditional leather production. Learn how hides are prepared, treated and dyed, as well as the role the leather trade continues to play in the Medina’s economy.

Pause along the route for an included Moroccan mint-tea break. Rest your feet, enjoy the local atmosphere and take the opportunity to ask your guide questions about daily life, customs or places to explore after the tour.

Continue through the souks and historic lanes as your guide points out architectural details, community institutions and traces of the trades that gave different areas of the Medina their identities.

Finish the experience with a clearer understanding of Fez—not simply as a collection of monuments, but as a living city where education, craftsmanship, trade and community life remain closely connected.