Romantic Fes: Honeymoon Riads, Sunsets and Couple Experiences

Marrakech is often the first name that comes up for a romantic trip to Morocco. Fes, however, offers something rarer: a city that has stayed intact, where you can get lost together in thousand-year-old lanes before slipping back into the calm of a courtyard with a fountain. Here are our ideas for a romantic weekend or a honeymoon in Fes, from the room to the sunsets. For choosing the neighbourhood and the type of accommodation, our guide on where to stay in Fes sets out the basics.

Why Fes is a romantic destination

Fes has that blend of intensity and gentleness that makes for lasting memories. By day the medina dazzles with colour, sound and scent; in the evening the lanes quieten, the lanterns come on and you walk home through silent passages. The city is less geared to party tourism than Marrakech, more contemplative. And everywhere, terraces let you rise above it all just as golden light wraps the rooftops and minarets. If you are torn between the two cities, read our comparison Fes or Marrakech.

Choosing a romantic riad

For a stay as a couple, the riad matters as much as the itinerary. Our criteria:

• a small house with only a few rooms, for calm and privacy; we explain why in the small boutique riad;
• a room with character: a cedar ceiling, stained glass, a balcony over the lane, a zellige or tadelakt bathroom with a generous shower;
• a rooftop terrace you can use at sunset;
• attentive hosts who can book a hammam, a dinner or a guide without you having to worry about it.

Do not hesitate to ask for the quietest room and to mention that you are celebrating a honeymoon or an anniversary.

Romantic moments to share in Fes

Sunset over the rooftops

This is the most magical moment of the day. From a terrace or from the hill of the Marinid tombs, you watch the medina turn from ochre to pink to blue while the calls to prayer answer each other from one minaret to the next. Our favourite viewpoints are gathered in the best views in Fes.

A hammam for two

After a day on foot, a hammam is the perfect way to unwind. Many spas in Fes offer treatments for couples: a black-soap scrub with a kessa glove, a ghassoul clay wrap and an oil massage. Everything you need to know is in our article on the hammam in Fes.

A candlelit dinner

Fes has some beautiful restaurants set in old palaces, where you dine under painted cedar ceilings. For more privacy, dinner served on a riad terrace under the stars is hard to beat. Our ideas for dishes and Fassi specialities are in what to eat in Fes.

Wandering in the golden hour

In the late afternoon the low light makes everything beautiful: studded doors, zellige fountains, stalls of brass and copper. It is the best time to stroll without a plan, stop for tea and hunt together for a keepsake, a lantern or a hand-woven rug. Our tips for buying without stress are in shopping in the Fes souks.

When to go to Fes as a couple

Spring and autumn offer the best balance, with mild days and pleasant evenings on the terrace. Winter has its own charm for a cosy stay, provided your riad is well heated: days are often sunny and the city is calmer. Avoid the height of summer if you can, as afternoons are too hot to enjoy. More detail in the best time to visit Fes.

A three-night romantic itinerary

• Day 1: arrival, mint tea in the courtyard, a first walk in the medina, sunset on the terrace and dinner at the riad.
• Day 2: a guided visit in the morning (Bou Inania Madrasa, Al-Quaraouiyine, the tanneries), lunch, a siesta, a hammam for two in the late afternoon and dinner in a palace restaurant.
• Day 3: a day trip to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss, or a day in Chefchaouen for the more energetic; back for one last sunset. See our day trips from Fes.

A Moroccan honeymoon: pairing Fes with the desert

Many newlyweds combine Fes with a night in the Merzouga desert, in a tent at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes. It is a superb pairing, from imperial city to Saharan silence. We detail the journey in Fes to the Merzouga desert, and a complete route in our 10-day Morocco itinerary.

A practical note: foreign couples, married or not, are welcomed without any formalities in riads and hotels. In the street, a degree of discretion with public displays of affection is simply appreciated, as in many traditional cities.

La Petite Maison for couples

Our riad was designed for peaceful stays. The Fès Room, whose fan-shaped stained glass colours the morning light; the Tangier Room, a cocoon of ochre tadelakt under a cedar ceiling; the Agadir Room, with its French door opening onto a wrought-iron balcony; or the Marrakech Room, bathed in golden light beneath its arched stained glass: each has a private bathroom with a walk-in shower. The rooftop terrace is yours at sunset, and we cook dinner on request the day before. Browse all our rooms, read the story of the riad or write to us to tell us what you are celebrating.