Fes el-Bali is the largest car-free medieval city in the Arab world, which is a sentence that does not prepare you for the smell of tanning pits or the kindness of a shopkeeper who is also a salesman. Go with a licensed local guide for the first three or four hours. After that, if you still have legs, wander near your riad.
See a madrasa interior, a foundouk, the tanneries from a terrace, and one viewpoint. Do not try to “do” Fes. Eat lunch sitting down. Drink water. The medina will still be there after mint tea.
Shopping can be excellent if you have time and a sense of humour. It can also eat a day. Tell your guide you are not buying leather unless you ask — a good guide will respect that; we work with those.
Pair Fes with Volubilis and Meknes or with a desert tour toward Merzouga. The city is a beginning or an end, not the whole country.
Further reading from an official source: UNESCO listing for the Medina of Fez (UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Medina of Fez).
