Morocco🇲🇦 | festivalsFes Festival of World Sacred MusicSufi nights, Bab Makina, courtyard chant, free city stages | things to do and best time to go

The medina of Fes el-Bali is the best base for backpackers, because the main festival venues sit at its edge and you can walk to most of them. Staying near Bab Boujloud puts you beside the free open-air stage and the busiest street for food and cheap eats. Budget guesthouses and hostel-style riads cluster here, and the shared rooftop terraces are where solo travelers swap festival plans over breakfast. The lanes are lively until late during the festival, so the area feels safe in the evenings, though the maze is confusing after dark. Save your route on an offline map and use a lit main alley when … read more 👉

The medina of Fes el-Bali is the best base for backpackers, because the main festival venues sit at its edge and you can walk to most of them. Staying near Bab Boujloud puts you beside the free open-air stage and the busiest street for food and cheap eats. Budget guesthouses and hostel-style riads cluster here, and the shared rooftop terraces are where solo travelers swap festival plans over breakfast. The lanes are lively until late during the festival, so the area feels safe in the evenings, though the maze is confusing after dark. Save your route on an offline map and use a lit main alley when you walk home.

The Batha and Talaa Kebira side is a quieter option, still within a short walk of Batha Museum. Rooms here are often a bit cheaper, but you will cross more twisting lanes to reach the gates.

The Ville Nouvelle (Nouvelle Ville), around Avenue Hassan II and the train station, suits you if you want wider streets, easy taxis and simple budget hotels. It is a 10 to 15 minute petit taxi ride from Bab Makina. It is less social, but easier for late returns and early departures by train.