Fes Airport to the Medina: Taxis, Transfers and Finding Your Riad

From Fes airport to the medina it is 15 km, about 25 minutes by car. A taxi from the rank costs around 120 dirhams at the time of writing, and a private transfer is a fixed €18 per sedan, €25 per minivan or €40 per minibus. No vehicle enters the old medina: you are dropped at the gate nearest your riad and walk the rest.

How far is Fes airport from the medina?

Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ) lies on the Saïss plain, 15 km south of the city. The road in is a straight dual carriageway that enters through the Ville Nouvelle, the modern French-built district, then drops towards the old city. In normal traffic the run takes 25 minutes. Allow 35 around 6 pm or on a Friday evening.

The terminal is small. From the aircraft door to the pavement often takes 30 to 45 minutes, passport control included. Cash machines and exchange desks are in the arrivals hall, and you will want dirhams for a taxi or a porter.

Fes airport to the medina: the options compared

Local fares are those reported at the time of writing and can change.

Taking a taxi from Fes airport

Grand taxis wait outside the arrivals doors. The fare to the city is a set rate, not a meter: around 120 dirhams for the car at the time of writing. Travellers sometimes report higher quotes late at night or for the far gates of the medina. Confirm the figure and the exact drop-off point before the car moves, and pay in dirhams.

The weak point is the handover. A rank driver knows the gates but not your riad, and will leave you at the nearest barrier. Unofficial guides gather at the main gates and offer to walk new arrivals in for a fee. If your riad is sending someone, wait for that person and no one else.

Is there a bus from Fes airport to the medina?

There is a city bus, line 16, but it does not go to the medina. It runs between the airport and Fes railway station in the Ville Nouvelle, takes about 40 minutes and costs a few dirhams. Departures are roughly hourly during the day, with nothing useful for late flights.

From the station you still need a petit taxi, the small red city cabs, for the 3 to 4 km to a medina gate. Petit taxis use a meter and take three passengers at most. It is a sound choice for a solo traveller with one bag and time to spare. For two or more people, the saving over a taxi from the rank is small.

Finding your riad: which medina gate to use

Fes el-Bali, the old medina, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world, with several thousand lanes. Some are barely shoulder-wide. Where the car stops decides how far you carry your bags, so ask your riad one question before you fly: which gate or car park is closest?

Most riads send a staff member to the gate to walk you in. Many can also arrange a porter with a handcart for heavy cases, for a small fee agreed on the spot. The walk is usually 2 to 10 minutes, often downhill on the way in and uphill on the way out.

Fes el-Jdid and the Ville Nouvelle are different: hotels there have normal road access and the car stops at the door.

When a private transfer makes sense

A private transfer from Fes airport to the medina costs €18 for a sedan (1-3 passengers, 3 suitcases), €25 for a minivan (4-6) and €40 for a minibus (7-14), per vehicle and with luggage included. The price is the same at midnight as at noon, and you pay the driver in cash on arrival, in euros, dirhams, pounds or dollars.

On price alone it sits close to the taxi rank. What you gain is the coordination. Give the riad's name and phone number when you book. The driver tracks your flight, waits at the arrivals exit with a name sign, and phones the riad on the way so someone is standing at the right gate when you pull up. After a delayed evening flight, that call is worth more than the fare.

Arriving by day, travelling light and staying near Bab Boujloud, a rank taxi is perfectly adequate.

Leaving Fes: timing the return

For an international flight, be at the gate with your bags 3 hours before departure. That covers the walk out, 25 minutes of road and the security check at the terminal door. Riad staff will usually walk you back out. The return costs the same as the arrival, and hotel pickups include 15 minutes of waiting.

Many travellers land in Fes and leave from another city, or the reverse. Our guide to flying into one Moroccan city and out of another shows how the long legs fit together, and which airport to choose for your Morocco trip helps if flights are still open. Prices for the other arrival airports are under Morocco airport transfers.