Walking is one of the best ways to explore a new city. Being on foot gives you the ability to pop in and out of stores, cafes, and restaurants with ease. Needless to say, though, some destinations are more pedestrian-friendly than others—and one of the best spots to take a stroll just so happens to be one of the oldest and largest car-free places on the planet.
Tucked away in Morocco, travelers can explore Fes on foot, a 13th-century city regarded as the nation’s cultural capital. The medina of Fes, an ancient walled space, is built for walking, and perhaps the occasional donkey or two passing through. And, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it’s the largest car-free urban area by population on Earth. Over 156,000 people live in the medina, but no cars are allowed.
“In early May, the squares and alleys resound with world music, where the Festival of World Sacred Music is held in the former imperial capital, which occurs along with Jazz in Riads, one of the main events in the city’s cultural calendar,” Visit Morocco’s website explained. “Don’t leave without having tasted the city’s gastronomy, reputed to be one of the best in the world.”
The space is so special that it even made its way to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Inside the walls, Visit Morocco explained, travelers can look forward to perusing (and purchasing) a bounty of souvenirs “from tanners to weavers, dinandiers [copperware], and potters.” It added, “Its streets are decorated with architectural masterpieces, and its squares are meeting places where an ancestral art of living is expressed through confident yet delicate gestures.”
The medina’s restaurants are not to be missed either, so do make sure to take a break for lunch at spots like Mom’s Touch for a fantastic rooftop bite, Ruined Garden for a peaceful, plant-filled afternoon, and Restaurant Bab Sahra Fes for something a little more upscale.
While it’s certainly easy to get around on your own, some travelers may want a little assistance in finding all the best corners of this marketplace, which is where a guided tour comes in handy. Fortunately, the options are plentiful as well, and include Fez Tour Guide, which offers Medina tours and excursions to nearby points of interest; museum and shopping tours on Get Your Guide; and locally led tours on Airbnb Experiences.
Getting to Fes is half the fun, too. Once you land in Tangier, Morocco, you can hop on a train via the national railway operator, Office National des Chemins de Fer, which takes about four hours total. In fact, you can visit all of Morocco’s best cities this way. And make sure to pack some comfortable sneakers when you go. Trust us. Your feet will thank us.
https://www.travelandleisure.com/medina-of-fes-most-pedestrian-friendly-in-world-guinness-book-of-world-records-11779932