I think walking around aimlessly is really the best way to enjoy your first full day in a city like Fez. There’s just so much around the streets of Fez that you’ll end up missing out on if you decide to take a rental car from your hotel or something. The old stone walls, the architecture, the little stalls that sell trinkets by the roadside, and especially the awe-inspiring majesty of the numerous gates.

If you walk thoroughly around the streets of Fez, you can see the walls and ramparts put around to protect the city during the medieval times. When I took a good look at those old stones, I couldn’t help but marvel at just how much work was put into securing the city, not to mention the quality of the stone. I heard a fellow tourist describe the city as being a walled fortress, “kasbah” in Arabic, during medieval times. Even now, if you look at the walls from the inside, you get the feeling that nothing can break down those stones. Of course, the walls and the streets of Fez aren’t the only things that are overwhelming about the city.

The sounds of people caught up in the daily bustle of life can sometimes be drowned out by the sounds of merchants selling their wares. This is particularly true the closer you walk to the old medina, where the paths are narrower and you just might lose yourself amidst the stalls. It took me a while to figure out that there were signs that signified different areas of interest, such as orange for the fortifications and green ones for paths that led to the city’s lush gardens and grandiose palaces. One wrong turn along the narrow streets and you might get lost, but since I knew what signs to look for, I managed to find my way back.

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