Fes

Where to stay

Most budget travelers base themselves near Bab Boujloud, the Blue Gate at the western entrance to Fes el-Bali, which puts you a short walk from Talaa Kebira and the core of the medina. A few cheaper guesthouses sit further east near Bab Rcif, closer to the Rcif market, if you want to pay less and don't mind a longer walk to the main sights.

Getting around

• Walk into any leather shop with a terrace overlooking the Chouara Tannery and ask to go up. They let you in for free expecting you to browse. You get the same view without paying the street-side touts.
• Eat at the Rcif market stalls rather than the restaurants ringing Bab Boujloud. Ten minutes deeper into the medina, the same tagine costs noticeably less and the crowds are gone.
• Petit taxis are metered and cheap but stop at the medina gates. Settle on the fare at Bab Boujloud or Bab Rcif before hauling luggage, and confirm the driver knows your riad's alley name since GPS is useless inside.

When to go

March through May and September through October are when hostels fill up and prices climb. July and August are the cheapest months, though the medina holds heat badly in the afternoons.