Fes is widely considered the best-preserved medieval Arab city anywhere, and its activities reflect that depth of history. Here are ten things worth your time. The Chouara Tannery, one of the oldest and largest traditional leather tanneries in the world, offers viewing terraces overlooking colourful dye pits still used as they have been for centuries. Al-Attarine Madrasa, an exquisitely tiled 14th-century Islamic school, represents some of the finest Marinid-era craftsmanship anywhere in Morocco. A guided walk through Fes el-Bali's medina, genuinely necessary given its more than 9,000 disorienting lanes, unlocks workshops and views a solo visit would likely miss. The Royal Palace's ornate brass doors in Fes el-Jdid, while not open to visitors inside, are striking enough to merit the stop on their own. Bou Inania Madrasa, another beautifully tiled religious school, offers a quieter alternative to the more visited Al-Attarine for those wanting a second example of the architectural style. The medina's countless craft workshops — metalwork, leather, woodcarving — let visitors watch traditional techniques still practised much as they have been for generations. Meknes, about an hour away, offers a quieter imperial city experience as a worthwhile day trip from Fes. The Roman ruins at Volubilis, near Meknes, add an ancient historical layer that predates the Islamic architecture found throughout the rest of the trip. A traditional hammam experience in the medina offers genuine local bathing culture rather than a tourist-oriented spa version. Finally, simply getting deliberately lost in the medina's lanes — within reason, and ideally with a general sense of direction back to a main gate — often reveals workshops and details that no guided tour route covers. Hire a guide for the medina specifically — the lanes are genuinely disorienting, and decline unsolicited offers from unofficial guides on the street.