Fast Facts

Banks & Currency Exchange -- Within the medina, there's a branch of SGMB with an ATM at Bab Bou Jeloud. The branch is open Monday to Thursday 8:15am to 4pm and Friday and Saturday 8:30am to noon. The 24-hour ATM accepts all cards and also changes foreign currency. Banque Populaire has a branch with an ATM halfway along Tala'a Sghira at Souïqt Bensafi, open Monday to Friday 8:15am to 3:45pm. Out in the ville nouvelle, banks can be found from place Yacoub el Mansour (formerly place Florence) to place Mohammed V via boulevard Mohammed V. Halfway along this stretch of boulevard Mohammed V, Wafa has a bureau de change open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm. The BMCE branches at place Yacoub el Mansour and place Mohammed V, open Monday to Friday 8:15am to 3:45pm, will usually exchange traveler's checks and process cash advances on credit cards. One block west of place Yacoub el Mansour, on avenue Lalla Meriem, is an SGMB 24-hour exchange ATM. The state-run Bank al-Maghrib, on place Yacoub el Mansour (Mon-Fri 8am-3pm), will usually cash traveler's checks, damaged notes, pre-1999 U.S. notes, and the new British pound notes, all of which may be rejected at other banks.

Car Rentals -- The major international firms can be found in the ville nouvelle including Avis, 50 bd. Chefchaouani (tel. 035/626969); Budget, 6 bd. Lalla Asmaa (tel. 035/940092); Europcar, 45 av. Hassan II (tel. 035/626545); and Hertz, Kissariat de la Foire on boulevard Lalla Meryem (tel. 035/622812). Those with desks at the airport include: Avis (tel. 035/626969), Europcar (tel. 061/171325), Hertz (tel. 063/614212), and National/Alamo tel. 063/111960); all are usually open from 8am to 10pm. A reputable local company, Tijania Car, 7 av. des F.A.R. (tel. 035/653737 or 061/194028), also has a prominent desk at the airport (tel. 074/774730). Rates are around 350dh to 500dh ($44-$63/£22-£31) per day for a small, four-door sedan with unlimited mileage and insurance.

Doctors -- Dr. Jamal Wakkach, 2 rue Benzakkour, on place Hussein de Jordainie (tel. 035/656565), speaks relatively good English and comes recommended.

Drugstores -- Pharmacies can be found easily throughout the city. In the medina, at Bab Bou Jeloud, is Pharmacie Bab Bou Jeloud (tel. 035/643385); farther down along Tala'a Kbira, at Qantrat Bourous, is Pharmacie La Medina (tel. 035/634458); and on Ahmed Mekouar Square is Pharmacie du Maroc (tel. 035/633574). In the ville nouvelle, Pharmacie Bahja (tel. 035/623867) is on the corner of boulevard Mohammed V and avenue Abdelkarim Khattabi; Pharmacie de France (tel. 035/614398) is at 48 av. Hassan II. All general pharmacies in Fes operate Monday to Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm and 3:30 to 8pm, and Saturday 8:30am to 1pm. After-hours pharmacies are listed on the front door. The Pharmacie du Nuit (tel. 035/623380), on avenue Moulay Youssef between the ville nouvelle and Fes el Jdid, is open nightly from 9pm to 6am and usually has a doctor in residence.

Hospitals -- Clinique Ryad, on place Hussein de Jordainie (tel. 035/960000 or 035/656565), is a private clinic with high standards and usually has staff on hand that can speak some English.

Internet Access -- Cybercafes can be found in both the medina and ville nouvelle. In the medina, at the bottom end of Tala'a Kbira on Qantrat Boutros, is Internet; BathaNet is on Derb Douh, between Bab Bou Jeloud and Ahmed Mekouar Square; while opposite the car park on Ahmed Mekouar Square, on avenue Allal Fassi, are London Cyber and Cyber Didi. Cyber Hatim is next door to Cinema el Amal on boulevard Ahmed ben Mohammed Alaoui, about 300m (985 ft.) south of Bab Rcif. In the ville nouvelle, Cyber Club is above the teleboutique 1 block south of place Mohammed V on boulevard Mohammed V. Cyber@Teleboutique is at 52 av. Hassan II. Some medina maisons d'hôte now offer Wi-Fi, as does Cafe Clock.

Laundry & Dry Cleaning -- There are no self-service laundries in Fes. There is an unnamed pressing (dry cleaner) on Ahmed Mekouar Square, next to the post office. In the ville nouvelle is Pressing Dallas, 44 rue Asilah (between Hotel Mounia and av. Mohammed es Slaoui). Both are open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm. A shirt or pair of pants costs around 15dh ($1.90/95p). Otherwise you can ask at your hotel reception, though this can prove expensive as they usually charge per item. Often your hotel's cleaning staff will do your laundry privately to earn some money on the side, a practice usually accepted by the management. A plastic shopping bag of laundry shouldn't cost you more than 30dh ($3.75/£1.90), though perhaps don't trust them with your favorite white shirt or dress.

Maps & Books -- The books Fez from Bab to Bab, Walks in the Medina and The Fes Medina Tourist Circuits are good sources for information on the sights and attractions within the Fes medina. They are usually for sale at Librairie Nouvelle (tel. 035/685493), 46 av. Hassan II, next door to the Hotel de la Paix in the ville nouvelle; it also sells some beautiful coffee table-style books on Morocco. It's also worth asking at your accommodation if they sell either. The tourism council also produces a free Carte Touristique map with pretty good maps of both the medina and ville nouvelle. On my last visit, I managed to pick one up at the Hotel Olympic in the ville nouvelle, not far from the Syndicat d'Initiative. Librairie el Fikr el Moaser, 15 av. Abdallah Benchakroun (formerly rue du 16 Novembre), opposite the Centrale Marché, sells guide books and coffee-table books of Morocco, some in English. It's open Monday to Saturday 9am to 6:30pm (closed Fri noon-2:30pm).

Newspapers -- Librairie el Fikr el Moaser sells the international weekly newspaper Guardian Weekly and the odd English-language copy of Time, Newsweek, and The Economist. Also try the newsstands along boulevard Mohammed V, between avenue Hassan II and place Mohammed V, in the ville nouvelle.

Photographic Needs -- Labo Tazi, on the pedestrian-only section of avenue Abdelkarim Khattabi in the ville nouvelle, sells a range of film, as well as a few memory cards. At press time, they were installing hardware and software to burn your digital images onto CD. Labo Tazi is open Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm.

Police -- For general emergencies and the police, call tel. 19. There's a Commissariat de Police beside the post office on the corner of avenue Hassan II and boulevard Mohammed V in the ville nouvelle, while in the medina there's one located on Derb Douh, to the right of the post office on Ahmed Mekouar Square. This is where the medina's Brigade Touristique is located. Another police station can be found on boulevard Ahmed ben Mohammed Alaoui, about 200m (655 ft.) south of Bab Rcif.

Post Office & Mail -- Fes's main post office, which receives all poste restante mail, is in the ville nouvelle on the corner of avenue Hassan II and boulevard Mohammed V and is open Monday to Friday 8am to 4:15pm and Saturday 8 to 11:45am. There's a section inside for sending parcels (that must be inspected first) and Western Union services. The medina post office is on Ahmed Mekouar Square and is open Monday to Friday 8am to 4:15pm and Saturday 8:30am to noon. You'll also find many shops within the medina, as well as most expensive hotels, that sell postcard stamps. A DHL office is located in the ville nouvelle within the Royal Mirage Hotel (formerly the Sheraton) on the corner of avenue Hassan II and avenue des F.A.R. (tel. 035/930909)). It's open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6:30pm and on Saturdays 8:30am to noon.

Restrooms -- Although some traditional ablutions rooms are being restored as part of the Fes medina rehabilitation project, they are generally difficult to locate. Should you need a toilet during your exploration of the medina, try any of the dining places recommended below or time your toilet break with a visit to the Nejjarine Museum, which has modern and clean toilets on each of its two floors. In the ville nouvelle, again try any of the recommended dining options or the McDonald's at the north end of avenue Hassan II heading toward the medina.

Safety -- Although Fes el Bali is still largely pedestrian-only, there's recently been an increase in the number of mopeds, scooters, and motorcycles breaching the city's walls. The riders of these bikes are invariably in a hurry to get somewhere and can be quite blasé about the speed with which they pass you. It appears that they are in the medina to stay, so be on the lookout as you're also trying to dodge the donkeys, mules, and motorized carts. Your personal safety, however, generally never feels threatened other than being hassled for business by unofficial guides and some shopkeepers in the medina. Female travelers may also encounter unwanted attention while wandering around the medina, even when dressed conservatively. If the irritant persists, walk into the closest shop or restaurant and ask them to contact the tourist police. If you are in the company of a male friend, it will be presumed that you are a couple, which can sometimes work in the female's favor with regards to any sexual harassment, though be prepared for a barrage of questions as to why you don't have any children yet.

Telephone -- Fes's city code has recently changed from 055 to 035.