Guided Tour of Fes' Historic Medina with No Shopping

Indescribable!

No review can express the gratitude I feel for these two days in Fez. Mohammed (owner) and his team looked after us as a family. The visit through the medina was very fluid, without falling into crowds of people and without losing detail. We could really know the trade not only tourist but also the day to day. In the riad we feel at home. Comfortable, clean, well-kept rooms, a terrace to enjoy the sun and the mountain view... Not to mention the great food they prepared for us! We got to know the surroundings of Fes, small towns, and the city of Meknes with his partner Mohammed (driver), who also took care of us and taught us a lot during the whole day of road trip. We leave with a lot of grief to say goodbye and eager to meet again.

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Discover the medina with a native guide.

My wife and I visited Fez with Mr. Mehrez who accompanied us on a complete and immersive tour both in the medina and in the most suggestive surroundings, such as the royal palace, the mellah and one of the fortresses defending the city from which you can enjoy a spectacular view. Our guide proved to be competent, passionate and engaging, a professional who immediately wanted to make it clear that he would not lead us to shops in search of commissions, an excellent example of professional ethics. We definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to discover Fez or Morocco by relying on serious operators in the sector.

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Worst experience ever, the guide made us feel insecure, a disrespectful bigot who should not be in contact with tourists

DO NOT TAKE THIS TOUR. We chose this tour specifically because it was private and supposed to be customized to our interests—culture plus street food, with no shopping. We clearly stated that we wanted to make multiple stops along the way to try a variety of local foods, snacks, and sweets. We were told this would be no problem. However, within minutes of meeting the guide, the experience deteriorated. He immediately showed a lack of professionalism by “mistaking” our full-day tour for a 3-hour one. When we clarified, he reacted with annoyance and demanded proof. Once we left the hotel, he walked at an extremely slow pace, clearly stalling to compensate for having no real plan. He stopped constantly to greet and chat with literally dozens of locals—ignoring us every time. He seemed to know everyone, except his own clients. Throughout the tour, he provided almost no information. We asked many questions, which he either couldn’t answer, brushed off with the bare minimum, or simply ignored. At several major sites—including the Medina—he offered only a couple of sentences before sitting down and disengaging entirely. Despite our repeated reminders about our interest in food, there were no food stops at all until lunchtime, when he did suggest good sandwiches, where he paid for one, but that was the only meaningful food experience. After insisting again, he took us to an olive oil stall for a quick taste—and that was the end of the “street food” portion we were promised. He also took us to repair some scissors for his wife and made us wait while it happened. The most troubling part of the tour, however, was the guide’s unsolicited, aggressive, and often hateful opinions. • When we asked a respectful question about women’s face coverings in Islam—a topic previously explained differently by another local guide—he responded with visible anger, insisting that women must be fully covered and that no other interpretation was valid. • He criticized the king for investing in modern architectural infrastructure instead of in feeding the poor. When we gently suggested such investments might support tourism and jobs, he snapped, “Who cares about tourists.” Ironic. • When he mischaracterized Catholic practices and we corrected him politely, he replied sharply, “We’re not talking about your country,” effectively shutting us down. • He then claimed that no Muslims convert to Christianity but that many Christians were converting to Islam, and more would soon, delivering this in a tone that felt almost menacing. • He repeatedly lectured us—unprompted—about people being “disrespectful” toward religion. • Shockingly, he expressed hateful views about Jews and said Morocco’s former king should not have helped protect them during World War II because of current events. He even said “Hitler was right.” When we disagreed, he shut all comunicación and ignored us completely, even when we asked direct questions. • He also began to speak disparagingly about homosexuality but stopped abruptly when he realized we were two single men traveling together. Finally, he ended the tour 30 minutes early, dropping us at the hotel before the agreed time. Overall, the guide not only ignored us for most of the tour and provided almost no meaningful information—he also expressed discriminatory, aggressive, and unsafe opinions about tourists, Jews, LGBTQ+ people, non-religious people, and more, maybe assuming we were in one of such categories. His assumptions about us, combined with the fact that he seemed to know everyone around us, made us feel judged, uncomfortable, and ultimately unsafe, to the point that we did not feel secure enough to voice our concerns in the moment. This experience was far below what was promised and raised serious issues regarding professionalism, behavior, and safety. We would like to be reimbursed…

Response from the operator: Dear Guests, We have completed a detailed review of your complaint. After examining the guide’s report, the itinerary records, and all relevant details of your tour, we must clarify that your description does not align with the verified facts of the service provided. We found multiple contradictions and fabrications in your description. 1. Tour Duration and Itinerary Our records confirm that the full-day tour you booked was delivered exactly as scheduled. Duration in our Itinerary is AROUD 6 HOURS . There is no evidence to support the claim that the guide misunderstood the tour length or attempted to shorten it. 2. Food Stops Your booking did not include a specialized street-food tour. The guide provided the food-related stops and recommendations included in the standard itinerary. The suggestion that “no food stops were provided” is not supported by the itinerary or by the guide’s documented actions. 3. Guide Conduct The guide has an established history of excellent performance and has never received a complaint of this nature in over a decade of service. Your description of the guide “doing nothing,” “walking slowly,” or “stalling” does not align with: his professional record, his account of the tour, or the expected flow of the itinerary. 4. Allegations of Offensive , Discriminatory Remarks or Hateful Statements Your complaint includes extremely serious accusations. We treat such matters with the utmost seriousness, which is why we conducted a full internal review. However, these allegations are: and clearly exaggerated. unverified, inconsistent Unsupported and clearly exaggerated. contradicted by the guide’s long-standing reputation and conduct history. There is no supporting evidence to indicate that any such statements were made during your tour. and many points in your narrative are demonstrably false 5. Timing and Nature of the Complaint We also note that none of these concerns were raised during the tour or immediately after, and that they appeared only when requesting a refund. This timing does require us to evaluate the claims with caution. 6. Refund Decision Based on all verified information, the guide fulfilled the service exactly as described at the time of booking. Since the allegations cannot be substantiated and several key points in your complaint conflict with the established facts, we are unable to approve a refund. To clarify for transparency: You received a full refund prior to publishing this review, even though our investigation did not confirm the issues described. Conclusion We stand behind the guide’s professionalism and the service delivered. While we respect your right to share your perspective, we cannot take action on claims that are unsupported by evidence or inconsistent with the verified details of the tour. If you have specific, verifiable information you wish to provide for further review, we are open to receiving it. Kind regards,

via Viator

Exceptional

Our trip through the medina of Fes and Rabat led by Mohamed was a really nice discovery. He showed us the most remote corners of the city. I highly recommend it!

Response from the operator: Thank you for choosing Medina Travels . We are delighted to have you . You are highly welcome anytime !

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Live the real Fes

The visit of the city of Fes accompanied by Mohammed was really fantastic and made us immerse ourselves in the local culture. A great punctuality and a lot of courtesy and nice. Thank you so much! Highly recommended!!!

Response from the operator: Thank you for choosing Medina Travels . We are delighted to have you . You are highly welcome anytime !

via Tripadvisor (translated)