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Destination · Africa

Travel Scams in Fez

Fez's medieval medina (Fes el-Bali) is one of North Africa's most intense tout environments: unlicensed 'faux guides' who misdirect you and then demand payment, tannery touts whose 'free look' always ends in a fee, commission-driven detours into carpet and leather shops, and petit taxi drivers who refuse the meter. None of it is violent, but it is relentless. An official badged guide, offline maps, and a firm 'La, shukran' are the standard toolkit.

1. Faux guides in Fes el-Bali

Unlicensed men approach in the medina offering directions or 'help', then walk alongside you — sometimes deliberately in circles until you are disoriented — and demand a 'guide fee', commonly reported from 100-500 MAD, with occasional aggressive insistence. UK authorities warn that people posing as official guides routinely harass tourists in Moroccan medinas; fake guiding is the single most common tourist complaint in Fez.

Warning signs

  • Unsolicited 'where are you going? I'll show you' from anyone in the medina
  • No official guide badge or local-authority permit
  • Being steered down progressively narrower alleys
  • A fee demand that only materialises at the end

How to avoid it

  • Hire only guides displaying the official badge issued by the local authority, booked through your riad or the tourist office
  • Decline all spontaneous help with a firm 'La, shukran' and keep walking
  • Carry offline maps (Maps.me or Google Maps offline) so you are never dependent on a stranger
  • If followed or pressured, step into a shop or head for a main thoroughfare; the Brigade Touristique patrols the medina
Sources

2. Tannery tout 'looking is free' trap

Around the Chouara Tannery, touts insist 'no money, I'm not a guide, looking is free' and lead you through a leather shop to the terrace viewpoint. The tannery has no official entry fee — access runs through surrounding shops that work on commission with the touts — and on the way out you are pressed for a tip and steered into a hard-sell leather showroom. Quoted 'tour' prices can reach 200 MAD for something worth 20-50 MAD.

Warning signs

  • 'I'm not a guide' or 'looking is free' from anyone near the tanneries
  • Being routed through a specific shop to reach the viewpoint
  • Mint tea appearing before any price is discussed
  • A tip or 'entry' demand at the exit

How to avoid it

  • Agree a price before entering any shop or viewpoint — 20-50 MAD is a fair range; refuse anything over 100 MAD
  • Choose your own shop entrance rather than following a tout
  • You are never obliged to buy leather goods to see the terrace
  • Walk away mid-pitch if the pressure starts; the sale is only finished when you pay
Sources

3. 'Closed today' misdirection to commission shops

A friendly man near a medina landmark tells you the sight is 'closed today', the street ahead is shut, or that you are lucky because a special market is open 'only this morning'. The detour always ends at a carpet shop, leather store, or tannery where the 'helper' collects commission — drivers and guides are reported to earn up to 30-50% of whatever you spend. The attraction is almost never actually closed.

Warning signs

  • Any unsolicited claim that a sight or street is closed
  • A miraculously timed 'special market' or 'festival' only happening today
  • The stranger claiming to be from your riad or hotel
  • Every detour ending inside a shop

How to avoid it

  • Verify closures yourself at the entrance or by phone; ignore street claims
  • Never follow anyone to a shop, market, or 'family cooperative'
  • If a stranger says he is from your riad, smile and keep walking — it is a guessing game
  • Tell drivers explicitly at the start: no shops, no stops, direct route only
Sources

4. Carpet shop mint-tea pressure trap

You are invited for 'hospitality' mint tea at a carpet or leather shop, then run through a rehearsed sales script: wares are stacked in front of you, you are asked to rank favourites, and numbers are written down as if a deal is already underway. Opening prices are wildly inflated — even after 'bargaining' tourists often pay three to five times fair value — and UK authorities warn of shops substituting inferior goods for the ones you actually chose.

Warning signs

  • Tea offered before any prices are mentioned, framed as offensive to refuse
  • A notebook opened and 'negotiation' started without your consent
  • Opening prices several times what cooperatives charge
  • Reluctance to let you leave without buying

How to avoid it

  • Research fair prices first — small rugs at fixed-price cooperatives start around 300-500 MAD as a benchmark
  • Accept that you can leave at any point; tea creates no obligation
  • Inspect the exact item you are paying for and carry it out yourself
  • Prefer fixed-price artisan cooperatives over tout-led shops
Sources

5. Petit taxi meter refusal

Petit taxi drivers tell tourists the meter is 'broken' and quote flat rates five to ten times the metered fare — a ride that should cost 15-20 MAD gets quoted at 100-200 MAD, particularly from the train station, Bab Boujloud, and tourist riad clusters. UK authorities additionally caution that some app-booked and unlicensed taxis in Morocco are unregulated and uninsured.

Warning signs

  • 'Meter broken' announced only after you are seated
  • A flat quote in round numbers before the destination is discussed
  • Refusal when you say 'compteur, s'il vous plaît'
  • Attempts to pick up additional passengers mid-ride

How to avoid it

  • Insist on the meter before getting in; if refused, close the door and take the next taxi
  • Use the official taxi desk with posted prices at Fez-Saïss Airport and the train station
  • Ride-hailing apps such as inDrive and Careem remove the negotiation
  • Refuse shared rides with strangers
Sources

Practical safety briefing

  • Airport arrival: Fez-Saïss Airport sits about 15 km south of the city; use the official taxi desk/rank with posted prices rather than negotiating with drivers who approach you, or have your riad arrange pickup — many riads offer it precisely because the medina is hard to navigate on arrival.
  • Trusted transport: Red petits taxis with a working meter are the standard inside the city; inDrive and Careem operate as app-based alternatives. For the medina itself, hire an official badged guide through your riad or the tourist office rather than accepting street guiding.
  • Money & payments: Dirhams from bank-attached ATMs give the best rates; be cautious around ATMs in the medina where aggressive begging and distraction are common. Exchange only at banks or official bureaux de change, and keep small notes for taxis and tips since drivers rarely have change.

Official travel advisories

  • US State Dept — Level 2 ('exercise increased caution') for terrorism, targeting tourist locations and markets; advises staying alert in tourist spots.
  • UK FCDO — Warns of bogus tourist guides harassing visitors in medinas (insist on an official badge), credit-card fraud, substitution of inferior goods, petty theft in medina quarters, and unlicensed app taxis.

Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.