Fez, Morocco

“You can DIY the trip by train from Fes to Meknes (about an hour) and then a grand taxi seat to Moulay Idriss for roughly 10 dirham, with a short taxi or walk on to the Volubilis gate. Volubilis was a Roman provincial city of around 20,000 people at its 2nd-century peak and has been UNESCO-listed since 1997, known for its mosaics and standing basilica. Moulay Idriss, the hillside town between the...”

“The tannery is ringed by leather shops, and you reach the viewing balconies by climbing two to four flights through one of them. Staff hand you a sprig of mint at the door to take the edge off the smell from the dye vats. The guide suggests visiting in the cooler morning hours when the odour is more bearable, and warns that the shops around the tannery use the smell to mask lower-grade leather,...”

“A self-guided loop through Fes el Bali starting at Bab Boujloud, hitting the 14th-century Bou Inania Madrasa (20 dirham entry, intricately carved cedar and zellij), the Al-Attarine Madrasa and the Chouara tannery. Total entry fees come to about four euros. The author suggests keeping Bab Boujloud as your mental anchor and accepting that some wandering off route is the point of the medina.”