Fez Ville Nouvelle: Modern Fez, Shopping & Dining Guide
Omar Benali · 8 min · Destinations
Beyond the ancient medina, Fez's Ville Nouvelle offers French boulevards, modern dining and a calmer base.
While the Fez medina gets the headlines, the Ville Nouvelle — the French-built new town — is where modern Fez lives, eats and shops. With its wide boulevards, Art Deco facades and licensed restaurants, it is a calmer, more practical base than the medina and the natural place to eat out after a day in the souks. For many travellers, a stay that combines both is the ideal.
A French New Town
Like Marrakech's Gueliz, Fez's Ville Nouvelle was laid out by the French protectorate administration in the 1910s and 20s, outside the ancient medina. The result is a district of grand avenues, roundabouts, Art Deco villas and café terraces — a European-style cityscape a short walk from the 9th-century medina walls.
Avenue Hassan II
Avenue Hassan II is the Ville Nouvelle's main artery — a palm-lined boulevard of shops, patisseries, ice-cream parlours and restaurants. It is the place for fixed-price shopping (quality leather, argan cosmetics, fashion) and for dining out, with everything from French bistros to modern Moroccan and international cuisine.
Dining & Nightlife
The Ville Nouvelle holds Fez's broadest dining scene and most of its licensed restaurants and bars — a contrast to the largely alcohol-free medina. Rooftop and garden restaurants make for memorable evenings, and several hotels host live music. After a day navigating the medina, a relaxed Ville Nouvelle dinner is the perfect wind-down.
Where to Stay
The Ville Nouvelle has modern international hotels and boutique properties with pools, parking and easy taxi access — ideal for families, drivers and anyone who prefers modern comfort over medina immersion. The trade-off is atmosphere: a Ville Nouvelle hotel is functional, a medina riad is an experience. A two-night split — one in each — is a popular choice.
Day Trips from the Ville Nouvelle
The Ville Nouvelle is the practical base for Fez's excellent day trips: the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the imperial city of Meknes, the Middle Atlas cedar forests and Barbary macaques near Ifrane, and the spa town of Moulay Yacoub. All are easier to reach from a Ville Nouvelle hotel with parking than from a deep medina riad.
How to Book
A Fez stay combining a medina riad with Ville Nouvelle dining and day trips is easy to arrange. Tell us your dates and preferences via the plan-my-trip form, and we will build a Fez itinerary around you — including guided medina tours, cooking classes and Volubilis day trips.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Fez Ville Nouvelle?
The Ville Nouvelle is the modern new town the French built outside the Fez medina in the early 20th century — wide boulevards, Art Deco buildings, modern shops, restaurants and hotels, a complete contrast to Fes el-Bali.
Should I stay in the medina or the Ville Nouvelle in Fez?
The medina offers atmospheric riads and full immersion; the Ville Nouvelle offers modern hotels, easier parking, licensed restaurants and a calmer pace. Many travellers stay in the medina for atmosphere and eat out in the Ville Nouvelle.
How far is the Ville Nouvelle from the Fez medina?
They are adjacent — a 10–15 minute walk or short taxi ride from the Ville Nouvelle centre to the medina's Bab Boujloud gate. Most hotels in either area arrange transfers.
Is the Ville Nouvelle good for dining?
Yes. The Ville Nouvelle has Fez's broadest modern dining scene — French bistros, international cuisine and licensed restaurants, which the medina largely lacks. Avenue Hassan II is the main dining strip.
What is there to do in the Ville Nouvelle?
Shop the modern boutiques, dine on Avenue Hassan II, visit the Borj Nord arms museum above town, and use it as a calm base for day trips to Volubilis, Meknes and the Middle Atlas.
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