Avenue Hassan II, Fes

It's fair to say that the New Town of Fes is orbiting around Avenue Hassan II—a wide, confident boulevard laid out by the French after 1912, and still the district’s social backbone. This is where strolling turns into a sport, especially in mild weather and right after sunset, when the city slows down just enough to notice itself.

Back in the colonial period, the city’s major public buildings were deliberately placed along this avenue, and they didn’t settle for a single look. Instead, you get a mix of styles that jump neatly between neo-Moorish curves, Art Deco geometry, and Neoclassical balance. Arcaded façades line both sides, sheltering cinemas, cafés, restaurants, terraces, ice-cream counters, and pastry shops.

It’s a stretch that knows how to entertain visitors, but it also caters to locals who treat it as an everyday address. Along the way, you’ll spot established hotels and contemporary shopping and leisure spaces, adding a modern layer to the historic layout.

Running straight down the middle of the avenue is a long, tree-lined park strip, stretching for roughly two kilometres. It’s an unexpected pocket of green, offering shade, benches, and a pause from the steady flow of traffic on either side. This central promenade turns the boulevard into a place to linger, walk, or simply reset before moving on. Grab yourself a café table, lean back, and let the passing parade do the work for you.

At the northeastern end of the avenue, the scene opens into Resistance Square, a large roundabout anchored by a central fountain and loaded with historical symbolism. Heading south, the boulevard meets Florence Square, a broad, leafy square originally planned as a public garden and still used as a breathing space between busy streets. Continue further, and you arrive at Ahmed El Mansour Square, marking the southwestern edge of the avenue.

Taken together, these spaces frame Avenue Hassan II as more than a route but a sequence of urban scenes—part timeline, part social stage, and one of the clearest ways to understand how the New Town moves, relaxes, and shows itself off.