Ignore the travel guides that tell you that you'll get lost in the medina and that you must hire a guide. One of the easiest ways to get around is to use the red taxis to take you to the nearest gate bab and then walk from there until you get your bearings. Gates are all around the city and taxis are cheap. A rough map of where the sights are will help too. If you are particularly worried, be sure to arrange a licensed guide through your hotel or the tourism office - they will be able to give you an accurate history and will make fewer shopping stops. The faux-guides in particular will simply take you from shop to shop where you will be pressured to buy goods, which will cost you extra because the seller will be obliged to pay the guide a hidden commission.
There are some basic landmarks that you can use to get around, and there is a path network marked by signs perched on walls, although these can be hard to locate at times. These signs have a 8-point star shape which will guide you between the main places in the medina. If you are lost you only have to find one of these signs and follow it in any direction until you arrive to a map or a known place. You may also find it useful to carry a compass, as the narrow, built-up streets can block the view of landmarks and be disorienting. Alternatively, just keep heading downhill and you will eventually get to a gate.The main street is the Talaa Kbira, which runs from Bab Boujeloud. edit to the Kairouine. edit mosque in the heart of the medina. The Talaa Sghira also begins at Bab Boujeloud and eventually merges back into the Talaa Kbira. Once you get into the narrow, windy heart of the medina, you can also find your way out again by constantly heading downhill, which will eventually lead to the Place R'cif. edit, a dropoff for buses and taxis, where you can get a petit taxi out of the medina.
For more detailed tours and directions, look for the book Fez from Bab to Bab Hammad Berrada. It has a complete map of the medina and several well-described walking tours. It can be found in most bookshops, both on the Talaa Sghira or at the large bookstore on the Avenue Hassan II in the ville nouvelle. However, be discreet taking out your map or you will have many offers from false guides!
