Chefchaouen, the “Blue Pearl” of Morocco, is a city located in North Western Morocco, in the Rif Mountains. Nobody seems to know why exactly the city is painted blue, but there are some different theories. Nonetheless, this city is magical to explore on foot, and makes for some of the best picture spots you’ll likely find during your holiday. Read on as we cover the 6 best things to do in Chefchaouen in this article.
6 best things to do in Chefchaouen
1. Discover the old town streets on foot
The main reason to visit Chefchaouen is to get lost in the old town streets. Alleyways snaking off in all directions, full of traders, spices and people getting on with their daily lives. This maze of streets is almost entirely painted blue, and there is no shortage of instagram picture spots!
We spent around 4 hours on our first day here just walking and discovering more and more beautiful blue streets. Make sure you have data connection though for Google maps as it’s easy to get lost! Look out for the old local men wearing the traditional clothing. They look a lot like wizards!
Note: Some of the more aesthetically pleasing streets and alleys in the medina will charge you a small fee to take a picture there, but only about 10 MAD. But in our opinion some of the most beautiful streets were those away from the tourist areas. Discover them for yourselves whilst walking around.
2. Watch the sunset from the Spanish Mosque
The Spanish mosque was built around 100 years ago, on a hill overlooking the city of Chefchaouen. This mosque is in use today, but is used mainly as a sunset viewpoint for the city. Around 5pm you can expect large groups of people up there eagerly anticipating a beautiful sunset. There are a few cafes at the top so you can bask in the final minutes of sun whilst drinking a hot glass of Moroccan mint tea.
To read the Spanish mosque you head to the north east of the old town, close to the waterfall Ras El Ma (which is more of a stream to be honest) and follow the groups of people up to the mosque. It takes around 15-20 minutes to reach the top so make sure you allot enough time to get there before the sunsets behind the mountains.
3. Go shopping in the medina
The medina, or old town, of Chefchaouen, has no shortage of handmade goods and souvenir shops. From hand made carpets, to locally crafted, ornamental plates, cups and mugs, all the way to traditional “Berber” style clothing. The medina has it all! You can easily spend a few hours here picking up unique gifts for yourself or friends and family back home. Just make sure you haggle for the best price!
4. Eat a delicious traditional Moroccan meal
The main plazas in the medina, Plaza Uta el Hamman and Place El Haouta, are full of traditional Moroccan restaurants serving up local Moroccan dishes and drinks. We recommend trying a Tagine, or a couscous. Those looking for local breakfast options can try Msemen, a traditional pancake made from wheat flour and semolina eaten for breakfast. To wash it all down, how about a freshly squeezed cup of orange or pomegranate juice!
We ate at a local restaurant just outside the medina a few times. Ouida Restaurant, who serves up local plates of beans, chickpeas or meat based options. Try the Bissara soup made from lentils, for only 6 MAD per person (only about 50 cents!), served with a local bread!
5. Have a coffee on a rooftop terrace
A rooftop terrace is a great way to see the medina of Chefchaouen from above. When walking the narrow streets it’s easy to get turned around and lose your bearings. Head into one of the many rooftop cafes and have a coffee or Moroccan mint tea, and reorient yourself in the process. We enjoyed our cappuccino at Cafe Clock, in the old town, and highly recommend visiting if you stumble upon it during your stay in the city.
6. Discover the Akchour and the Talassemtane National Park
Located about 45 minutes away from Chefchaouen is the Talassemtane National Park and Akchour. This nature lover’s paradise is home to waterfalls, snowy peaks (in winter) and some famous natural landmarks.
Take a trip to the famous “Gods Bridge” or summit the peak of Jebel Lakraa if you have time. There are tour operators offering guided trekking, and even multi day options if you have the time. We recommend checking available tours and options online here if you are interested.
Note: This area in the Rif mountains is famous for hashish, and it has been cultivated here in the hills for hundreds of years. Whilst in the town you will undoubtedly be offered to buy some hash or offered a tour of a farm. Whilst we didn’t tour one of the farms, the option is there if you are interested. Hashish is illegal in Morocco but highly tolerated in this area of the country, so you can decide for yourself.
Why is Chefchaouen painted blue
There are a few conflicting theories around this. The most popular seems to be that during World War 2, Jewish settlers from the surrounding area headed to Chefchaouen to escape persecution, and painted the houses blue to represent the sky and connect the city closer to god. Others say it is to reduce the heat stored by the buildings in the peak of summer. And finally some say it’s to keep away bugs and mosquitos. Either way, nowadays the majority of the city is painted blue for tourism, but in our opinion that doesn’t make it any less impressive!
Getting to Chefchaouen
Because of its remote mountain location, Chefchaouen can be harder to get to than other Moroccan tourist destinations. There are a number of buses from different parts of the country, but depending on your point of origin you may need to change a few times. In our opinion the easiest way to visit is with your own car or a rental. You can check car rental prices in Morocco here.
Note: Travel insurance is a must for any travel abroad, especially when renting a car. Although problems rarely occur, it is better to be covered in case they do. We use SafetyWing and recommend it to anyone travelling the world.
If you don’t have your own car, or can’t rent one, we recommend booking an organised tour. There are many tour operators in cities around Morocco offering all inclusive tour packages to visit Chefchaouen. Booking a tour takes all the stress out of using the slow and often unreliable public transport options. You can book these in advance online before you arrive. See below for some tour recommendations from different parts of Morocco.
From Marrakech
We recommend: This 3 day tour from Marrakech that also visits the capital of Rabat and Casablanca!
By Bus: To get to Chefchaouen from Marrakech you first need to take a bus to Tangier or Casablanca. From these cities you can transfer to a bus to Chefchaouen. In total you can expect around a 12 hour journey to reach Chefchaouen from Marrakech. You can expect to pay 200 – 350 MAD for this journey depending on which route you take.
From Fes
We recommend: This day trip from Fez, including a roof terrace lunch and visit to the Spanish mosque!
By Bus: Fes has direct buses a few times a day to Chefchaouen. These take around 4-5 hours and cost between 80 – 140 MAD.
From Casablanca
We recommend: This 2 day tour from Casablanca, including a trip to Akchour!
By Bus: From Casablanca there are direct buses to Chefchaouen a few times a day. They take around 6 hours and cost between 120 – 200 MAD.
From Tangier
We recommend: This day trip from Tangier, including a full guided tour of the city and lunch!
By Bus: Tangier also has direct connections to Chefchaouen by bus multiple times a day, and buses only take around 2.5 hours to reach the city. You can expect to pay 40 – 100 MAD for the journey depending on which bus operator you use.
Where to stay in Chefchaouen
There are no shortage of great places to stay in Chefchaouen, with prices to suit all budgets. All of our recommendations below are properties within the medina rated 9+/10 and the majority include breakfast!
Hotels in Chefchaouen View all
Best time to visit Chefchaouen
The best time to visit Chefchaouen is between March and May, in spring, and September to November, in autumn. The weather is fairly mild during these periods, especially compared to most of Morocco. The altitude and protected mountain location ensures a pleasant temperature between 20-25 degrees celsius.
We visited in December, in winter, and whilst the nights can get cold, it was very pleasant and warm in the day in the light of the sun. We also benefited from having way fewer tourists than other periods, and also much more competitive accommodation pricing.
In the peak of summer (June to August) you can expect temperatures of 30+ degrees celsius. So in our opinion, it might be too hot!
Where to go after Chefchaouen?
Next on your list should be the city of Fes, about 4 hours drive south of Chefchaouen. This city has an incredible medina you can spend days exploring. Don’t miss the tanneries where they process animal skins to produce leather products. You can read all about Fes in our article here on the blog.
Alternatively, you can head to the beautiful capital of Morocco, Rabat, and explore its modern souks and imperial buildings. Have a look at the best things to do in Rabat here!
If you have any suggestions or comments, don’t hesitate to let us know by leaving a comment!
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