Chefchaouen, Morocco
Welcome to Chefchaouen, the bluish urban heart of Morocco. It’s famous for all the houses too shops painted dissimilar shades of blue. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 magical identify to larn lost in!
The Sun beats downwards mercilessly, setting every color around me ablaze – too since everything is blue, I experience similar I’m walking inwards a mythical sky kingdom.
But this is no myth, it’s Chefchaouen. Located inwards Northern Morocco, the city’s signature color is a diversity of calming shades of bluish that lower your blood trace per unit of measurement area inwards seconds.
Known equally Morocco’s “blue pearl” or “blue city”, the buildings inwards Chefchaouen are painted using a talc or chalk-based pigment that looks thus beguiling.
Exploring a labyrinth of narrow bluish alleyways smelling of spice, incense, flowers, too fresh oranges — was 1 of the highlights of my journeying to Morocco. Plus it’s a photographer’s dream!
Anna too I rented a machine inwards Morocco for a two-week route trip through the country, including a few nights inwards the bluish city.
Here are our tips too suggestions for fun things to practise inwards Chefchaouen!
Why Is Chefchaouen Blue?
Some volition tell y'all that it’s a symbol of Jewish solidarity. In the 1930s, a sizeable population of Jewish refugees arrived inwards Chefchaouen, fleeing Nazi persecution too the growing threat of war.
The bluish is meant to correspond peace, security too the ability of heaven. In this version of the story, bluish walls chop-chop spread outward from the city’s Jewish quarter, until the entire urban heart was aglow.
Kalam farigh! others would state (that’s Standard Arabic for “nonsense”).
They’ll state the tradition of epitome walls bluish is Jewish, certainly, simply goes dorsum to the fourth dimension of the city’s founding, inwards the 15th Century, when it was built around a fortress used to defend inhabitants against Portuguese invaders.
At this time, local Moroccans lived amongst Jews too Moriscos (former Muslims who had converted to Christianity) for a century or more.
Exploring The Blue City
The narrow streets of Chefchaouen (or Chaouen, equally the locals telephone proper substantive upward it) brand no endeavor to soften the affect of the hillside the urban heart is built on. In some cases, stone steps march direct upward the slope, giving your legs a goodness workout.
But when the streets opened upward into world squares, human face higher upward the city, towards the nearby Riff mountains.
The mountains higher upward the urban heart give the appearance of 2 horns – too it’s believed that this is where the refer Chefchaouen comes from (literally important “watch the horns” inwards a local dialect).
But the residual of the time, maintain looking around you. This is a jaw-droppingly beautiful city! It transports y'all into a dissimilar world.
Best Things To Do In Chefchaouen
Get Lost In The Streets
This is why most travelers seek out Chefchaouen, to wander aimlessly through the narrow streets & alleys, painted inwards an endless array of bluish — turquoise, pulverisation blue, celeste, robin’s-egg, indigo, cyan, periwinkle.
Go shopping for colorful blankets or lamps inwards the souks hidden throughout the medina. Marvel at the diversity of beautiful doorways too detailed tile piece of occupation that decorate each residence.
Sit downwards at a street cafe, lodge a steaming drinking glass of mint tea, too picket locals dressed inwards djellaba robes become virtually their daily life. Soak it all inwards — the whole Moroccan experience.
Go Cat Spotting
If you’re a truthful cat mortal similar me, you’re going to dearest Chefchaouen. It’s a truthful cat urban heart for sure — a fighting similar Istanbul. Locals feed them, yet they mostly alive exterior inwards the street equally strays.
You’ll notice cats inwards alleys, cats on the stairs, too cats inwards the souks. Cats volition live roaming through restaurants too on terraces. They’re hiding inwards trees too bushes, too stretched out on sidewalks.
If y'all desire to larn a cat’s attending inwards Morocco, assay hissing. It’s a non bad means to larn them to pose for photos! Meow.
READ MORE: Exploring Kingdom of Morocco With Kids
Visit The Kasbah Fortress Museum
Make sure to see the large 15th century Kasbah fortress too dungeon located inwards Chefchaouen’s primary foursquare — Place Outa el Hammam. It’s pretty piece of cake to notice this red-walled construction amid all the bluish buildings.
Built inwards 1471 yesteryear Mulay Ali Ben Mussa Ben Rached, the Kasbah features a beautiful garden too minor ethnographic museum. Climb the towers within for some non bad views of the urban heart too the Grand Mosque.
The Kasbah was built inwards the Andalusian-Maghrebian means to defend Chefchaouen from attacks yesteryear the Portuguese too Spanish. Entry exclusively costs €1 Euro! It’s totally worth a quick visit.
Spend The Night In Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Riad
“Riad” comes from the Standard Arabic discussion for “garden”, too it’s referring to the infinite inwards the centre of these traditional Moroccan guest-houses, opened upward to the sky, unremarkably with a H2O fountain.
Most rooms inwards a riad betoken inwards towards this space, the symbolic pump of the domicile – too when y'all opened upward your door get-go affair inwards the morning time to notice sunlight streaming downwards into the building.
The distant noises of Kingdom of Morocco volition filter downwards through the hole inwards the ceiling. You’ll take away heed movement, the clank of morning time tea beingness prepared, the Standard Arabic telephone proper substantive upward to prayer, too the rhythms of life outside. It’s all extremely relaxing.
Hike To The Castilian Mosque
There’s an old Castilian Mosque perched on a hilltop overlooking the bluish city, built yesteryear the Castilian inwards the 1920’s. The mile-long hike passes yesteryear prickly pear too agave cacti — with wonderful views of Chefchaouen at the top.
Because the mosque is form of abandoned, non-muslims are allowed to become within too take away hold a look. Make sure to convey H2O though, because on a sunny solar daytime it gets hot upward there.
The trail to the mosque crosses the Ras el’Ma river, where you’ll run across local women doing laundry the traditional means inwards mutual frigidness mount water. The hike upward takes virtually 45 minutes one-way.
Visit Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Hammam
With a cleaning ritual that hasn’t changed for centuries, a visit to the hammam volition exit y'all steamed, sweated, pummelled too scrubbed until y'all experience similar every inch of your peel has been upgraded.
The primary world hammam is across the foursquare from the primary mosque, Jama’a Kabir, too at that spot are dissimilar attendance times for men too women.
You volition also take away hold to become shopping get-go for your ain plastic sandals, soap, shower scrub too towel. The hammam experience is an integral operate of life inwards Morocco!
Kif Field-Trip
The bluish urban heart of Chefchaouen has a long history of hippie-culture too the production of hashish — the most basic too traditional shape of marijuana THC concentrate. Kingdom of Morocco is the world’s top supplier.
You powerfulness live offered a farm tour, where they drive y'all exterior the urban heart to the marijuana fields too demonstrate how they create hash from kif, THC crystals extracted from the plant.
Just live wary… it is illegal to produce, trade, too smoke hash inwards Morocco, fifty-fifty inwards a identify similar Chefchaouen. Always call back that if you’re spotted, y'all could larn arrested. Or blackmailed yesteryear the constabulary for money.
Cascades d’Akchour Waterfalls
Cascades d’Akchour is a trail that leads to a brace of waterfalls inwards the Rif Mountains. You’ll request a taxi to larn to the trailhead, too sturdy shoes for this 2-3 hr hike.
The trail is total of lush light-green vegetation, an interesting natural stone span called “God’s Bridge”, too a beautiful swimming hole with a waterfall equally your vantage at the end.
You’ll notice makeshift “cafes” along the way, which serve Moroccan nutrient too tea during this long, too somewhat steep hike. It’s nice, simply a lilliputian touristy.
Eat Tasty Moroccan Food
One of the top reasons anyone should go to Kingdom of Morocco is the amazing food, too y'all tin notice all your favorites inwards the Blue City. Stuff yourself on kefta (lamb meatballs), tajines (slow cooked stews inwards clay pots) too mountains of couscous.
Oranges too orangish juice is a large bargain inwards Kingdom of Morocco — too super delicious. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 freshly squeezed drinking glass volition exclusively laid y'all dorsum virtually four Dirhams ($0.40 USD). I couldn’t larn enough!
Hot mint tea inwards Kingdom of Morocco is a sign of hospitality, friendship too tradition. It’s 1 of the most delicious treats you’ll notice inwards the whole country, with a rich flavour you’ll create practise to notice elsewhere.
Getting To Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen is built on the border of the Rif mount attain inwards the far northward – too the exclusively means at that spot is yesteryear road, winding upward a rocky landscape that’s surprisingly lush too light-green inwards the summer.
Renting Cars In Morocco
The best site to majority a machine is Discover Car Hire. They search both local too international machine rental companies to assist y'all notice the best possible price. This is the easiest means to find a machine rental inwards Morocco.
Driving inwards Kingdom of Morocco tin live a fighting crazy sometimes, simply it’s a relatively straightforward journeying of 115 km (about 2 hours of driving) from Tangier. I recommend using a parking garage, too thus exploring the old urban heart on foot.
Traveling By Bus
The cheapest means to larn to Chfchaouen is yesteryear bus. There are multiple buses per solar daytime from cities similar Fez, Tetouan, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier too Ceuta. The primary double-decker fellowship for tourists is CTM.
From Tangier, see Gate Routiere (Place Al Jamia Al Arabia) too human face for the adjacent double-decker – there’s unremarkably at to the lowest degree 2 running per day, with 1 departing at noon. The fare to Chefchaouen is 45 Dirham ($5 USD).
Traveling By Taxi
Morocco is total of unauthorized or semi-legit taxis driven yesteryear people who take away hold 1 aim inwards life: to larn equally much coin out of tourists equally possible.
The measure cost of a one-way trip inwards a individual taxi from Tangier to Chefchaouen should live inwards the attain of 300 – 500 Dirhams ($31 – $52 USD).
From Marrakesh On The Train
Take the dark educate from Marrakesh to Tangier, too thus decease along to Chefchaouen yesteryear double-decker or taxi. The educate leaves Marrakesh at 9:00 pm too arrives inwards Tangier at 7:25 am. There are sleeper cabins available.
Where To Stay In Chefchaouen
There are plenty of hotels inwards Chefchaouen, simply y'all should assay to remain inwards a traditional Moroccan riad. It’s similar a mix betwixt a individual townhouse, hotel, too a “bed & breakfast”. We stayed at Riad Assilah Chaouen — too loved it.
If you’re wondering where to remain inwards Chefchaouen, Morocco, hither are my recommendations:
Best Accommodation In Chefchaouen
Useful Chefchaouen Travel Tips
- Spring (March to May) too autumn (September to November) are the best times to see due to weather, simply the crowds are large too. Summer is unremarkably thus hot that fifty-fifty the locals don’t stick around.
- Morocco is a Muslim province — thus conservative wearable is recommended. Chefchauoen is a fighting to a greater extent than liberal than other cities, simply showing equally good much leg or mid-rift volition attract unwanted attention.
- It tin larn pretty mutual frigidness at dark inwards the Riff mountains, thus convey something warm similar a sweater or low-cal jacket.
- Haggling over cost with local store owners is expected — ever assay to negotiate a improve bargain for souvenirs. Except when buying food, equally this is already super inexpensive too no haggling is necessary.
- Many people exclusively popular into Chefchauoen for a solar daytime trip, yet I’d recommend spending at to the lowest degree 2-3 days here. It was 1 of my favorite stops inwards Morocco.
- Many locals inwards Chefchaouen genuinely beak Spanish, equally opposed to the to a greater extent than mutual Standard Arabic & French flora inwards the residual of the country.
This is a urban heart designed to halt y'all inwards your tracks for all the correct reasons. Whatever is going on inwards your life, particularly if you’re feeling weary of travel, Chefchaouen wants y'all to pose your feet up, drinkable mint tea too take away hold it deliciously easy.
Then, when you’re ready, y'all tin become for a walk within the ancient urban heart walls, too allow the medina piece of occupation its soothing magic upon you. In a province known for beingness a fighting chaotic, the bluish urban heart of Chefchaouen is a pleasant oasis. ★
Packing Guide
Check out my travel gear guide to assist y'all start packing for your trip. Pick upward a go backpack, photographic television camera gear, too other useful go accessories.
Book Your Flight
Find inexpensive flights on Skyscanner. This is my favorite search engine to notice deals on airlines. Also brand sure to read how I notice the cheapest flights.
Rent Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Car
Discover Car Hire is a non bad site for comparison machine prices to notice the best deal. They search both local & international rental companies.
Book Accommodation
Booking.com is my favorite hotel search engine. Or rent apartments from locals on Airbnb. Read to a greater extent than virtually how I majority inexpensive hotels online.
Protect Your Trip
Don’t forget go insurance! I’m a large fan of World Nomads for short-term trips. Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. Read to a greater extent than virtually why y'all should ever acquit go insurance.
Recommended Guidebook: Lonely Planet Morocco
Suggested Reading: In Arabian Nights
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Any questions virtually visiting Chefchaouen? Have y'all heard of this bluish city? Drop me a message inwards the comments below!
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