Morocco
Overview
Chefchaouen, or "Chaouen", is the blue city in the Rif mountains, and in person it's as photogenic as on Instagram. Every wall, staircase and door in the medina is painted in shades of blue, with pots of flowers on the steps and cats sleeping everywhere. After Fez or Marrakech it feels calm: shopkeepers are much less pushy, the air is fresh, and the mountains are right behind the houses. Keep in mind that it's small and very popular, so the most famous corners have queues for photos in the middle of the day.
Moulay Ali ben Rashid founded Chefchaouen in 1471 as a small fortress to fight the Portuguese, who held towns on the coast. After the fall of Granada in 1492, Muslim and Jewish refugees from Andalusia settled here, which is why the white houses, tiled roofs and narrow streets look so Andalusian. For centuries it was a holy city, closed to Christians; only a few foreigners entered in disguise before Spanish troops occupied it in 1920. It was part of the Spanish protectorate until Morocco's independence in 1956. Nobody agrees on why it's blue: one theory says the Jewish families who arrived in the 1930s painted it to represent the sky and heaven, others say it keeps mosquitoes away or keeps houses cool. Today the town repaints the walls regularly, partly for tourism.
How long to stay: 2 days.
Last updated: October 2026
Quick Facts
Location
In the Rif mountains of northern Morocco, about 110 km south of Tangier, 60 km from Tetouan and 200 km north of Fez.
Budget
Per person, per day, in dirhams (October 2026).
| Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | MAD 120–200 (hostel) | MAD 400–700 (riad, double split) | MAD 1,200+ |
| Food | MAD 100 | MAD 200 | MAD 400 |
| Transport | MAD 10 | MAD 100 (grand taxi share) | MAD 300 |
| Activities | MAD 60 | MAD 150 | MAD 500 (private tour) |
| Daily total | about MAD 300 | about MAD 800 | about MAD 2,000 |
A tagine in the medina costs about MAD 60–90, and a fresh orange juice MAD 10–15.
Things to Do
The real attraction is walking and getting lost. The most photographed streets are around Rue Callejon Ahl Chaouen and the stairs near the Onsar quarter, at the top of the medina. Local people put out pots and decorations for photos and sometimes ask for a small tip.
Price: free · Time needed: half a day · Tip: go before 9:00 for empty streets and soft light; ask before photographing people, many don't want to be in photos.
The main square, with cafés, the Grand Mosque with its octagonal minaret (15th century) and the red-walled Kasbah, built in the 17th century by Sultan Moulay Ismail. Inside the Kasbah is a garden, a small ethnographic museum and a tower you can climb for views of the medina, and the old prison cells.
Price: Kasbah about MAD 60 · Hours: closed Tuesday · Time needed: 1 hour.
A white mosque on the hill east of town, built by the Spanish in the 1920s and never used for prayer. The 30-minute walk up from the Ras el Ma gate leads to the best view of the blue city, especially at sunset.
Price: free · Tip: bring a flashlight for the walk down; locals may offer "guided" help on the way, which you don't need.
The spring at the edge of the medina where the river comes out of the mountain, where women still wash clothes in the stone laundries and small cafés have chairs in the water.
Price: free.
About 45 minutes by car into Talassemtane National Park, a hike along a river with turquoise pools leads to the Akchour waterfalls (about 2 hours each way) or to God's Bridge (Pont de Dieu), a natural rock arch, about 1 hour.
Price: shared grand taxi about MAD 50–70 per person each way, or tours from about MAD 150 · Tip: wear shoes that can get wet; in summer the pools are perfect for swimming.
Try the local goat cheese, often served with honey or in salad, bissara (fava bean soup) and a tagine on a rooftop terrace.
Price: a meal about MAD 60–120.
Transit Tips
Affiliate link
From Fez: CTM buses, about 4 hours, about MAD 80–100; buy tickets a day before, they sell out. A private transfer costs about MAD 900–1,100 for the car.
From Tangier: CTM buses about 3 hours, or grand taxi. Tangier also has the closest airport and the Al Boraq train to Rabat and Casablanca.
The bus station is about 15 minutes' walk downhill from the medina; take a petit taxi up with your luggage.
On foot: the medina is car-free and walkable, but with many stairs.
Petit taxis (blue): to and from the bus station, about MAD 10–20.
Ride apps: they don't work here.
Keep in mind that the Rif region is one of the world's biggest producers of cannabis, and you'll be offered hashish in the street. It's illegal for recreational use in Morocco; just say "no, thank you" and keep walking. Winters are cold and rainy, and riads are not always heated.
Helpful Words
A few basics in Arabic, Berber (Tarifit), some Spanish can make everyday conversations much easier.
Where to Stay
Plan & Book
Explore accommodation options and open hotel details directly from the map.
Affiliate link