Chefchaouen: Our Honest Thoughts on Morocco’s Blue City
Chefchaouen is one of Morocco’s most popular and recognisable locations, attracting thousands of tourists each year and blowing through social media with its blue painted streets and stunning mountain views.
Of course, we absolutely had to see this iconic destination for ourselves.
From Tangier, the last leg of our adventure through Morocco, we caught a bus that took us straight up into the Rif Mountains and to the Blue City. From the three hour bus ride from Tangier, to our first impressions and overall thoughts after spending a few days there, here’s what our experience in Chefchaouen was like.
Let’s get started!
Chefchaouen is remote but easily reachable
Chefchaouen is fairly remote when compared with other major tourist destinations in Morocco.
The easiest way to get there is to take a bus from either Fez, Tetouan or Tangier, which is what we did. We took a CTM bus from Tangier that cost us 236 MAD for two return tickets, and the ride took about two hours with a short 15 minute stop in Tetouan.
We booked the bus tickets online, well before our trip to Morocco, so we were able to choose our seats in the front of the bus for the best views. But, if seating is not a priority, you can definitely wait to purchase the tickets in person for all major routes.
While the road to Chefchaouen is in really good conditions and is incredibly scenic as it passes through forests and next to gorgeous lakes, it does twist and turn a lot as it goes up into the mountains and, while the way there was super smooth and comfortable, the way back was definitely a little more nausea-inducing. If you tend to get car-sick you might want to consider taking some medication before getting on the bus!
While taking the bus is the easiest way to reach Chefchaouen, if you’re feeling adventurous you can always rent a car in any major city and drive yourself. If you rent a 4x4, you’ll also be able to better explore the parks and hiking trails surrounding the city, which are otherwise more difficult to reach on foot.
Chefchaouen seen from Bouzafer Mosque, a short walk from the city.
A peaceful retreat in the mountains
Our first thoughts after stepping off the bus were that Chefchaouen was remarkably quiet, and the incredible view of the mountains all around us further added to that sense of peacefulness.
After leaving the station and, dodging the usual taxi drivers asking us if we needed a lift we continued towards our accommodation on foot, since it was only a 20 minute walk to the medina.
However, as we headed into the city, we realised that taking a taxi might have been a wiser choice, as we had overlooked the fact that the bus station was situated in a much lower part of town compared to the medina. In retrospect, the steeply inclined streets proved to be an excellent workout, but not an option we recommend if you travel with heavy bags and suitcases!
Visiting Chefchaouen’s medina and stunning nature
Chefchaouen is very small, and its most notable attraction is the unique blue buildings of the old town.
True to its reputation, the medina is beautiful and very picturesque, and the occasional openings in between the buildings that showcase the breathtaking view over the mountains and the valley below make for amazing photographic backdrops. On sunny days, the late afternoon light creates an absolutely gorgeous ambiance, especially near the small river on the eastern side of the old town.
Oh, and good news if you’re a cat lover, there are thousands of them in Chefchaouen. It really adds to the charm, and quite a bit to the smell in some of the smaller streets. We also loved sitting down and having a juice in one of the main squares and watching locals and tourists go about their business.
The town, however, really is very small, and you’ll likely explore most of the medina within a few hours. The rest of the city also doesn’t have a lot to see, although it is fun to explore for a bit.
If you get tired of wandering through the alleys of the old town, you might want to check out some of the wild nature surrounding Chefchaouen. The Rif Mountains and the surrounding parks are covered with miles of trails that are super fun to explore, and some of the paths are easily accessible from the city.
With that said, you’ll want to take a few precautions, as the trails are sometimes poorly indicated and you might accidentally wander onto a farm if you’re not paying attention. Now, while the locals were super nice and didn’t seem to mind too much, the dogs that often protect private properties were not always as friendly, and we had one encounter that left us a bit unnerved. There are also a lot of strays around, and since rabies is a risk in Morocco it might be wise to not go hiking by yourself, or at least on the paths that pass close to farms, homes and pastures.
Mountain views from the eastern entrance of Chefchaouen’s medina.
Chefchaouen feels very touristy
Chefchaouen was a lot more touristy than what we had expected for a small town in the middle of the mountains.
While beautiful, the blue streets are packed with souvenir shops that all sell the same things, and we found that lessened our enjoyment a little. We found it difficult to get away from the more commercial area, since we would get approached more often once we left the main streets.
On that note, we also had a much harder time blending in and not attracting attention in Chefchaouen than we did anywhere else during our trip through Morocco.
We constantly felt checked out and observed wherever we went, and by the end of our two day visit we had refused the offer to buy certain “substances” about 20 times, even (absurdly) while hiking one of the trails. Sure, everyone was really friendly, but constantly dodging dealers and hustlers sure got a bit tiring after a while.
One of the medina’s small squares and local shops.
Is Chefchaouen worth visiting?
It will definitely depend on what you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for a unique backdrop to take some absolutely stunning photos and enjoy the unique natural landscape of the Rif Mountains, then Chefchaouen’s iconic blue streets and spectacular views are definitely worth adding to your itinerary.
With that said, while we really enjoyed our time there, it was not the authentic Moroccan experience we had been hoping for and felt, at times, more like a staged set for tourists to enjoy. Still, the town is really picturesque and pretty easy to reach from the surrounding cities, so we still recommend dropping by if you have a day to kill.
What’s more, many hotels, travel agencies as well as travel activity websites such as GetYourGuide organise group day trips that will give you enough time to see everything Chefchaouen has to offer, while making easier to explore the city without having to worry too much about hawkers.
Of course, if you plan on exploring the surrounding nature then you’ll want to stay at least a night or two. If you’re lucky, spending the night in Chefchaouen will also give you the opportunity to see the moon-lit mountains at night, an absolutely unforgettable spectacle!
So, that was our visit to Chefchaouen.
Overall, a very enjoyable destination if you don’t go in with too high expectations and don’t allow the street vendors and dealers to drive you nuts.
What about you, have you ever visited Chefchaouen? What was your experience like?
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