Chefchaouen Kasbah and its museum
1 hEveryoneAll year
Visit · 1 h · The 1471 fortress on Uta el-Hammam square, with a garden, an ethnographic museum and a tower with views over the medina.
Stay2 nights
Best timeApril – June · September – October
From TangierAbout 110 km · 2 h
Getting aroundOn foot, with slopes
What to do
What to do in Chefchaouen
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Walk through the blue streets of the upper medina
2 hEveryone, with slopes and stepsDog-friendlyAll year · best from April to June and in September and October
Walk · 2 h · Whitewashed alleys painted blue above the square, best from 7:00 to 9:00, before the shops open.
Spanish Mosque viewpoint
1 hAnyone who can manage a 20-minute climbDog-friendlyAll year · at sunset
Climb · 1 h round trip · A short, steep path from Ras el-Ma to the 1920s mosque, with the whole medina in front of you at sunset.
Plan the trip
Chefchaouen, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Chefchaouen
From April to June and in September and October: mild days for climbing slopes and good light on the blue walls. In winter it often rains and the nights in the mountains are cold. In summer there are more Moroccan and Spanish visitors, especially in August.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Where to eat
Where to eat in Chefchaouen
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Café Clock Chefchaouen
What to order: Their camel burger, the one advertised on the sign by the door, or a Moroccan dish of the day, and a juice on the terrace
Tissemlal Restaurant (Casa Hassan)
What to order: A tagine or the couscous; if you are not very hungry, Moroccan salads and skewers
Nearby
Near Chefchaouen
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Go out to take photos first thing
Between seven and nine the blue streets are empty and the light is soft. Mid-morning the groups arrive.
- 2Go up to the viewpoint at sunset
The climb to the Spanish Mosque from Ras el-Ma is short but steep. Bring water and a torch for the way down.
- 3Ask permission before photographing people
Many locals do not like appearing in photos. Doors and streets, yes; people, only if you ask.
- 4Ignore offers of hashish
They will make them in the street. The Spanish Foreign Ministry reminds you that in Morocco there is zero tolerance for drugs, with prison sentences of 2 to 10 years.
- 5Wear shoes with grip
The streets are stone, sloping and with steps. They are slippery in the rain.
We'd skip it
The day trip to Chefchaouen from Marrakesh or Fez. It is many hours on the road to see the town at midday, with the biggest crowds and the worst light. Sleep at least one night.
What is Chefchaouen?
A town of about 46,000 people on the slope of the Rif, in northern Morocco, with a medina of whitewashed houses painted blue that climbs up the mountain. It was founded in 1471 by Ali ben Rachid as a fortress against Portuguese attacks; that fortress is the kasbah that still stands in the centre. After the Reconquista, Andalusian Muslims, Moriscos and Jews expelled from the peninsula arrived, and you can see it in the houses, the courtyards and the tiled roofs. Between 1920 and 1956 it was part of the Spanish protectorate, and many people still speak Spanish.
There are several explanations for the blue: that it keeps mosquitoes away, that it recalls the sky or, according to some locals, that it became widespread in the 1970s to attract visitors. Whatever the origin, it is what gives the town its face.
You do not come to see great monuments, but to stroll unhurriedly, climb to the viewpoints and walk in the mountains. It is the quiet counterpoint to Fez or Tangier.
What to see on foot
The medina is small and is toured on foot, always uphill. One day covers this:
- Plaza Uta el-Hammam, the centre of the medina, with café terraces in the shade of the trees and the kasbah on one side. It is the meeting point and where you end up every time you get lost.
- The kasbah, the reddish-walled fortress of the 15th century. Inside it has a garden and a small museum with old weapons, photographs of the town and textiles. From the top of its tower you see the medina and the mountain. Entry is paid.
- The Great Mosque, next to the square, with its octagonal minaret, unusual in Morocco. Only Muslims may enter; you see it from outside.
- The blue streets of the upper part, above the square. They are the most photographed and the prettiest first thing in the morning, before the shops open.
- Ras el-Ma, the spring that gushes at the foot of the mountain, next to the wall. It is the cool spot of the town on hot afternoons.
- The Spanish Mosque viewpoint, on the hill opposite. You climb a short, steep path from Ras el-Ma. At sunset you see the whole blue medina light up.
In the afternoon, the medina's workshops: wool weaving, rugs and basketry from the Rif. In the souks you haggle, calmly.
Mountains all around
Chefchaouen is the gateway to the Talassemtane National Park, with forests and summits of the Rif around the town. The most popular excursion is the Akchour waterfalls, about 45 minutes by car or grand taxi. You walk them beside the river and they need a full day; bring footwear that can get wet, water and food.
How to get there
Chefchaouen has no train or airport. The nearest is Tangier: about 110 km and a little over two hours by road. From Tetouan it is about 65 km and an hour and a quarter or an hour and a half; from Fez, about 195 km and three and a half hours.
From Spain, the most direct way is to cross by ferry from Tarifa to Tangier Ville, in about an hour, or fly to Tangier or Fez. From there, scheduled buses and grand taxis go to Chefchaouen. By car, park outside the medina: you cannot drive inside.
You need a passport valid for more than six months; the national ID card is not valid for entering Morocco. The currency is the dirham: carry cash, because in the medina almost nothing is paid by card.
How to organise the visit
Two nights is just right: you arrive in the afternoon, go up to the viewpoint at sunset, spend the next day on the medina and the kasbah, and the third on Akchour or the road to your next stop. With just one night you see the town, but not the mountains.
Sleep inside the medina, in one of the riads or small hotels in the upper streets: early in the morning and at night, when the day visitors leave, the town falls silent. If you arrive with a suitcase, ask them to wait for you at the nearest gate: there are stairs and slopes.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Chefchaouen?
Two nights: one day for the medina and the kasbah and another for the Akchour waterfalls or the mountains. With one night you see the town, but in a hurry.
How do I get from Tangier to Chefchaouen?
By scheduled bus, grand taxi or car: about 110 km and a little over two hours. There is no train.
Can you do it in a day from Tangier?
You can, but it is more than four hours on the road there and back. If you can, sleep there.
Is Spanish spoken?
Quite a lot, especially among older people and in shops: Chefchaouen was part of the Spanish protectorate until 1956.
Is it safe?
It is a quiet and much-visited town. What bothers people most are the hashish offers in the street: a "no, thank you" is enough. The Spanish Foreign Ministry marks as a medium-risk zone the Rif around Ketama, further east.
Why is it blue?
There is no single answer: people mention mosquitoes, the sky and a fashion of the 1970s to attract tourism.
Can you enter the Great Mosque?
No, only Muslims may enter, as in almost all mosques in Morocco. The kasbah, in the same square, can be visited.