Chefchaouen walking tour & city guide

The blue medina

Nobody agrees exactly why Chefchaouen is blue. Some say Jewish refugees introduced the custom in the 1930s as a symbol of the sky and heaven, others that it keeps mosquitoes away or keeps houses cool. Whatever the reason, the town is repainted regularly, and every corner is a different shade.

The lanes are full of small shops selling woven blankets, leather goods and local goat cheese. Cats sleep on the steps, and the pace is slow and relaxed compared to Morocco's big cities.

Outa el Hammam and the views

Plaza Outa el Hammam is the main square, shaded by trees and lined with cafés. On one side stands the red-walled kasbah, with a garden and a small museum, and the Grand Mosque with its octagonal minaret.

At the edge of the medina, the Ras el-Maa spring is where locals wash clothes in the cold mountain water. A path leads up to the Spanish Mosque on the hillside, the best place to watch the sunset over the blue town.

Visiting tips

Chefchaouen is about two to three hours by road from Tangier and four hours from Fes. Stay overnight to enjoy the town in the early morning, before the day-trippers arrive. The surrounding Talassemtane National Park offers hiking, including to the Akchour waterfalls.