Is Chefchaouen worth visiting?

Chefchaouen is less about sights and more about atmosphere. There are no grand monuments: the attraction is the medina itself, a tangle of blue lanes, stairways and doorways that is easy to explore on foot and far calmer than the big cities.

• You will love it if you like walking, taking photos, sitting on a terrace with mint tea and seeing a different, mountain side of Morocco.
• You may find it too small if you are short on time and prefer big sights; in that case, a few hours on a day trip may be enough.

It also fits neatly into a trip: it sits between Tangier and the imperial cities, so most routes through the north stop here anyway.

• Outa el-Hammam square. The heart of the medina, lined with terraces for lunch or tea facing the kasbah. Everyone ends up here, day and night.
• The kasbah. The old fortress on the square. Inside are a garden and a small museum with old weapons, photographs of the town and textiles, and its towers give you a view over the medina.
• The Great Mosque. Next to the kasbah, with its octagonal minaret. As in almost every mosque in Morocco, only Muslims may enter, but you get a good look from the square.
• The blue lanes. The best thing to do is get lost: stairways, doors, flowerpots and photo spots everywhere. The upper neighbourhoods tend to be quieter.
• Ras El Ma. The spring at the top of the medina, where water runs down from the mountain and locals still wash clothes. A good place for a break.
• The Spanish Mosque. A mosque on the hill opposite, built during the Spanish protectorate and no longer used for prayer. The walk up from Ras El Ma is uphill, and at sunset it has the best view of the town.
• Crafts and the souk. Woollen blankets and weaving, rugs, basketry and leather in the medina’s workshops and shops.

With more time, Morocco’s national tourist office also highlights the nature around town: Talassemtane National Park and the Akchour waterfalls.

Chefchaouen has no train station and no airport, so you arrive by road: by car, by bus or with a driver. The nearest airports are Tangier, Tetouan and Fes.

Distances and times from Tetouan, Tangier and Fes come from the Moroccan National Tourist Office; Casablanca and Marrakech are our estimates. Real times depend on stops and traffic. For buses and trains to nearby cities, see getting around Morocco.

Almost all our tours through the north spend a night in Chefchaouen. These four also give you a full day there:

• Wear comfortable shoes: the medina is all slopes and steps, and cars stay outside.
• Ask before photographing people, and remember that many of those photogenic doors are someone’s home.
• Go early or late for the most photographed lanes.
• Pack a warm layer in winter: the Rif is colder and wetter than the south. Seasons are covered in the best time to visit Morocco.
• If someone offers you something in the street, a calm “no, thank you” is enough.