Chefchaouen



Chefchaouen (شفشاون, also Chaouen, Chawen or Xaouen) is a gorgeous mountain city in northeastern Morocco.

Understand
It's no wonder that tourists flock here &mdash; this humble town is the embodiment of almost every Moroccan cliché. The picturesque medina, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Rif Mountains, is filled with white-washed homes with distinctive, powder-blue accents, and the call to prayer rings out of several mosques around the town in chorus. If you've got a few days to relax from the rigors of travel, this is a good place to do it.

Tourism in Chaouen is also driven by its reputation as centre of the marijuana plantations region in North Morocco. Drugs are widespread and somehow tolerated, but touts trying to sell to tourists are also very annoying.

Spanish and French are most popular foreign languages.

By plane
Airports around are in Tangier, Fez, Rabat, Casablanca and some flights go to Tetouan. From there you can take an intercity bus to Chefchaouen. From Casablanca it makes also sense to use the low-priced high-speed train to Tangier and continue from there.

By bus
There are frequent buses from Fez and Tetouan and also from Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Tangier, Nador, Al Hoceima. Enjoy the sales pitches of vendors who come onto the bus while you wait for more passengers at major stops.

Approximate bus timetable to destinations around Morocco (as of Jan 2017):
 * Tetouan - five CTM buses at 04:00, 14:15, 15:15, 18:30 and 20:30; 90 min. Twelve local buses at 06:45, 08:00, 08:15, 08:30, 08:45, 09:45, 11:30, 12:30, 14:45, 16:30, 17:00 and 17:30.
 * Tangier - four CTM buses daily, with stopover in Tetouan; 2½-3 hr. Four Nejme Chamal buses daily: 07:00, 10:00, 14:00, 15:15 and 18:00 and one local bus at 10:45.
 * Rabat - one CTM bus at 07:00, 4½ hr. Five local buses daily: 06:00, 07:30, 08:15, 09:15 and 12:45; 5-5½ hr.
 * Casablanca - one CTM bus at 07:00 (goes to Rabat first), 6 hr. Three local buses: 06:00, 7:30 and 09:00; 6-6½ hr.
 * Meknes - three buses, 06:00, 14:30 and 15:30, 4 hr. In the opposite direction buses leave Meknes at 05:00, 12:00, and 24:00. The 05:00 bus is direct while the other two buses stop in Dardara, about 8 km away from the city, so you have to take a petit taxi to Chefchaouen from there.
 * Fez - five CTM buses: 08:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:15 and 23:45; 4¼ hr. These buses are often booked out days in advance. Other companies' bus departs at 07:00, 08:30, 09:30, 11:45 and 12:30.
 * If direct buses to Fez and Tetouan are not enough. There are more local buses plying the route from Fez to Tetouan/Tangier stopping at Derdara (8 km from Chefchaouen), where you can get into one of the frequent grand taxis for 5 dirham. This avoids the long uphill walk.
 * Berbered and Ketama - daily buses at 08:00; 3 hr.
 * From Ouzanne there are frequent buses, but none from El Knat el Kebir.
 * Ceuta - no direct buses go to Ceuta, so you'll have to first get to Tetouan, then get a city bus/grand taxi to Fnideq (town bordering Ceuta), from where either walk remaining 3 km to the border or get a shared cab (5 dirham).

Getting there/away: there are usually a couple of petit taxis waiting for a customer at the entry, 10 dirham to get to the medina (as of Jan 2023). Otherwise it's 15 minutes walk uphill.

By taxi




On foot
Chefchaouen is compact and easily walkable. This is what many people come here for.

By guide/tout
If you are looking for sports or peaceful hiking tours, Chefchaouen is the ideal starting point to branch out in the villages and the surrounding mountains of the Rif with a local guide who knows well the region or just by yourself.

By car
If you go to Chefchaouen by car, there are several small car parks on the perimeter of the ancient medina. Car parks are not signposted nor do they have meters, but are tended by people who would claim to be 'guardians'. The going rate seems to be 10 dirham per day&mdash;pay when you leave to avoid paying twice.

Also, parking is possible at these specific places:
 * , next to Hotel Parador
 * (6 spaces), near the less touristy Bab El Ounsar gate
 * (30 spaces), just outside, possibly more further away from the gate

Medina
The medina is the focal point of interest for most visitors to Chefchaouen. Walking around the town with its whitewashed walls, decorated in this style by Jewish immigrants, can be a nice change to the hustle and bustle of the cities of Marrakech, Rabat, and Fez.

Hikes

 * Take a hike through the scenic Rif Mountains. There is just behind the Ras El Ma frequented by backpackers. Don't mind the vast marijuana plantations; the farmers and goat herders that work them are used to tourists and will either ignore you or try to sell you hash.
 * A strenuous hike up (the peak immediately overlooking the town) is fun, but can take up to 9 hours round trip and goes by (and if you're lucky/unlucky, through) big marijuana plantations. The route is not well marked (with white and yellow), and you might have to trail blaze for parts of it if you lose the trail. Start by following the road up the southeastern valley, from where you'll get a good view of town, and look for the markings up the mountain. Bring plenty of water, and some snacks. There a  which can be reached in 30 min counting from the city walls.
 * A two-day hike in the via  to Akchour also starts up the big mountain on a 4WD track which goes of in the north of Chefchaouen just after the camping site. At the peak at about 1,800 m is a camping site. There maybe snow even until April, so be prepared for cold temperatures. There are at least two water sources on the way up, so you'll not need to carry too much water. It's about 14 km until the gite in Asilane. The 4WD track continues until the next village from where one has to cross over a small valley, continue straight after passing a tomb-house and climb down the small path to the village of Inezgane. From there, a mule treck follows the river more or less closely and the gorgeous mountains, cliffs and breathtaking views. After a while the path goes down to the river over an ancient bridge and continues north, passing a source (although this one might dry up in summer) and eventually leads to the village of Akchour which has another Gite, but also cheaper accommodation. There are more tracks and gites in the area.

Akchour waterfalls

 * Getting there: see for information about grand taxi to . Getting back may be a bit of a hassle, as there are not many grand taxi in the evening. On weekends you may be able to hitch with locals.


 * Do a 1½-hr hike in the mountains towards the (Pond de Dieu). After the dam, the path lies on the right side of the river and goes up the hill quite steep. The bridge was formed by the river floating underground and carving its way over millennia. There seems also be a way down at the river, so one can see the bridge from below. Don't try this in spring though, as after snow-melt or rain the river may be unpassable. To left over the river starts a path towards the cascades.





Hammams
Have a bath in hammam together with locals for 15 dirham (separate hours for men and women) or rent a private room just for yourself for 100 dirham per hour (as of Jan 2023). There are several hammams scattered around medina, one of them -.

Buy
All the usuals are on offer in the medina &mdash; carpets, leatherwares, spices, metal wares, etc. If you're a seasoned bargainer you can probably get better prices in Fes or Marrakech, but Chefchaouen is undoubtedly a more pleasant place to shop. You'll also find plenty of hippie-wear aimed at budget travelers and marijuana tourists.

Leather
Chaouen is particularly renowned for leather artisans, and there are 4 or 5 workshops dotted through the town, whose goods you can find at many of the local stores and in the larger northern cities. Many of the craftsmen in Fes and Tetouan served their apprenticeships here. The choice in local stores is often limited to bags and purses, so if you're up for it take advantage of the workshops where you can tweak a standard design or come up with something entirely your own, even moving beyond traditional leather into snake, crocodile, lizard and more. They can make pretty much anything, from guitar straps and tobacco pouches, to handbags and jackets. It can take a couple of days to make the more complex designs, so head there on your first day.

Eat
The local speciality is baissara, but you'll also find the usual staples such as tajine (vegetable stew with goat or sheep), harira (tomato soup), kofte (meatballs) and tagras (fish). The Moroccan salad is a salad of cucumber and tomatoes, while salada variada includes eggs. The region is also well known for olives and olive oil, and for goat cheese, which is sold on display in various shops.

Always busy restaurants near the Kasbah (Outa Hamman square) offer tajines starting from 40 dirham of somewhat subpar quality.

Local breakfast includes fried eggs, cheese, olives, Moroccan mortadella, bread and tea/coffee, all for 20-25 dirham. Pretty much any cafe will be happy to serve it.

Some stalls cook pancakes (baghrir) with honey and olive oil or butter, for 10-15 dirham.

Mid-range




Drink
Alcohol is not readily available but can be found in Restaurant Oum Rabie. The latter charges some exorbitant prices for alcohol and requires ordering accompanying food. Mint tea is prevalent, 7-10 dirham per cup/pot.

Sleep
Accommodation can be tight in the peak periods (mid-Jul to Sep) so arrive early or book ahead in these periods. A stroll through the medina will reveal dozens of cheap hotels, starting from 40 dirham per night for a single. Many of these hotels have roof terraces.

Hotels that are fully booked will sometimes deliberately over-book and try to move you to another hotel (for a commission), as always avoid touts who may tell you your hotel is closed, not good, hard to find, etc.

Budget






Stay safe
As Chefchaouen is on the edge of Morocco's marijuana growing region, touts desperate to extract money from travelers can be a serious problem. They can often be quite persistent, however, smiling, remaining calm, and politely refusing (repeatedly) will usually work.

Travelers hiking in the Rif Mountain area close to the town can run into the areas of marijuana production. While most of the growers may ignore you, some may offer to sell to you as well. While many travelers partake in or even come here specifically for the abundance of marijuana (hashish), understand that it is definitely illegal and there is nothing stopping you being proscecuted for buying, transporting, or smoking it.

On arriving in Chefchaouen, you may be met by touts at the bus station. They will claim the hotel you're looking for is closed or under restoration. Don't trust these at all and insist on going to your planned destination. They will probably try to take you to some cheap and low-quality hostel in the medina - but it is better to find the place by yourself, because if you arrive with touts, you'll be charged extra so they can get their commission. Touts will then insist that you follow them to their house in the medina, and there try to sell you a stash of dope for 300-500 dirham. Refusing to buy is not contemplated, nor safe, if you end up in such a situation, so just say no from the beginning and don't accept their "help".

The tap water in Chefchaouen is fed from local springs, so it's way cleaner than in other places in Morocco and is safe to drink. However, this does not mean your body will tolerate this water as well as treated tap water. Stick to bottled water if this is a concern.

Go next

 * Tetouan
 * Tangier
 * Rabat
 * Casablanca
 * Meknes
 * Fez
 * Berbered and Ketama
 * Oued Laou
 * Ceuta