Chefchaouen: The Blue City of the Rif That Changed How I Travel

Why Is Chefchaouen Blue?
The tradition of painting everything blue in Chefchaouen is said to date to the 1930s, when Jewish refugees from Spain are believed to have introduced the custom (blue being a sacred colour in the Judaic tradition). Other explanations point to mosquito repellence or simply a Berber aesthetic tradition kept alive out of local pride. Today, residents repaint their walls every year before Ramadan.

The Medina: A Walk Through a Painting
Chefchaouen's medina was founded in 1471. Unlike Fez or Marrakech, it is human-scaled and easily explored on foot in a single day. Every street corner is a photographic composition: a yellow door against a turquoise wall, a ginger cat asleep on a lavender-blue step, an elderly man in a djellaba watching time go by over a cigarette.

Plaza Uta el-Hammam is the heart of social life: cafés with colourful mats, a central fountain, the octagonal minaret of the Grand Mosque. In the evenings, locals come down to sit and chat, children play, and travellers order a mint tea while watching the world drift past.

Hiking Above the City
To truly understand Chefchaouen you need to see it from above. The hike to the Spanish Mosque (15–20 minutes on foot from the centre) rewards you with an exceptional panorama of the blue medina framed by the Rif peaks. At sunset, the blues and whites turn to gold — the most photographed moment of my entire week in Morocco.

Serious hikers can venture into Talassemtane National Park for one-to-three-day treks through cedar and cork-oak forests.

Local Crafts
Chefchaouen is renowned for its goat-wool crafts (djellabas, blankets, socks) and artisan olive oil. The Rif region rugs, with their Berber geometric motifs, are among the most beautiful in Morocco — and considerably cheaper than in Marrakech.

Getting There

From Tangier: 3 hrs by road (120 km)

From Fez: 3 hrs by road (200 km)

CTM bus from Tangier: daily departures (approx. 50 MAD)

Tip: Stay at least 2 nights — evening and morning light are worth it

"There are cities you visit. Chefchaouen is a city you feel."