Chefchaouen, or Blue city, was on my list since I saw those beautiful blue walls in travel magazine. The city totally worth adding to your Morocco trip plan.
Here is my suggested 8 day Morocco trip itinerary that includes 1 day in Blue city.
One day in Chefchaouen is enough to see the city. We visited it from Rabat as a day trip. I suggest spending night there to be able to see the Kasbah during sunset.
More on Chefchaouen in Chefchaouen travelling tips.
Chefchaouen was formed at the end of fifteens century by Idrisids as a base to attack Portuguese. The city original name was Chaouen meaning “peaks”. As you will be approaching the city you will see those high green mountain peaks behind the Chefchaouen.
One Day in Chefchaouen
Why blue?
There are three main theories on why the city is blue. Blue color believed to keep mosquitoes away; blue is a color of the sky and it was spiritual for the city to have blue walls. Another theory is that Jew refugees painted the city blue.
How to get to Chefchaouen.
You can get to Chefchaouen by car or by bus. There’s no train service to Chefchaouen. Bus runs between Chefchaouen and Fes, Rabat, Tangier and other cities. Buses run on schedule, so you can rely for them being on time.
One day in Chefchaouen.
Walk the Kasbah streets.
Kasbah, Fortress from Arabic, is the main Chefchaouen area enclosed by walls. The walls are original 15 century walls repainted hundreds times to preserve the city history and beautiful unique appearance.
Watch Berber blanket making process.
You can get into any carpet or blanket store and they will be happy to show you the demonstration. Multiple Chefchaouen families formed cooperative that includes multiple stores and several blanket making mini-factories.
Ask if you want to videotape. We were not allowed to make a video, but I have blanket making process video from Fes.
People watch.
As I was walking the main street, I saw workers repairing and repainting the houses, bakery loading their fresh bread for delivery, a man washing the fish in the fountain, kids running the streets and people just walking on their daily business.
Chefchauen just recently became a torist destination thanks to Instagram and Pinterest. So, locals are stil in the process of getting used to tourists crowds and not all of them enjoy this attention.
Try local custard filed pasties.
You can buy those at any bakery.
Cat watch.
Chefchauen is full of cats, they are on the street outside, inside the stores, in the restaurants and virtually everywhere.
Stop by for traditional mint tea.
Mint tea served in all the restaurants and cafes even if not on the menu, just ask.
Have fresh squeezed orange juice.
Drink fresh orange juice or sugarcane juice mixed with lime, ginger and mind. There variety of juices and juice smoothies of all kinds, even orange beet smoothies that surprisingly tasted really good. Some places add milk to smoothies. Make sure to say ‘la halib’ or ‘bleh halib’ if you don’t want milk.
Shop.
Blue city, just like Fes and Marrakesh, is a shopping heaven. Buy babouche, blankets, lanterns or any other souvenirs. Remember to bargain but be respectful.
Eat tagine at Sofia.
Tagine is a traditional Moroccan stew cooked in cone-shaped clay pot. The restaurant serves variety of tagines. We tried veal, lamb and chicken tagines and lamb tagine was the absolute winner.
If you have more than one day in Chefchaouen
- Hike to the mosque. Non-Muslims aer not allowed inside, but the view of the city is beautiful. The stairs start close to Kasbah gate, you won’t miss it.
- Visit Ethnographic Museum of Chefchaouen. Unfortunately, the museum has info in Arabic and Spanish only, no English translation yet. So, learn some Spanish or Arabic prior to your trip
- Visit Hammam, traditional Moroccan public bath. Just ask your Riad for suggestions and they will provide you with the list and options.
