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Chefchaouen — The Blue City of Morocco

Planning a trip to Morocco? If you want to go to Chefchaouen, the famous blue city of Morocco, but you’re worried it might be complicated to get there, don’t worry! It’s actually much easier than you might think. This post will explain everything you need to know about visiting Chefchaouen — how to get there, where to stay, and what to do once you get there!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

This summer I spent 2 weeks in Morocco. It was my first time in Africa, and I was super excited to cross my 6th continent off my list. I had been dying to go to Morocco forever!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Blue City of Morocco

The number one place I wanted to visit was Chefchaouen, the famous “Blue City” of Morocco.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Chefchaouen (Sheff-shah-win) is a beautiful, tiny village nestled in the mountains of Africa.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

It’s famous because the entire city is painted blue!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Chefchaouen is a maze of narrow, colorful, vibrant blue streets winding all throughout the city.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

If you’re wondering how many days to spend in Chefchaouen, we spent 2 nights and it was perfect. There’s just enough wandering and exploring to do in 2 days without getting bored and seeing the same stuff over and over.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide


How to Get to Chefchaouen Morocco

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

I’d never been to Morocco before, so I had no idea if safe, reliable public transportation would be available. If you’re researching how to get to Chefchaouen, it can definitely be a bit confusing at first. There’s not a lot of information online, so I was worried it would be difficult to get there!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

If this is your first time too, don’t worry! It’s pretty easy to get to Chefchaouen. The CTM Bus line offers direct buses from Fes and Tangier.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Best Way To Get To Chefchaouen

Taking the CTM bus from Fes or Tangier is definitely the best way to get to Chefchaouen. The buses are clean, comfortable, luxury coaches with reclining seats and air conditioning. They are also very inexpensive!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

We took the CTM Bus from Fes to Chefchaouen. It takes about 4 hours. There are usually only 1-2 departures to Chefchaouen per day, so it’s better to buy your ticket at least one day in advance so you’re sure to get a seat.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

You’ll need to buy your ticket from the bus station in Fes. If you’re staying inside the Fes medina (you probably are, it’s the best place to stay!) you’ll have to take a taxi to the CTM bus station.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Once you arrive to the CTM bus station in Chefchaouen, you will need to take a taxi to the blue part of town. There will be plenty of taxis at the bus station waiting to take you. It’s less than 10 minutes to the blue part of town.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

A taxi should not cost more than 30 Moroccan dirhams (about $3 USD). If you really want to haggle with them, or walk down the street a bit, you can probably get a taxi for 15-20 dirhams.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

There are no cars inside the walls of the blue part of town, so your taxi will drop you off right outside the city walls. Be prepared to drag your luggage to your hotel. The taxi driver will offer to carry it for you, but they will also want a huge tip!!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide


Where to Take the Best Photos in Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Chefchaouen is a photographer’s paradise!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Everything is so bright and colorful.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

These are the pigments used to paint the city!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

I couldn’t stop taking pictures of all the doors!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Here is a map of Chefchaouen with some of the best, most Instagram-worthy locations:

Chefchaouen, Morocco: A map to all the Instagram locations in the famous Blue City!

The famous “Instagram alley” is the first photo in this post, the rainbow steps is the second, and the bright blue stairs is the fourth photo from the top of this post.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

For everything else, the best thing to do is just wander in this area, around the green dotted paths and you’ll see it all!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide


Where To Stay in Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

We stayed at the Riad Rifandalus. The rooms are very cute and traditional, and the air conditioning works extremely well.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide
Our cute room at the Riad Rifandalus in Chefchaouen!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Breakfast and WiFI are included. Breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace with a beautiful view of the blue city.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

The shower had very good water pressure, but the hot water did not last long at all! Maybe 2 minutes max! I had to be very quick in the shower, and I turned off the water when I was shampooing or soaping up.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

If you’re here to take pictures, Riad Rifandalus is in the perfect location. It’s right next to the famous blue alley you see in all the Instagram pictures of Chefchaouen.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

I also considered staying at the Casa Perleta. It’s a bit closer to where the taxi drops you off, so if you want a shorter walk with your luggage, you might prefer the Casa Perleta.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Both hotels are very close to the famous Instagram alley. Check out the locations of both hotels on the map above.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide


Things To Do in Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

There are two main things to do in Chefchaouen.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

The first, of course, is wander around and explore this beautiful blue city!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

But the other thing you really need to do is hike up to the Spanish Mosque for the best view of Chefchaouen.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide
View of Chefchaouen from the Spanish Mosque

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

How to Get to the Spanish Mosque

If you’re exiting the Riad Rifandalus, take a left and walk all the way down the street until you’re outside of the city walls. Cross the bridge over the little waterfall and cross the street. There you’ll see a trail going up to the right to the Spanish Mosque. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the top.

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

The Spanish Mosque in Chefchaouen is the perfect spot to watch the sunset!!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

For another view of the Blue City of Morocco, if you don’t want to do the hike, there is a store in the main square of Chefchaouen, near the Kasbah. The name of the store is L’art Maroc (look for the name above the door). It is right next to the big green door. The owner of the store very kindly let us go up to his rooftop for this view!

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

See more posts from Morocco!


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Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

Chefchaouen - The Blue City of Morocco - Morocco Travel Guide

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4 Responses
  1. Deanna s

    My daughter and I took a trip to Spain and Morocco this summer and had the pleasure  of visiting Chefchouen   We only had a short visit but it’s a beautiful little city.  I would love to be able to go back and see much more

  2. Laura ~ Raise Your Garden

    This is the color-coded Morocco that exists in my dreams =) Vibrant (and you used that word) is the one that pops into my brain. You are so well traveled and have seen so much! But travel enhances our lives so much and increases our perspective on life. Funny how ads pop on your site for Kohls, how well is knows me! That’s as far as I get to travel! Kohls! And maybe Home Depot. 

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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