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A blue courtyard with plants in Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

The small blue town of the Rif, a good base for hiking

© Kyriacos Georgiou / Unsplash

Chefchaouen climbs the slopes of the Rif at around 600 metres. Its blue-walled medina is compact and can be explored in half a day; the rest of your stay is for walking in the surrounding hills, toward the Akchour waterfalls or into Talassemtane National Park. Two nights let you enjoy the town in the morning and evening, after day-trippers have left.

Ideal stay
2 nights
Best season
Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
Budget per day
from 300 MAD
Region
Northern Morocco
Travel style
Culture, Nature, Couple, Solo
Best for
Photographers, hikers and travellers who want to slow down after the big cities

Why go

  • A calm medina that is easy to explore on foot
  • Accessible hikes to rivers, waterfalls and cedar forests
  • One of the lowest-cost stays among Morocco's main destinations

Hiking & nature

  • Akchour waterfalls and God's Bridge

    A riverside trail of 2 to 5 hours depending on the route. Reached by taxi or car.

  • Talassemtane National Park

    Cedar and Moroccan fir forests; a local guide is recommended.

  • Jbel el-Kelaa

    The peak above town, for fit walkers.

Things to see

  • Outa el-Hammam square and kasbah

    The shaded main square; the kasbah has a garden and a small ethnographic museum.

  • Spanish Mosque

    A twenty-minute climb for the best view of town at sunset.

  • Ras el-Maa

    Spring and wash-houses at the medina's eastern edge.

On the map

Food

Local goat's cheese, tagines with mountain herbs and bissara. Dinners cooked in guesthouses are often better than those on the square.

Where to stay

  • Medina

    Small guesthouses with terraces, plenty of stairs.

  • Upper town

    Hotels with parking, easier by car.

Shopping

Woollen blankets and weaves, soaps and Rif produce.

Getting around

No train station. CTM buses from Tangier, Tetouan and Fes, or shared taxis via Tetouan. By car, about an hour from Tetouan.

Budget

Budget
300 MAD≈ 30 €
Mid-range
750 MAD≈ 70 €
Premium
1,800 MAD≈ 170 €

Per person per day, excluding flights. Includes accommodation, food, local transport and visits.

When to go

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr ✓
  5. May ✓
  6. Jun ✓
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep ✓
  10. Oct ✓
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Spring and early autumn. Winter is cold and damp.

Tetouan at night, seen from the hills

Tetouan

A UNESCO-listed Andalusian medina between the Rif and the Mediterranean

Aerial view of Tangier and its bay

Tangier

Morocco's gateway between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, 14 km from Europe

Dye vats of a traditional tannery in Fes

Fes

The world's largest car-free medina, and Morocco's craft capital

Plans that stop here

Blue stairs lined with crafts in Chefchaouen
5Budget · Relaxed

Northern Morocco

Tangier, Tetouan, Chefchaouen and the Akchour falls: Andalusian towns and the Rif mountains.

  1. Tangier
  2. Tetouan
  3. Chefchaouen
  4. Akchour

from 2,500 MAD
per person

View plan

Tips

  • Always ask before photographing residents.
  • The lanes are almost empty before 9am: the best time for photos.

Where next?

Build my tripDiscover plans

Updated October 5, 2026