Situated in the Rif Mountains in north western Morocco is Chefchaouen, a charming village resplendent in blue. The city is a labyrinth of blue alley ways. It is spectacular; a photographers dream. There are various theories as to why it is covered in shades of blue, one is that it is simply to keep mosquitos away, the other that Jewish refugees painted it in the 1930s. Whatever the reason, it is a great place to spend a few days, and was my favourite place in Morocco.
To get there we took a bus from Rabat, it was about 5 hours long - not too bad! We used the Moroccan bus company CTM, you can book online and their website has all the upcoming timetables.
We arrived in the evening, and met Youssef who took us to our riad, which was right in the centre of the medina, was such a good location, thanks AirBnb! The riad was amazing, it had four levels and a roof for chilling out. It was blue inside - of course.
There isn't too much to do in Chefchaouen, which is good! We basically spent our time walking around the medina, turning down constant offers of 'hash', and eating. If you are wanting to drink alcohol here, bring your own. There are only a couple of places that sell alcohol, one is a hotel and another is a restaurant in the square in the medina...but I'm not sure why they're allowed to sell it...seems a bit dodgy. As an alternative, don't miss Moroccan whisky - mint tea! It's refreshingly delicious. The locals love to tell you that it's called Moroccan whisky.
A nice hike is the walk up to the hill that overlooks the city. You can walk amongst the goats, and watch the sunset from the top. Make sure you are up there during a call to prayer. The bells and speakers ring out over the whole city simultaneously, which it is quite entrancing when you are are looking out over the entire town.
My favourite thing to do was to try all the different Moroccan foods - as per usual! Do a bit of research before you choose a restaurant. Some of them, especially in the square, aren't the greatest, but there are gems to be found! We loved Restaurant Sofia, we stuffed our faces there. The food is cheap so try out lots of different dishes. Just don't feed the cats - okay well I did because I can't help myself and they looked hungry - but Chefchaouen is overrun with cats so feed one and you'll soon be joined by a mob. Especially don't feed the ones in the restaurants in the square, there are so many of them and it smells a bit like cat piss, which doesn't do much for the appetite.
There is a bit of hassling in Chefchaouen, even though its not packed with crowds it's still very touristy. Be firm and say no. We gave a couple of people the benefit of the doubt but after five minutes talking they all tried to sell us something - usually carpets and marijuana.
Also, make sure you dress modestly, very modestly! Morocco is a muslim country, so be respectful.
Enjoy some of my snaps from Chefchaouen below.
To get there we took a bus from Rabat, it was about 5 hours long - not too bad! We used the Moroccan bus company CTM, you can book online and their website has all the upcoming timetables.
We arrived in the evening, and met Youssef who took us to our riad, which was right in the centre of the medina, was such a good location, thanks AirBnb! The riad was amazing, it had four levels and a roof for chilling out. It was blue inside - of course.
There isn't too much to do in Chefchaouen, which is good! We basically spent our time walking around the medina, turning down constant offers of 'hash', and eating. If you are wanting to drink alcohol here, bring your own. There are only a couple of places that sell alcohol, one is a hotel and another is a restaurant in the square in the medina...but I'm not sure why they're allowed to sell it...seems a bit dodgy. As an alternative, don't miss Moroccan whisky - mint tea! It's refreshingly delicious. The locals love to tell you that it's called Moroccan whisky.
A nice hike is the walk up to the hill that overlooks the city. You can walk amongst the goats, and watch the sunset from the top. Make sure you are up there during a call to prayer. The bells and speakers ring out over the whole city simultaneously, which it is quite entrancing when you are are looking out over the entire town.
My favourite thing to do was to try all the different Moroccan foods - as per usual! Do a bit of research before you choose a restaurant. Some of them, especially in the square, aren't the greatest, but there are gems to be found! We loved Restaurant Sofia, we stuffed our faces there. The food is cheap so try out lots of different dishes. Just don't feed the cats - okay well I did because I can't help myself and they looked hungry - but Chefchaouen is overrun with cats so feed one and you'll soon be joined by a mob. Especially don't feed the ones in the restaurants in the square, there are so many of them and it smells a bit like cat piss, which doesn't do much for the appetite.
There is a bit of hassling in Chefchaouen, even though its not packed with crowds it's still very touristy. Be firm and say no. We gave a couple of people the benefit of the doubt but after five minutes talking they all tried to sell us something - usually carpets and marijuana.
Also, make sure you dress modestly, very modestly! Morocco is a muslim country, so be respectful.
Enjoy some of my snaps from Chefchaouen below.
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