A small town in the Rif mountains where the medina is painted blue, the pace is slow and the evenings are cool. Where our longest journeys end, or begin.
Chefchaouen sits in a fold of the Rif mountains, an old town of steep lanes and houses washed in shades of blue that have made it the most photographed medina in Morocco after Marrakech. It is small — you can cross it in twenty minutes — and it is best late in the day, when the day-trippers have left and the light softens on the walls. It is a long way from the desert: our 6-day Marrakech to Chefchaouen journey crosses the Sahara, reaches Fes on day four, stops at Volubilis and Meknes on day five and ends here; the 6-day Casablanca to Marrakech grand tour does the same road in the other direction, starting with Chefchaouen on day one. Both are private. There is no fast way to combine the blue town with the dunes; there is a good slow way.
Every lane is a different shade. Go early or at dusk; midday belongs to the tour buses from Tangier.
The spring at the top of the medina where the town washes its carpets, and the twenty-minute walk to the mosque on the hill for the view.
Green mountains, a cooler climate, goats, hashish fields you will hear about and don't need to see. A different country from the south.
After the Sahara, the gorges and Fes, two nights somewhere small and slow.
Last two nights of the Marrakech → Chefchaouen journey (arrive afternoon of day five, free day six, drop-off in Tangier, Fes or Chefchaouen itself). First night of the Casablanca → Marrakech grand tour.
Cars stop at the edge; your riad is a five-minute walk in. Steep steps in places. The main square (Outa el-Hammam) with the kasbah and its garden; the lanes above it are the blue ones.
The Spanish mosque (20 min) for sunset over the town; Akchour waterfalls and God's Bridge in Talassemtane park (45 min by car, 2–4 h walking) on the free day, with a private driver.
| From | Road time | How our tours do it |
|---|---|---|
| Fes | ~200 km · 3.5–4 h via Ouezzane | Day 5 of Marrakech → Chefchaouen (with Volubilis stop) |
| Casablanca | ~330 km · 4 h via Rabat, motorway then mountains | Day 1 of Casablanca → Marrakech grand tour |
| Tangier | ~115 km · 2 h | Drop-off option at the end of the 6-day journey |
| Marrakech (direct) | ~560 km · 7 h | Not our route; the 6-day journey via the Sahara is |
The long journey needs planning — flights in and out at different ends. Send us your dates and we build the route.
Essential cookies make the site work. With your permission we also use analytics (which pages are read) and marketing cookies (Google Ads, so we can show you our tours again after you leave). You choose; nothing loads before you do. Privacy policy
