Chefchaouen

Planning a trip to Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen is a small town in the Rif mountains, founded in 1471, where the walls of the old medina are painted in every shade of blue. Nobody agrees on why — explanations range from a Jewish tradition brought by refugees in the 1930s to mosquito repellent to simple tourism — but the effect is unlike anywhere else in Morocco and it photographs extraordinarily well.

The medina is small enough to cross in twenty minutes, which makes it a relief after Fes. Plaza Uta el-Hammam is the centre, and the walk up to the Spanish Mosque on the hillside opposite takes about half an hour and gives the view of the blue town against the mountains that everyone comes for. Go at sunset.

It sits about two hours from Tangier and four from Fes, so it fits naturally into northern itineraries and into the longer crossings that start in Tangier. One night is standard; two if you want to walk in the hills above town.