Visit Chefchaouen, Morocco

“The medina was so peaceful and relaxing, and when combined with the heavenly blue environment, I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. This was what I just needed. Every corner presented a new scene, and while many were quotidian scenes, seeing them in hundreds of shades of blue made them unique and visually overwhelming. [...] The narrow alleys echoed the laughter of children playing ball and running their toy cars down the gentle slopes. The sound of water reverberated through the space as it fell in the basin of the fountains, only interrupted by the fluid mix of Arabic, French, and Spanish spoken by locals going about their lives. It was an overwhelming experience, but it was a welcomed wake-up slap to my senses.”

“Wow! I felt like I was walking in a dream all day as we strolled through the medina (old town) of Chefchaouen, commonly called the blue city or blue pearl. We hired a driver for the 3-hour drive from Fez. It’s way up in the Rif Mountains and the drive is very scenic. There are no vehicles allowed in the medina. Our driver dropped us off at the square then we rambled up and down alleys. To be honest, I was lost most of the day but happily so.”

“While beautiful, the blue streets are packed with souvenir shops that all sell the same things, and we found that lessened our enjoyment a little. We found it difficult to get away from the more commercial area, since we would get approached more often once we left the main streets. On that note, we also had a much harder time blending in and not attracting attention in Chefchaouen than we did anywhere else during our trip through Morocco. We constantly felt checked out and observed wherever we went, and by the end of our two day visit we had refused the offer to buy certain “substances” about 20 times, even (absurdly) while hiking one of the trails. Sure, everyone was really friendly, but constantly dodging dealers and hustlers sure got a bit tiring after a while.”

“Walking through the medina to our AirBnB, we both couldn’t believe how blue the blue city actually was. I mean, yes… we had seen so many pictures of the blue city, but most of them being over-edited, we didn’t think it could really be that blue! But man, it really was!! [...] We began to get a sense of romance wandering through the alleyways. It really was a beautiful place — once we found how to get away from the tourist shops!”

“Before visiting, I hadn’t realized that Chefchaouen is up in the mountains – the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco. The surrounding landscape is truly amazing. [...] Danielle and I split up to explore and take photos on our own (does anyone else feel less awkward taking photos solo?) and I officially fell in love with Chefchaouen. I love how quiet and relaxed the city is, and it really is just so ridiculously pretty.”

“With the sound of a river that flows through the city accompanying the serene mood set by locals and tourists alike, Chaouen was a respite from the dizzying bustle of pandemonium of other Moroccan cities. I wouldn't skip either, and I would recommend visiting and experiencing both extremes, but it would be a wise move to soothe the soul and stay an extra night in Chefchaouen and experience Arabic hospitality at its best.”