The blue city of Morocco

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The Blue City of Chefchaouen is one of Morocco’s most popular attractions.This unique little mountain town has entire streets painted in shades of blue.

You can go to Chefchaouen on a day trip from Fez or Tangier, or there are hotels in the city if you want to stay longer.

This travel guide will explain how to get to the blue city (with or without a tour), what to see there, and everything you need to know before you go.

The best travel company for Morocco

For my visit to the Blue City, I booked a tour online through GetYourGuide.

My day trip from Fes to Chefchaouen was only $26 USD and included small group minivan transportation, 4 hours in the blue city, and a local guide to show us around.

This is the same tour I used for my own visit to Chefchaouen and I had a great experience with them.You can book this day tour from the link below.

Book now. Chefchaouen Day Trip from Fes / Tangier

How to get to Chefchaouen?

• From Fez

From Fes, if you don’t want to take a tour, you can also get to Chefchaouen by public bus or private car.

The bus journey from Fes to Chefchaouen takes just over 4 hours. It is cheap, safe and comfortable. This route is served by CTM and one other bus company, and there are at least 5 departures per day.

You can check their timetable and book tickets online here, or you can buy tickets in person at the bus station.

Another option is a private driver in a car, which will be faster and more convenient than a bus.

This is the most expensive way to get to Chefchaouen, but it can still be quite economical if you are traveling with friends to split the cost.

You can arrange a driver with your hotel in Fes, or you can book one online here.

• From Tangier

The closest international airport to Chefchaouen is Tangier (TNG) airport, which has flights from all over Europe.

If you are coming from Tangier, the drive to Chefchaouen is only 2.5 hours and you can do it by public bus, private car or shared tour. The roads are a bit winding but generally in good condition.

The bus route from Tangier to Chefchaouen is served by CTM and they have 5 departures per day. This is the cheapest way to get from Tangier to the blue city. You can check the timetables and book tickets online here.

If you want to go with a private driver, this can be arranged with your hotel in Tangier or you can book it online here.

Last but not least, GetYourGuide has shared day trips to Chefchaouen from Tangier.

Visiting the Blue City. what to expect

Once you get to Chefchaouen, the town is small enough to walk around.

If you arrive by taxi or tour, they will drop you off at the main gate where you can easily walk into the medina of the blue city and start exploring.

If you are coming by bus and have luggage, you can hire a taxi to take you from the bus station to Bab El Ain, the main gate of the medina, saving you 30 minutes of walking uphill.

The streets of Chefchaouen are narrow and steep, with lots of stairs to climb, so if you don’t have good mobility, it can be a little difficult.

It’s a fun place to wander though, and there are plenty of cute cafes and restaurants if you want to stop for a bite to eat along the way.

• Best photo spots

There are a number of good photo spots in Chefchaouen, but these were my favourites.

• Alley of colored pots. This is probably the most famous photo spot in the blue city. The approximate location is listed as “Derb El Asri” on Google Maps, and you can use that pin for directions, although GPS doesn’t work best when you’re walking around the medina. through narrow streets.
• Orange juice shop. Photogenic little spot with oranges hanging on the vine. You can buy a drink and take some photos here.
• Solid blue alley. This is another great photo spot with the clean blue walls and doors you can see in the picture below, a short walk west of the orange juice shop.
• El Hauta square. One of the main squares of the Blue City with a water fountain and beautiful views of the mountains. Map here.
• Mural street. A strange street with frescoes in Santorini, Greece. Map here.
• Aladdin’s Magic Lamp House. This restaurant has a great view over the city of Chefchaouen. Go up to the top terrace for the best view. Map here.

More things to see in Chefchaouen

If you have extra time, here are some other things in the area worth seeing:

• The Kasbah. This was Chefchaouen’s original citadel, built to defend against the Portuguese in 1471. It is now a museum and you can climb the tower for great views of the city.
• Ras El Maa waterfall. It requires a bit of a hike up as the waterfall is outside the medina and it’s nothing spectacular, but it can be a good place to relax if you want to stay away from the tourists.
• Buzafer Mosque. Also known as the Spanish Mosque, this place has a good view of the whole city from the top. You can walk there in about 30 minutes, or some tours stop here to take pictures on the way to the city.

How long to stay?

To stay or not to stay? That’s the big question with Chefchaouen, is a day trip long enough?

There are hotels in town if you want to stay longer, and some people might prefer to do that, but I was happy with a day trip.There really isn’t much to see or do for more than a day.

Yes, it’s a long day trip from Fes with a lot of driving; You’ll spend at least 4 hours on the road each way, so a total of 8 hours driving, plus 4 hours touring the city itself.

However, in my experience, 4 hours in the city was plenty of time to see the highlights, take tons of pictures, and even eat at a cafe there.A day trip from Tangier will give you more time.

In my opinion, it is not necessary to spend the night in Chefchaouen.

Is it worth it?

So is Chefchaouen worth the long detour or not?Yes, I think so.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the blue city, but maybe my expectations were too high because of what I had seen on Instagram and travel calendars.

There were stray cats and dogs everywhere, you see poop all the time on the streets. I’ve even been photographed several times by animals pooping or peeing in the middle of the street while I was trying to capture something.

I love cats but this was too much. There was quite a bit of dirt and rubbish on the ground in Chefchaouen too and overall it could do with cleaning up.

Don’t expect it to be like an all-blue version of Santorini, I think that’s what I had in mind. Chefchaouen is definitely not as clean or impressive as the famous streets of Santorini, although there are some alleys that are quite nice. are

I still think Chefchaouen is worth a visit, but keep your expectations realistic. It’s a fun city to explore, but it’s not as great as some of the pictures make it look.

More travel guides for Morocco

Thanks for looking, I hope you enjoyed this guide on how to visit the blue city of Chefchaouen on a day trip.

Don’t forget to check out my other travel guides for Morocco before you go.