The Moroccan blue pearl – Chefchaouen, a little town in northwestern Morocco, made our trip extremely memorable. Unlike the rest of Morocco, Chefchaouen is very peaceful and unique. We spent two relaxing and wonderful days here and absolutely fell in love with everything.
Chefchaouen’s maze-like Medina is painted in thousand shades of blue and white and it is an absolute pleasure to our eyes. The blue color on the houses is said to have been introduced to the town by Jewish refugees in 1930, who considered blue to symbolize the sky and heaven. The color caught on, and now many also believe that the blue walls serve to repel mosquitoes as well. Add on to it the beautiful souks and delicately woven carpets displayed all around, gorgeous doors and the architecture – it was a sight which you won’t forget in a lifetime.
Reaching Moroccan blue pearl – Chefchaouen
We traveled to Chefchaouen from Marrakech. The best possible way to do so is via night trains. There is a night train that leaves Marrakech at night and reaches Tangier early morning. From Tangier, you can get on a direct bus to Chefchaouen or change a bus at Tetouan. The frequency of direct buses to Chefchaouen is less, but there are plenty of buses that ply till Tetouan and then to Chefchaouen. Try to travel by government buses – CTM – and don’t fall for locals who say that they will help you get on a bus. Check out their website for frequency. You won’t be able to make an online booking unless you have a Moroccan credit/debit card. You can however buy a ticket at the train station a day or two in advance and be assured that you will definitely get a seat.
Just one more point here. The buses out of Chefchaouen can get filled quite quickly. We would advise booking a return ticket as soon as you reach to avoid any delays / last-minute changes in plans.
Where to stay in Moroccan blue pearl – Chefchaouen
We stayed in a Dar in the heart of the Medina that we found on Airbnb. I am not linking it here as we really didn’t like the room. The photos that were advertised on the website and the actual room were quite different and we never got any hot water for a bath. But I am sure there are loads of places where you can stay. Just make sure that you choose the one with a nice rooftop view.
Things to Do in Moroccan blue pearl – Chefchaouen
- Breakfast on the rooftop. Morocco has aced the rooftop game and the morning views from the rooftops are beautiful.
- Go mad taking photos. Every corner is picturesque and worthy of getting captured in your camera.
- We had the yummiest cookies and biscuits from a small home-based bakery inside the Medina. We had to go back and get some more the next day!
- Venture out of Medina for some good food, as the tagine and couscous will get boring after a while.
- Walk out of the Medina towards to mountain for a nice view of the city. It’s really beautiful from Rif Mountain
- We started following men wearing the traditional djellaba just so that we could get a good shot of them walking in the blue Arabic background. People in Morocco don’t like getting clicked, so we were sensitive to that fact and only tried capturing them from behind. We managed to take some super cool photos with some ancient feel. It was so much fun as well!
Read Also:
- How Fez spoilt our Moroccan experience
- Postcard from Marrakech
- Tenerife – the charm of Canary Islands
- Lisbon, the hilly capital of Portugal
- Postcard from Istanbul
- Postcard from Madrid
- 3 amazing days in Interlaken, Switzerland
I will leave you with some more photos from our stay in Chefchaouen.
