The blue city of Chefchaouen is one of Morocco’s most famous sights. This unique little mountain town has entire streets that are painted in shades of blue.
You can go to Chef Chaouen on a day trip from Fes or Tangier, or there are hotels in the city if you want to stay longer. I went there on a day trip from Fes and enjoyed it, even though it took all day to go there and back.
This travel guide will explain how to get to the blue city (with or without a tour), what to see there, and everything else you need to know before you go!
Best Tour Company For Morocco
For my visit to the blue city, I booked a tour online through GetYourGuide.
My day tour to Chefchaouen from Fes only cost $26 USD and it included transportation in a minivan with a small group, 4 hours at the blue city, and a local guide to show us around.
This is the same exact tour I used for my own visit to Chefchaouen, and I had a great experience with them. You can book this day tour in the link below!
Book Now: Chefchaouen Day Trip From Fes / Tangier
How To Get To Chefchaouen
• From Fes
From Fes, if you don’t want to use a tour, you can also get to Chefchaouen by public bus or private car.
The bus ride from Fes to Chefchaouen takes a bit over 4 hours. It’s cheap, safe, and comfortable. This route is served by CTM and another bus company, and there are at least 5 departures per day.
You can check their schedule and book tickets online here, or you can buy the tickets in person at the bus station.
CTM bus
Bus seats
Another option is a private driver with a car, which is going to be quicker and more convenient than the bus.
This is the most expensive way to get to Chefchaouen, but it can still be fairly economical if you’re traveling with friends to split the cost.
You can arrange a driver with your hotel in Fes, or you can book it online here.
• From Tangier
The closest international airport to Chefchaouen is the one in Tangier (TNG), which has flights from all over Europe.
If you’re coming from Tangier, the drive to Chefchaouen only takes about 2.5 hours and you can do it by public bus, private car, or shared tour. The roads are a bit winding, but they’re in good condition overall.
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 to the blue city from Tangier. You can check the schedules and book tickets online here.
If you want to go with a private driver, that can be arranged with your hotel in Tangier, or you can book it online here.
Last, but not least, GetYourGuide has shared day tours to Chefchaouen from Tangier.
Chefchaouen
Visiting The Blue City: What To Expect
Once you reach Chefchaouen, the city is small enough to be walkable on foot.
If you come with a taxi or tour, they’ll drop you at the main gate, where you can easily walk into the medina of the blue city and start exploring.
If you come by bus and you have luggage, then you may want to hire a taxi to take you the rest of the way from the bus station to Bab El Ain, the main gate of the medina. That’ll save you 30 minutes of uphill walking.
The main plaza of the city
Souvenir shop
The streets in Chef Chaouen are narrow and sloped, with plenty of stairs to climb, so if you don’t have good mobility you might find that a bit challenging.
Still, it’s a fun place to wander and there are lots of nice cafes and restaurants if you want to stop for a bite along the way.
• Best Photo Spots
There are a bunch of good photo spots in Chefchaouen, but these were my favorites:
- Alley of Colored Pots. This is possibly the most famous photo spot in the blue city. On Google Maps, the approximate location is marked as ‘Derb El Assri‘ and you can use that pin for guidance, although GPS doesn’t work the greatest when you’re walking around in the narrow streets of the medina.
- Orange Juice Shop. A photogenic little spot with oranges hanging on a vine. You can buy a drink and take some pictures. Map here.
- Solid Blue Alley. This is another great photo spot with pure blue walls and doors, which you can see in the picture below. It’s just a short walk west of the orange juice shop.
- Place El Haouta. One of the main plazas in the blue city, with a water fountain and nice views of the mountains. Map here.
- Mural Street. A quirky street with murals of Santorini in Greece. Map here.
- Magic Lamp House of Aladdin. This restaurant has great rooftop views of the city of Chefchaouen. Go all the way to the top terrace for the best view. Map here.
Orange juice shop
More Things To See In Chefchaouen
If you have extra time, here are some more things in the area that are worth seeing:
- The Kasbah. This was the original fortress city of Chefchaouen, built in 1471 to defend against the Portuguese. It’s now a museum and you can climb the tower for great views of the city.
- Ras El Maa Waterfall. Requires a bit of uphill walking since the waterfall is outside of the medina, and it’s nothing spectacular, but it can be a nice place to relax if you want to get away from the tourists.
- Bouzafer Mosque. Also known as the Spanish mosque, this spot has good views of the entire city from above. You can hike there in about 30 minutes from the medina, or some tours stop at this spot for photos on the way into town. That’s what we did.
Place El Haouta
Lots of colors
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 the city if you want to stay longer, and some people may prefer to do that, but I was happy with a day trip. There really isn’t a whole lot to see or do if you stay longer 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 that’s 8 hours of total 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 lunch at a cafe there. A day trip from Tangier would give you even more time.
In my opinion, it’s not necessary to stay overnight in Chefchaouen.
Near the top of the medina
Another very blue doorway
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 by the blue city, but maybe my expectations were set too high because of what I’d seen on Instagram and travel calendars.
There were stray cats and dogs everywhere, and you see poop in the streets constantly. I was even photobombed several times by animals pooping or peeing in the middle of the street when I would try to take a picture of something.
I like cats, but this was too much. There was a fair amount of dirt and trash on the ground in Chefchaouen, too, and overall it could really use a clean up.
Don’t expect it to be like an all-blue version of Santorini in Greece. I think that’s what I had in my mind. Chefchaouen is definitely not as clean or impressive as the famous streets of Santorini, although there are a few alleys that are pretty nice.
I still think Chefchaouen is worth a visit, but keep your expectations realistic. It’s a fun town to explore, but it’s not quite as great as it looks in some of the pictures.
Mural street
Alley of colored pots
More Travel Guides For Morocco
Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this guide for 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!
