Chefchaouen looks like a Pinterest-gasm of peeling paint and antique doors exploded over the physical walls of a fifteenth century city. I spent three blissful days there with friends over the long weekend for Muharram.
My best advice for you is to wander through the old medina (Arabic for city). Leave your watch and your phone in the room. Don't even bring a map. All roads in the city lead back to the main square and the Kasabah. If you are climbing up many flights of stairs, you are likely heading out of town. If you are descending stairs, you are eventually going to end up back at the Kasabah. If you truly are lost, ask a local. Many speak four or five languages (French, Arabic, Spanish, and English, to name a few).
The best time to explore (in my opinion any new city) is in the early morning. Wake up before the other tourists and explore. You experience the immense pleasure of watching a city wake, of smelling the first batch of bread as it bakes in the communal oven, and of relishing in the cool and quiet of a soon-to-be-bustling tourist hub.
Hiking
Do you like to hike? Do you like it when you quads scream from exertion after four continuous hours of steep incline? If you answered yes to these questions, then you should recreate our hike up the mountain of Jebel el-Kelaa. We used this blog post by two intrepid hikers as our guide up the mountain. The views are incredible all the way up with panoramic vistas of the pale blue city visible from the early switchbacks and a sprawling expanse of the semi-desert valleys visible from the summit.
This hike is not for the faint of heart. The altitude makes the climb particularly strenuous. You will be walking/sweating/crawling up and down an entire mountain. 12 miles. 8 hours of continuous movement. There is no clear path. You'll be on the road for the first half of your journey, but at the small, red water fountain you will veer off the road onto a goat trail that will lead you through fields of marijuana and past the homes of those self-same marijuana farmers. They will offer you tea and will hand you their goats to cuddle. You will love them.
Eating
Exploring Chefchaouen in the heat? Check out the swimming pool at Hotel Atlas. It offers beautiful views of the city below and a frigid dip in a pool really beats the afternoon heat. (Note for the wise, it has quite the unseemly reputation because it serves alcohol. If you take a taxi there, your driver will judge you and your life choices.)
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| A morning view of one of the many mosques in the old medina |
My best advice for you is to wander through the old medina (Arabic for city). Leave your watch and your phone in the room. Don't even bring a map. All roads in the city lead back to the main square and the Kasabah. If you are climbing up many flights of stairs, you are likely heading out of town. If you are descending stairs, you are eventually going to end up back at the Kasabah. If you truly are lost, ask a local. Many speak four or five languages (French, Arabic, Spanish, and English, to name a few).
The best time to explore (in my opinion any new city) is in the early morning. Wake up before the other tourists and explore. You experience the immense pleasure of watching a city wake, of smelling the first batch of bread as it bakes in the communal oven, and of relishing in the cool and quiet of a soon-to-be-bustling tourist hub.
Hiking
Do you like to hike? Do you like it when you quads scream from exertion after four continuous hours of steep incline? If you answered yes to these questions, then you should recreate our hike up the mountain of Jebel el-Kelaa. We used this blog post by two intrepid hikers as our guide up the mountain. The views are incredible all the way up with panoramic vistas of the pale blue city visible from the early switchbacks and a sprawling expanse of the semi-desert valleys visible from the summit.
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| At the summit Jebel el-Kelaa |
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| My new best friend, Florido the Goat |
Eating
- Restaurant Morisco (breakfast/lunch/dinner): We ate here three times. I recommend the mango juice, the Nutella crepes, and the harira (Moroccan soup with chickpeas).
- On a budget? The restaurants in the main square are the most expensive you'll find in the old medina. At the same time, "expensiveness" is relative. The average meal will run you less than 50 dirhams ($5). But if you want cheaper eats, check out the local food stands on all the side streets or find local restaurants tucked off the main square.
- Really on a budget? I'm a huge advocate of the DIY dinner. My friend, Olivia, and I made a delicious meal of goat cheese, olives, dates, and local pastry. The whole meal cost 15 dirhams per person total ($1.50).
Lodging
- We stayed at Pension Soukia, which is your basic hostel. I would recommend it for any traveler on a budget. The staff is friendly and helpful and you cannot beat the central location and cheap price.
Exploring Chefchaouen in the heat? Check out the swimming pool at Hotel Atlas. It offers beautiful views of the city below and a frigid dip in a pool really beats the afternoon heat. (Note for the wise, it has quite the unseemly reputation because it serves alcohol. If you take a taxi there, your driver will judge you and your life choices.)
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