Best Tourist Places to Visit in Chaouen (Chefchaouen), Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Chaouen (Chefchaouen), Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Chefchaouen, also called Chaouen, is a city situated in the province of the same name in the northwestern part of Morocco, around 330 km northeast of the country’s largest city, Casablanca. A typical feature of Chefchaouen is its blue shaded buildings, which are common all around the city and are also famous among visitors. Due to its position in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen draws thousands of nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts throughout the year from all around the world, mainly from Spain. Chefchaouen has also become popular for its traditional shopping, especially for woven blankets. Chefchaouen is geographically positioned between 35°10′17″ N latitude and 5°16′11″ W longitude.

History of Chefchaouen:

Chefchaouen originated as a fortress, founded by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami in the year 1471, to protect the region from the Portuguese invasion. Like the most parts of Morocco, Chefchaouen also came under the Spanish rule in 1920 and remained until the independence of Morocco in the year 1956.

How to reach Chefchaouen?

The Sania Ramel Airport is the closest airport to Chefchaouen, situated around 65 km north of the heart of the Chefchaouen. This airport receives scheduled flights from Amsterdam, Al Hoceima and Casablanca and seasonal flights from Liège.

Chefchaouen has a good connectivity by bus to all the major cities of Morocco, including Tetouan, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Ceuta and Meknes.

Other than buses, the city of Chefchaouen is also well served by taxis, rental cars and minibuses.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Chefchaouen:

Like the rest of Morocco, Muslims dominates the population of Chefchaouen and the city also houses some Christian population.

Wool garments, woven blankets and goat cheese are the purchasable items in Chefchaouen. Here is the list of some nice food corners in Chefchaouen:

Restaurant Tissemlal o Casa Hassan
La Lampe Magique
Restaurant Al Moukhtar
Restaurant Morisco

Things to do in Chefchaouen:

Visiting medina
Shopping
Day tours

Tourist Attractions in Chefchaouen:

Blue buildings in Chefchaouen:

Chefchaouen is a city famous among visitors for its blue shaded buildings, which can be seen all around the city. Blue shaded buildings include houses, hotels, administrative offices and shops.

Kef Toghobeit Cave:

The Kef Toghobeit Cave is the Africa’s one of the deepest caves, measuring a depth of 700 metres and length of 4 kms. It is located few kilometers away from Chefchaouen, can be reached by a rental car.

Mosques:

Holding a larger proportion of Muslim population, Chefchaouen houses a large number of mosques with nice construction, of which most have historical significance.

Ras el Maa:

Ras el Maa is waterfalls, situated towards the east of the Chefchaouen medina. Other than enjoying beauties of waterfalls, visitors can also have mouthwatering traditional delicacies at café close to the waterfall.

Other places of interest in and around Chefchaouen include:

Kasbah
Chefchaouen Old City
Local Berbere Artisanal
Kasbah Museum
Medina
Cascades d’Akchour
American Legation
Dalia Beach
Cinema Rif
Tangier Casbah
Medina of Tangier
Puerto de Assilah
Musee d’Archeologie a Tetouan
Terrasse des Paresseux
Paradise Beach

Ideal time to visit Chefchaouen:

The best time to visit Chefchaouen is from August to October when the weather supportive for outdoor activities.

Accommodation options in Chefchaouen:

There are several modernized hotels in Chefchaouen providing top class hospitality services for visitors with a wide range of modern and traditional facilities. The prominent hotels in Chefchaouen are as follows: