Chefchaouen, the blue medina
Founded in 1471 as a small kasbah, Chefchaouen lies at about 600 m in the western Rif. Its medina is known for its houses painted blue and white.
Key facts
Before you go.
- Starting point
- Chefchaouen; frequent buses from Fez and TetouanChefchaouen (Wikivoyage)
- GPS coordinates
- 35.17139, -5.26972Chefchaouen (Wikipedia)
Good to know
Three things to remember.
Start with the kasbah, the original late-15th-century citadel and the oldest part of the medina.
Chefchaouen (Wikipedia)The blue has several explanations: keeping mosquitoes away, recalling the sky; according to some locals, it was mandated in the 1970s to attract tourists.
Chefchaouen (Wikipedia)At 600 m, the town has a Mediterranean climate.
Chefchaouen (Wikipedia)
Plan the trip
Our recommended partners
One link per need, chosen for reliability. Prices and availability are the partner’s, in a new tab.
Keep exploring
Morocco
A night in the Erg Chebbi desert
Near Merzouga, the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise up to 150 metres above the hamada and stretch for about 28 km from north to south.
Climbing Toubkal from Imlil
At 4,167 m, Toubkal is the highest peak in North Africa, 63 km south of Marrakesh.
The Jardin Majorelle
The painter Jacques Majorelle began planting this Marrakech garden with species from all over the world in 1922.
Sources · 2 pages consulted, with the exact sentence used
- Chefchaouen (Wikipedia)
The city was founded in 1471 (876 AH) as a small Kasbah by Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami […] The city of Chefchaouen is located at about 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level in the foothills of the Kaʻala mountain in the western part of the Rif mountain range […] Chefchaouen experiences a Mediterranean climate. […] One popular theory is that the blue keeps mosquitos away. The blue is said to symbolize the sky and heaven […] according to some locals, the walls were mandated to be painted blue in the 1970s to attract tourists. […] The Medina is the historical district of Chefchaouen, where blue and white paint dominates the walls and houses. […] The oldest part of the Medina is the Kasbah, the original citadel founded in the late 15th century by Ali ibn Rashid.
- Chefchaouen (Wikivoyage)
There are frequent buses from Fez and Tetouan and also from Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Tangier, Nador, and Al Hoceima.
Opening hours, prices and access conditions change: check them with the official source before you go. Viafro publishes no price without a source and a date.