Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen, the Blue Pearl, is the most photogenic town in Morocco, a mountain settlement in the northern Rif whose old medina is washed almost entirely in shades of blue, from powder to deep cobalt. Its dreamlike maze of blue lanes, stairways, doors and pots, draped with flowers and cats, climbs the hillside beneath the peaks, a tranquil and enchanting contrast to the bustle of the imperial cities.

History

The name joins the Arabic for "look" with the Berber word for "horns", after the two peaks above the town. Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami founded it in 1471 as a small kasbah to guard against Portuguese raids on northern Morocco, and that first fortress is today's Kasbah (Wikipedia, Chefchaouen).

The main sights

• The blue lanes - the medina washed in every shade of blue.
• The stairways and doors - the flower-draped steps and painted doorways.
• The Plaza Uta el-Hammam - the main square and its kasbah.
• The mountain viewpoint - the Spanish Mosque overlook above the town.

When to go

Spring and autumn for pleasant mountain weather; go early morning for the blue lanes before the day-trippers and photographers arrive. It is calmer and more relaxed than the big cities.

Before you go

It has become very popular for its photogenic blue lanes, so the main streets fill with day-trippers and photographers by mid-morning; early morning is magical and quiet. It is small, seen in a day, though its calm makes it a pleasant overnight. It is remote, a few hours from the nearest cities.

Nearby

Fes and Tangier are within a few hours; the Rif mountains surround the town.

Key facts