Chefchaouen Tours: the Blue City and the Sahara

What to see in Chefchaouen

The blue medina. Quiet lanes, painted stairs and blue doors around every corner. Go early in the morning for soft light and empty streets, the best time for photos.

Outa el Hammam square. The heart of town, with cafés facing the red walls of the old kasbah and the octagonal minaret of the Grand Mosque.

The kasbah garden. A calm Andalusian garden and a small museum inside the old fortress, with a tower you can climb for views over the rooftops.

Sunset over the blue city. A short walk up the hill to the Spanish Mosque gives the classic view of Chefchaouen glowing at sunset.

Why is Chefchaouen blue?

No one knows for sure. The most common story links the blue paint to Jewish families who settled in the town centuries ago. Others say it keeps houses cool or keeps mosquitoes away. Today, locals repaint the walls every year, and the blue has become the town's signature.

How to combine Chefchaouen and the Sahara

Chefchaouen is in the far north, and the Merzouga dunes are in the southeast, so the best route goes through Fes. Most of our tours spend a night in Chefchaouen, continue to Fes, cross the Middle Atlas to the Sahara, and finish in Marrakech through the gorges and kasbahs. Starting in Tangier is the shortest way in; from Casablanca, you can add Rabat on the way north.